The history of the Jewish people showṣ that they past through great changes and troubles before the time of Jesus, partly from their own misdoing, for they often did wrong; and partly from oppression of other nations by whom they were conquer'd, slain, carried a-way captive, and otherwise ill-treated. But after his time their sufferings were perhaps ēven greāter than befōre.

Already in Jesus Christ's day, the same Roman people that afterwârd came to Britain had conquer'd the Jews, and govern'd their land as a province; but about seventy years after his birth the Roman emperor Titus destroy'd their sacred city and temple of Jerusalem; and from that time to this the Jews have not had a common country, but have chiefly wander'd abroad in foreign lands, and now in âll Palestīne number only a few thousand persons. They have, however, âlways kept themselves distinct from other peoples.

The forefathers of the Jews were possessors of oxen, sheep and other cattle, and lived what iş câll'd a pastoral life. ABRAHAM, their mōst venerated progenitor, own'd great flocks of cattle. He was not a native of Canaan, but came from the country, of old câll'd Chaldea, near the meeting of the great rivers Euphrātēṣ

He settled at last in

and Tigris, in Asia. Hebron, in southern Palestine, where he died an He is described as the first man

ōld man. câll'd "Hebrew," which learned men say meant one who had come across a river, and, if so, that this would in his case be the Euphrātēs.

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The Book now câll'd "Genesis," (Greek for beginning") but originally without name, says Abraham was very rich in cattle and silver and gōld; and he went on his journeys from the south to Bethel, where his tent had been befōre, between Bethel and Hai; and that his nephew Lot, who was with him, had âlsō flocks and herds; and the land not being able to bear them both to dwell together, strife grew between their herdsmen, wherefore Abraham pray'd that there might be nō strife, but that they should separate, one going to the right, the other to the left. Then Lot, beholding that the plain of Jordan was well-wâter'd everywhere, chōşe it and journey'd eastward, whilst Abraham pitcht his tent at the terebinth trees of Mamre, by Hebron, where he built an Altar to Jehovah.

Before long trouble came to Lot, through contentions among neighboring peoples, the stronger of whom carried off bōth Lot and his goods; but Abraham muster'd his servants and

friends and brought back Lot, with all his people and his goods.

It is further said that Abraham before his death, being fär advanced in years and Jēhōvah âll

having blest him in all things, charged the stew-ard of his house not to take a wife for his son ISAAC from the daughters of the Canaanītes, but to go for a wife out of his own country. And so the stew-ard took camels and jew-els, and raiment and precious things, and went. Having pray'd to Jehovah, God of his mäster, to show kindness unto his mäster, it came to pass that Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel son of Milcäh and of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came with her pitcher to draw wâter at the well where the stew-ard was. She was very beautiful, and she gave wâter to the steward to drink, and drew âlsō for his camels. Then he took a golden ring and bracelets for her hands, and went with her brother Laban to the house, and told his errand, saying, “Now if ye will deal kindly with my mäster tell mē; if not, tell me." And Laban and Bethuel said, "This thing is from Jehovah, Rebecca iş before thee; take her and let her be the wife of thy mäster's son." And they askt of Rebecca, "Wilt thou gō with this man?" and shē said,

"I will gō;" and Isaac took Rebecca to be his wife and loved her.

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Now Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. JACOB afterward obtain'd the name "Israël,” whence, we are told, the people took the name Israëlites." In speaking of Abraham the probable meaning of their other name "Hēbrewṣ” has been mention'd. We are alsō tōld that Jacob's twelve sons were Reuben, Simëon, Lēvī, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Dan, Naphthali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin.

These names, (excepting Levi and Jõṣeph,) along with those of Manasseh and Ephra-im, the two sons of Joseph, are câll'd the nameṣ of the Twelve Tribes, or families, of the Israëlītish people. A map of Canaan, as it stood, long years after Jacob's days, when the people were establisht in the land, will show the country divided and named with these twelve nameṣ.

The most interesting of Jacob's children. was JOSEPH, a son of his wife Rachel's. It is tōld that his father loved him more than the rest, but that the sons of the other three wives hated him. When Joseph was seventeen years ōld, his father sent him to his brethren who were a-way tending their flocks, and aṣ hẽ cāme in sight they agreed to cast him into a pit, and pretend that some evil beast had devour'd him.

And so when he came, they stript off his coat of many colors that his father had made him, and put him into the pit; but seeing a company of Midianītish merchants passing by, they drew him out and sold him to these traders. The merchants took Joseph into Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, captain of the guard to Pharaoh, (pr. Farō,) King of Egypt. brethren, to deceive their father kill'd a kid and dipt Joseph's coat in the blood, (pr. blud) and Jacob, believing a wild beast had destroy'd his son, rent his clothes, püt sackcloth on his loins, and mōurn'd many days, refusing to be comforted, and saying he would gō down into the grave unto his son mourning.

The

As for Joseph, âll that he did in Egypt the Lord made to prosper; he found grace in the sight of his mäster, and was made ōverseer of his house; but it came to pass that Potiphar's wife brought a fâlse accuṣātion against Joseph, whereupon Potiphar cast him into prison. After this the chief Butler and chief Bāker of the king, with whom Phāraōh waṣș wroth, were püt in wârd into the same place; and thēṣe men having dream'd dreams where-at they were sad, Joseph interpreted the dreams as bōding good to one and ill to the other; and it chanċed as he had told them. Now this led