CHAPTER IV.

GENESIS, vi.—ix.

THE FLOOD.

The Earth Wicked-Noah's Ark-A Great Rain-The Raven and the Dove-Dry Land-A Covenant-The Rainbow.

NOAH was a righteous man; perfect was he in his generations. Noah walked with God. But the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was full of violence. And God beheld the earth, and, lo, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come; for the earth is full of violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood, and pitch it within and without with pitch. For I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven. Every thing that is in the earth shall die. And Noah did according to all that God commanded him : so did he.

And Jehovah said unto Noah: Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of all clean beasts shalt thou take to thee by sevens, the male and his female; and of the beasts that are not clean, by twos, the male and his female; of the fowl of the heavens also by sevens, male and female to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain

THE RAVEN AND THE DOVE.

13

upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every living thing that I have made from off the face of the ground. And Noah did according unto all that Jehovah commanded him.

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came upon the earth. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted from off the earth. And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And every thing was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle and creeping things, and fowl of the heavens; they were destroyed from the earth, and there remained only Noah and that which was with him in the ark.

Then the rain from heaven was restrained, and the waters returned from off the earth by little and little. And it came to pass at the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and sent forth the raven; and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

Then he sent forth the dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting-place for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark-for the waters were on the face of the whole earth, so he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark.

Then he stayed yet seven days longer; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came to him at eventide; and, lo, a fresh olive leaf in her

mouth; and Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. Then he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove, and she returned to him no more. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, every thing that moveth upon the earth, went forth according to their families from the ark.

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth; and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the heavens ; all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they given. Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; like the green herb have I given all of them unto you. Only the life of flesh, its blood, ye shall not eat. For surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it; and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man. And you, be fruitful, and multiply; increase mightily upon the earth, and multiply therein.

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying: And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the earth that is with you; whatsoever goeth forth from the ark, every beast of the earth. For I do establish my covenant with you, that all flesh shall no more be cut off by the waters of the flood, neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said: This is the token of the covenant

THE RAINBOW.

15

which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations. My bow have I set in the clouds, that it may be a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to gather above the earth, and the bow appeareth in the clouds, I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and all living creatures-all flesh,-and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the clouds that I may look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature-all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah: This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

CHAPTER V.

GENESIS, xii.-xiv., xvi.-xix., xxi–xxiii.

ABRAHAM, THE PATRIARCH.

Comes to Canaan-Driven to Egypt by Famine-Denies his Wife through Fear of Pharaoh-Returns to Canaan-Strife between his Herdmen and Lot's-Divides the Land with Lot-Settles at Hebron-Rescues Lot-An Angel Appears-A Son Promised— Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed-Isaac is Born-Hagar and Ishmael Driven out-Abraham Sacrifice-Death of Sarah.

JEHOVAH said unto Abraham: Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee, for I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. So Abraham went out, as Jehovah had spoken unto him, and Lot went out with him, and they came to the land of Canaan. And Abraham passed through the land to the neighborhood of Shechem, unto the Seer's Oak. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. And Jehovah appeared unto Abraham and said : To thy seed will I give this land; so he built there an altar to Jehovah, who appeared unto him. And he removed thence to the mountain east of Bethel, and pitched his tent-Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, -and he built there an altar to Jehovah, and called