Thematic Bible: Bible stories for children


Thematic Bible



And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him grace in the sight of the prince of the house of the prison. And the prince of the house of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatever they did there, he was the doer of it. read more.
The prince of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the sheep in Shechem? Come and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it is well with thy brethren and well with the sheep and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? read more.
And he said, I seek my brethren; tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes; now therefore, come and let us slay him and cast him into a cistern, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams. When Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood but cast him into this cistern that is in the wilderness and lay no hand upon him that he might rid him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; and they took him and cast him into the cistern; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing aromas and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. And when the Midianite merchantmen passed by, they took and lifted up Joseph out of the cistern and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the cistern; and, behold, Joseph was not inside, and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren and said, The young man is not; and I, where shall I go? Then they took Joseph's coat and killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father and said, We have found this, recognize now whether it is thy son's coat or not. And he knew it and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. Then Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and captain of the guard.

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven beautiful cows and very fat, and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river. read more.
And the ugly and lean-fleshed cows ate up the seven beautiful and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed the second time; and, behold, seven heads of wheat came up upon one stalk, full and beautiful. And, behold, seven thin heads, blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven full and beautiful heads. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men thereof; and Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then the chief butler spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, I remember my sins today; Pharaoh was angry with his slaves and put me in the prison of the captain of the guard's house, both me and the prince of the bakers. And we both dreamed a dream in one night; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, slave to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us; he interpreted to each man according to his dream. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto my office, and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and they cut his hair and changed his clothes, and he came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one that can interpret it; but I have heard say of thee that thou canst hear dreams to interpret them. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river; and, behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat-fleshed and beautiful in appearance; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them, lean and very ugly in appearance, and thin, such as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. And the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows; and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I also saw in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up in one stalk, full and beautiful; and, behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads; and I told this unto the magicians, but there was no one that could declare it to me. Then Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God has showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven beautiful cows are seven years; and the seven good heads are seven years; the dream is one and the same. Also the seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty heads blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has shown unto Pharaoh. Behold, seven years of great plenty are coming throughout all the land of Egypt. And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And that the dream came unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh find a discreet and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come and lay up wheat under the hand of Pharaoh to feed the cities, and let them store it up. And let that food be stored for the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not perish through the famine. And the word was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his slaves. And Pharaoh said unto his slaves, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God has showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him, Abrech Tender Father-honour this one as a precious father; and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee no one shall lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.


Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing; nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net was breaking. read more.
And they beckoned unto their partners, who were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down on his knees before Jesus, saying, Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not understand that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said unto them, Children, have ye any food? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right hand side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. read more.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in the little ship (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits), dragging the net with the fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus said unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; and being so many, yet the net was not broken.


And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? Then Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to show thy slave thy greatness and thy mighty hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works and according to thy mighty acts? I pray thee, let me go over and see that good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain and Lebanon. read more.
But the LORD was angry with me for your sakes and would not hear me, and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.


Make thee an ark of cedar trees; rooms shalt thou make in the ark and shalt reconcile it within and without covering it over with pitch. And this is the fashion of which thou shalt make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. read more.
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, in which is the spirit of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee I will establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind and of beasts after their kind, of every animal of the earth after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.


Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, Is it not because the LORD has anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?


But Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman out of there with all that she has, as ye swore unto her. And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and put them outside in the camp of Israel. And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.


And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and it came to pass as she made haste to flee that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.


And when they arose early in the morning and while they were going forth into the wilderness of Tekoa, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe the LORD your God, and ye shall be secure; believe his prophets, and ye shall be prospered. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed some to sing unto the LORD and to praise in the beauty of holiness, while the army went out and to say, Praise the LORD, for his mercy endures for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set the sons of Moab and those of Mount Seir to ambush the sons of Ammon, who were coming against Judah; and they smote one another. read more.
And the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, each one helped his companion to kill himself. And when Judah came to the watch tower of the wilderness, they looked for the multitude, and, behold, they were fallen to the earth dead, for none had escaped.


before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves and the grinders cease because they are few and those that look out of the windows are darkened; and the doors outside shall be shut because the voice of the grinder is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird and all the daughters of song shall be humbled; read more.
when they shall also be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and appetite shall fail: because man goes to the home of his age, and the mourners shall go about the streets; before the silver chain is broken, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel is broken at the cistern; and the dust returns to the earth as it was before and the spirit returns unto God who gave it.


And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, then come thou, for there is peace unto thee and no hurt, as the LORD lives. But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go away, for the LORD has sent thee away. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, let the LORD be between thee and me for ever. read more.
So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat bread. And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. And it came to pass on the next day, which was the second day of the new moon, that David's place was empty, and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Why did not the son of Jesse come to food, neither yesterday nor today? And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for those of our lineage have a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he has commanded me to be there, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he has not come unto the king's table. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion and unto the confusion of thy mother's shame? For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the land, thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom. Therefore, now send and bring him unto me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said unto him, Why shall he be slain? What has he done? And Saul cast a spear at him to smite him whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David and because his father had done him shame. And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, Run and find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master. But the lad did not understand anything; only Jonathan and David understood the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.


And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil and go; I will send thee to Jesse of Bethlehem for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul understands it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with thee and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me the one whom I name unto thee. read more.
And Samuel did as the LORD said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab and said, Peradventure is the LORD's anointed before him? And the LORD replied unto Samuel, Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for it is not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one. Again, Jesse made his seven sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD has not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are all thy young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send for him, for we will not sit down to the table until he comes here. And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and of a beautiful countenance and handsome. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him from among his brethren; and the Spirit of the LORD prospered David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.


And Jacob boiled pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was faint; and Esau said to Jacob, Give me to eat, I pray thee, of that red pottage; for I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. read more.
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau of the bread and of the pottage of lentils; and he ate and drank, and rose up, and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.


So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks; and he called to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her again and said, Bring me also, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God lives, I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a pitcher and a little oil in a cruse; and now I was gathering two sticks that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die. read more.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but first make me a little cake of bread baked under the ashes and bring it unto me, and afterwards thou shalt make for thee and for thy son. For thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be consumed, neither shall the cruse of oil fail until that day when the LORD shall send rain upon the earth. And she went and did as Elijah told her; and he and she and her house ate for many days. And the pitcher of meal was not consumed, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.


And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. read more.
Then God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman I will make a nation because he is thy seed. So Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child and sent her away; and she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under a tree. And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off as it were a bowshot; for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, What ails thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thy hand, for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.


And it came to pass after these things that God proved Abraham and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou dost love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and cut the wood for the burnt offering and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. read more.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son; and he took the fire in his hand and the knife; and they both went together. Then Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father and said, My father; and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? And Abraham answered, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering, so they both went together. And when they came to the place which God had told him of, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Then the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou doest fear God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked and beheld behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.


And Jacob dwelt in the land in which his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colours. read more.
And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brethren, saying, Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father reprehended him and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the word. And his brethren went to feed their father's sheep in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the sheep in Shechem? Come and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it is well with thy brethren and well with the sheep and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren; tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes; now therefore, come and let us slay him and cast him into a cistern, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams. When Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood but cast him into this cistern that is in the wilderness and lay no hand upon him that he might rid him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; and they took him and cast him into the cistern; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing aromas and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. And when the Midianite merchantmen passed by, they took and lifted up Joseph out of the cistern and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the cistern; and, behold, Joseph was not inside, and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren and said, The young man is not; and I, where shall I go? Then they took Joseph's coat and killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father and said, We have found this, recognize now whether it is thy son's coat or not. And he knew it and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. Then Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days.


And, behold, a woman who was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years came behind him and touched the hem of his garment; for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be free. But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her, he said, Trust, daughter; thy faith has made thee free. And the woman was free from that hour.


Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be likened unto ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them; read more.
but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered, saying, Lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.


And lifting up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And taking up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? And when he smote the waters, they separated to one side and the other, and Elisha went over.


And when the child was grown, it came to pass one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a servant, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon and then died. read more.
Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door upon him and went out. And calling her husband, she said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men and one of the asses that I may run to the man of God and come again. And he said, Why must thou go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, Peace. Then she caused the ass to be saddled and said to her servant, Lead and go forward; slack not the pace for me except I bid thee. So she went and came unto the man of God to Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi, his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite. Run now, I pray thee, to meet her and say unto her, Dost thou have peace? And thy husband? And the child? And she answered, Peace. And when she came to the man of God in the mountain, she caught him by the feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone, for her soul is bitter within her; and the LORD has hid it from me and has not revealed it to me. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me? Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and take my staff in thy hand and go; if thou meet anyone, salute him not; and if anyone salutes thee, answer him not again, and lay my staff upon the face of the child. Then the mother of the child said, As the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And he arose and followed her. And Gehazi had gone on before them and had laid the staff upon the face of the child, but there was neither voice, nor attention. Therefore he went again to meet him and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was laid dead upon his bed. He went in therefore and shut the door upon both of them and prayed unto the LORD. Then he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands; thus he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned and walked through the house to and fro and went up and stretched himself upon him again; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And as she was coming in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.


And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many sheep and cows, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it ate of his own food and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter. read more.
And a traveller came unto the rich man, who did not wish to take of his own sheep and of his own cows to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that had come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing is worthy of death, and he shall pay for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.


And Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, seeing that her son was dead, arose and destroyed all the royal seed. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years, and Athaliah was queen over the land. read more.
But the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took rulers over hundreds, captains and people of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD and made a covenant with them, causing them to swear an oath in the house of the LORD, and he showed them the king's son. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; a third part of you that shall enter in on the sabbath shall be the keepers of the watch of the king's house; and a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; ; and a third part at the gate behind the guard; so ye shall have the watch of the house of Mesah. And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king. And ye shall compass the king round about, each man with his weapons in his hand; and he that comes within these orders shall be slain. Ye must be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in. And the captains over the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada, the priest, commanded; and each man took his men that were to come in on the sabbath with those that should go out on the sabbath and came to Jehoiada, the priest. And the priest gave the captains over hundreds King David's spears and shields that were in the house of the LORD. And the guard stood, each man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the house to the left corner of the house, next to the altar and the house. Then he brought forth the king's son and put the crown upon him and gave him the testimony, and they made him king by anointing him; and they clapped their hands and said, Long live the king.


And it came to pass when he had finished speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. read more.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle.


In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without order, and empty; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. read more.
And God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made a firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heavens. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas; and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth green grass, herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its nature, whose seed is in itself upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth green grass and herb yielding seed after its kind and the tree yielding fruit whose seed was in itself, according to its nature; and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth and to rule over the day and over the night and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth great quantities of creatures with living souls and fowl that may fly above the earth upon the face of the firmament of the heavens. And God created the great dragons and every living soul that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their nature, and every winged fowl after its nature; and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living soul after its nature, beasts and serpents and animals of the earth after its nature; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after its kind and cattle after their kind and every thing that moves upon the earth after its kind; and God saw that it was good.


And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent and the silver under it. read more.
And they took them out of the midst of the tent and brought them unto Joshua and unto all the sons of Israel and laid them out before the LORD. Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver and the garment and the wedge of gold and his sons and his daughters and his oxen and his asses and his sheep and his tent and all that he had, and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones and burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over them a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.


And Gideon said unto God, Wilt thou save Israel by my hand as thou hast said? Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the threshing floor; and if the dew is on the fleece only and it is dry upon all the earth beside it, then I shall know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou hast said. And it was so, for he rose up early in the morning, and wringing the fleece, he took the dew out of it, a bowl full of water. read more.
But Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me if I speak again on this occasion; only let me prove again now with the fleece. I pray thee, let it be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.


And when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped; and when he had returned into the camp of Israel, he said, Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands. And dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he put a shofar in each man's hand with empty pitchers and torches burning within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look at me and do as I do; and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, as I do, so shall ye do. read more.
I shall blow the shofar, I and all that are with me, then ye shall blow the shofarot on every side of all the camp, and say, I AM The Hewer! So Gideon and the hundred men that were with him came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch when only the guards were awake, and they blew the shofarot and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the shofarot; and breaking the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the shofarot in their right hands to blow with; and they cried, The sword of I AM The Hewer! And they stood in their places round about the camp; and all the camp was routed, and they fled crying out. But the three hundred blew the shofarot, and the LORD set each man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the camp; and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath and to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath.


And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died. read more.
Then the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against thee; pray unto the LORD that he take away these serpents from among us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent and lift it up as a banner, and it shall be that anyone that is bitten and looks upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it up as a banner, and it came to pass that when a serpent bit anyone, he beheld the serpent of brass, and lived.


Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. read more.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he asked them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a Leader that shall shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod, calling the wise men unto him secretly, understood of them with diligence the time of the appearing of the star; and sending them to Bethlehem, he said, Go there and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went before them until it arrived and stood over where the young child was. Seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother; and falling down, they worshipped him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.


And the Syrians had gone out by companies and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress, If my lord would ask the prophet that is in Samaria, he would remove his leprosy. And Naaman went in and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. read more.
And the king of Syria said, Go, depart, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he also took the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman, my slave, to thee, that thou may remove his leprosy. And when the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and to give life, that this man sends unto me to remove the leprosy of this man? Therefore now consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me. And when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall be restored, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman went away angry and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD, his God, and strike his hand over the place and remove the leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his slaves came near and spoke unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean? Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him, and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing from thy slave.


Then Elijah, the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Leave this place and turn to the east and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan, read more.
and thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank from the brook.


And when they had gone over, Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I am taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a difficult thing. If thou shalt see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire separated the two, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.


And a man of the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi, who conceived and gave birth to a son, and seeing that he was beautiful, she hid him three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch and put the child in it, and she laid it in the reeds by the river's brink. read more.
And his sister stood afar off to see what would happen to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and walking with her maidens along by the river's side, she saw the ark among the reeds; she sent her maid to bring it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and, behold, the babe wept. And having compassion on him, she said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then his sister said unto Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And when the child grew, she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.


Now the serpent was more astute than all the animals of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Has God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman answered unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it; neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. read more.
Then the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God knows that in the day ye eat of it then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes, and a tree of covetousness to understand, she took of its fruit and ate and gave also unto her husband with her; and he ate.


Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel; no one went out, and no one came in. But the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given Jericho and its king into thy hand, with its mighty men of valour. Therefore, ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, going round about the city once; and thou shalt do this six days. read more.
And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven shofarot of jubilee; and the seventh day ye shall go around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the shofarot. And when they make a long sound of jubilee with the horn so that ye hear the voice of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat; then the people shall ascend up each man straight before him. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD. And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city and let those that are armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. And when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee passed on before the LORD and blew with the shofarot; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the shofarot, and the congregation came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot. And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, Shout; then ye shall shout. So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. And the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD walked continually, and blew with the shofarot; and the armed men went before them; but the congregation came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot. Likewise the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did for six days. And on the seventh day they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And when the priests had blown the shofarot the seventh time, Joshua said unto the people, Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. And the city shall be anathema unto the LORD, even it, and all the things that are in it; only Rahab, the harlot, shall live, she and all that are with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent. But keep yourselves from the anathema, that ye not touch nor take any thing of the anathema so that ye not make the camp of Israel anathema and trouble it. For all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. Then the people shouted when the priests blew with the shofarot, and it came to pass when the people heard the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him and they took the city.


And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and cried and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree replied, Should I leave my fatness, which because of me, God and man are honoured, to go and sway over the trees? read more.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the trees? Then the trees said unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, to go and sway over the trees? Then all the trees said unto the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and confide under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.


And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. And it so happened that a certain priest came down that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he came near the place and looked on him, he passed by on the other side. read more.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two denarius and gave them to the host and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise.


And as he entered into a certain village, ten men that were lepers met him, who stood afar off and lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. When he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. read more.
Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Were there not found any returning to give glory to God, except this stranger? And he said unto him, Arise, go; thy faith has saved thee.


And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a Pythian spirit met us, which brought her masters much gain by divination: she followed Paul and us and cried out, saying, These men are the slaves of the most high God, who announce unto us the way of deliverance. And she did this for many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. read more.
And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city and teach rites which are not lawful for us to receive neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely, who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks. But at midnight as Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them, then suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.


Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper and called many and sent his slave at supper time to say to those that were called, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I have need to go and see it; I pray thee have me excused. read more.
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that slave came and showed his lord these things. Then the husband of the house, being angry, said to his slave, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind. And the slave said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the slave, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were called shall taste of my supper.


It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty governors who should be in all the kingdom; and over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the governors might give accounts unto them, and the king should not be bothered. Then this Daniel was preferred above these governors and presidents because an overabundance of the Spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole kingdom. read more.
Then the presidents and governors looked for occasions against Daniel on behalf of the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful, and no vice nor fault was found in him. Then these men said, We shall never find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him in the law of his God. Then these governors and presidents assembled together before the king and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, magistrates, governors, great ones, and captains have agreed in common accord to promote a royal decree and to confirm it that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, confirm the decree and sign the writing that it not be moved, according to the law of Media and of Persia, which does not change. Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he entered into his house; and with the windows open toward Jerusalem in his dining chamber, he knelt three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he was used to doing before. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they went and spoke before the king concerning the royal decree; Hast thou not confirmed a decree that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Media and Persia, which does not change. Then they answered and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the sons of the captivity of the Jews, has not regarded thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast confirmed, but makes his petition three times a day. When the king, heard the matter, it weighed very heavy upon him, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured until the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then those men assembled near the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that this is the law of Media and of Persia: No decree nor statute which the king has confirmed may be moved. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king, speaking unto Daniel, said, Thy God whom thou servest continually, may he deliver thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet ring of his princes that the agreement concerning Daniel might not be changed. Then the king went to his palace and lay down without eating; neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep fled from him. Therefore, the king arose very early in the morning at dawn and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried loudly with a sad voice unto Daniel; and the king, in speaking to Daniel said, Daniel, servant of the living God, has thy God, whom thou servest continually, been able to deliver thee from the lions? Then Daniel said unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God has sent his angel, who shut the lions' mouths, that they do me no evil because before him righteousness was found in me; and even before thee, O king, I have done no corruption.


And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his estate with riotous living. read more.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he longed to fill his belly with the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave them unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no longer worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his slaves, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring here the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.


And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz the prince of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the sons of Israel of the royal lineage of the princes, young men in whom there was no blemish whatsoever but who were good looking and taught in all wisdom and wise in knowledge and of good understanding, and that had strength in them to stand in the king's palace, that they might be taught the letters and speech of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's food and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. read more.
Now among these of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (And God brought Daniel into grace and mercy with the prince of the eunuchs.) And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for when he shall see your faces more downcast than the other young men who are like unto you, then ye shall condemn my head before the king. Then Daniel said to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove, now, with thy slaves ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the young men that eat of the portion of the king's food; and as thou seest, deal with thy slaves. So he consented to them in this matter and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than the young men who ate the portion of the king's food.


Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried unto Elisha, saying, Thy slave, my husband, is dead; and thou knowest that thy slave feared the LORD; and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his slaves. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me what thou hast in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid has nothing in the house except a flask of oil. And he said, Go, borrow vessels from all thy neighbours, empty vessels; borrow not a few. read more.
Then enter in and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and pour out into all those vessels, and as each one is full, set it aside. So she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured out the oil. And when the vessels were full, she said unto her son, Bring me yet another vessel. And he said unto her, There are no more vessels. Then the oil stopped flowing. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell this oil and pay thy debtors and live thou and thy sons of the rest.


And Absalom met the slaves of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.


The sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too tight for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and each one take a beam from there, and let us make us a place there where we may dwell. And he answered, Go. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy slaves. And he answered, I will go. read more.
So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down the wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water, and he cried and said, Alas, master! It was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. Then he cut down a stick and cast it in there and caused the iron to swim. And he said unto him, Take it. And he put out his hand and took it.


And the child grew and was comforted of the Spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. And his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. read more.
And having completed the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that it behooves me to be about my Father's business? And they understood not the word which he spoke unto them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them, but his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in age and in grace with God and men.


Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him; he said unto Philip, From where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But he said this to prove him, for he knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred denarius of bread is not sufficient for them, that each one of them may take a little. read more.
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said unto him, There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many? Then Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to those that were sitting down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they desired. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over from those that had eaten.


And when they were escaped, then we knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness; for they kindled a great fire and received all of us because of the present rain and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out of the heat and fastened on his hand. read more.
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance does not suffer him to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm. But they were waiting to see when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly; but after they had waited a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.


But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession and defrauded of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to defraud of the price of the land? read more.
Retaining it, was it not thy own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the spirit; and great fear came on all those that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. Then Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried thy husband are at the door and shall carry thee out. Then she fell down straightway at his feet and yielded up the spirit; and the young men came in and found her dead and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.


After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem there is a pool by the sheep gate, which in Hebrew is called, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. read more.
For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatever disease he had. And a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Dost thou desire to be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked, and on that day was the sabbath.