A Brief Outline Old Testament History Genesis 1 - 11 Creation - Flood - Abram.

Creation - man in the fruitful plain of Eden - man disobeys God and is forced to leave his haven - the struggle to survive - jealousy between Cain and Abel - Cain murders Abel - he is expelled to the land of wandering under Gods protection - civilisation begins to develop - the list of patriarchs representing the time from Adam to Noah - Man incurs Gods wrath - Gods judgment in the Flood - the growth of nations - man establishes empires and languages become diversified - the list of patriarchs leading to Abram. Genesis 12 - 50 Abram called by God - receives Gods promise of being a blessing to the world - has vivid experiences of God - adventures in the promised Land - Isaac - Jacob - Jacob produces 12 sons, the children of Israel- Joseph becomes premier of Egypt - the 12 and their households saved from famine by entering Egypt under Josephs protection. Exodus 1 - 19 Israel enslaved in Egypt - Moses raised up a deliverer - plagues on Egypt - Israel escape - miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds - Egyptian pursuit thwarted by God - journey through the wilderness provision of food and water by God - reach Mount Sinai Exodus 20 - Leviticus 27 God makes a covenant with Israel at Sinai - the ten commandments - the Tabernacle (tent of meeting) made to act as the central sanctuary, to house the Ark, the throne of God, but no image to be made of God, - various instructions - rites of sacrifice established - instruction for living Numbers The tribes numbered - various ordinances - Gods presence by fire and cloud - they reach the borders of the Promised Land - spies sent out - discouraging reports - the people rebel - God forbids entry attempt to enter Canaan from the South - repelled - 38 years at the Oasis of Kadesh Barnea - new attempt to be made from the West - refused passage - battles and treaties - attractiveness of Transjordan - preparation for entering the Promised Land from the West Deuteronomy Repeat account of the journies of |Israel and the giving of the Law - various ordinances - Moses dies Joshua A partially successful assault on the Promised Land - Israel esablished in the Hill Country - the tribal centre established at Shechem, the central sanctuary for the tribes. The idea was that the tribes would govern themselves but maintain unity by attending three times a year at the central sanctuary to renew their covenant with God and each other, responding when necessary to the call to arms to defend each other. The fruitful plains which God had intended for them in Canaan are now being taken over by a sinister new enemy, the Philistines, who arrive in the land, conquer the Canaanites, and form a five-city league, possessing chariots and weapons of iron Judges Various struggles for sections of the tribes to maintain their holdings against outside attack - God raises up war-leaders to deliver them - the menace of the Philistines grows - parts of Israel in subjection- failures in the tribal unity Ruth An interlude describing the adventures of Ruth, a Moabite woman, her marriage to Boaz, and the descent therefrom of the forefathers of David. 1 Samuel The sanctuary has been moved to Shiloh, probably because Shechem was too vulnerable to attack the birth of Samuel - defeat by the Philistines and loss of the ark of God - Samuel established as war leader and prophet - repulsion of the Philistines - Saul established by Samuel as war leader - victories and defeats - God raises up David, who is exiled by Saul and raises up a loyal band of fighting men (his men), outwardly acting as a mercenary for the Philistines, but secretly winning favour among the people of Judah - Samuel dies - Saul is finally utterly defeated, and killed. 2 Samuel David becomes war leader of Judah, and then Israel as a whole, captures Jerusalem with his men (so that it is the City of David, separate from Judah and Israel) defeats the Philistines, is made king, establishes Israel and builds an empire. Israel at last safe, and established in the Promised Land, with more besides. The Tabernacle and central sanctuary established in Jerusalem, Davids city. All is now seemingly set for the establishment of Gods Rule to the ends of the earth. 1 & 2 Kings & Chronicles Solomon succeeds David - builds the Temple - establishes his magnificence - causes disaffection - his empire begins to crumble - and collapses on his death - Judah and Israel split up - Judah retain the central sanctuary.

(1). Israel - Jereboam of Israel establish sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan and sets up golden calves (probably intended to replace the Ark as the throne of |God) - the people worship the calves - the history of the failures of the kings of Israel who establish their capital at Samaria, - battles between Israel and Judah - occasional treaties - worship of foreign gods - wars with Syria - God sends Elijah and Elisha - they are rejected - Hosea, Amos and Micah are sent and also rejected - the appearance on the horizon of Assyria - a period of temporising, followed by revolt, resulting finally in the leading families of Israel being carried away captive into Assyria, and the collapse of the nation with foreign rulers over them - new people put in the land - they are taught by a priest of Israel and worship both God and graven images, and eventually the Samaritans are descended from them (with their own Pentateuch Genesis to Deuteronomy - and worship centred at Mount Gerizim) (2). Judah - Judah still had the central sanctuary at Jerusalem.Their kings at first therefore remained more true to the worship of God, but allowed lax religious practices - baal worship later introduced in association with Israel- and removed by the man of God Jehoiada - Jehoash (Joash) and Azariah (Uzziah) reign well - Hosea and Amos prophesy - Uzziah dies - Isaiah prophesies - Ahaz turns to idolatry - pays tribute to Assyria to save him from Israel and Syria - introduces a foreign altar - pays tribute to the gods of Assyria (part of his bargain) - Israel is carried away captive - Ahaz dies - Hezekiah listens to Isaiah, restores purity of religion (breaking the treaty with Assyria) - Assyria attacks - is amazingly defeated by God so that Jerusalem is preserved - Hezekiah dies - Manasseh neglects the Temple, introduces baal worship, idolatry, and worship of the host of heaven (probably a sign of increasing Assyrian pressure) - Josiah becomes king - restores the Temple - finds the book of the covenant renews the covenant with God - purifies religion - is slain by Pharaoh Nechoh - Judah pays tribute to Egypt - religion again corrupted - false worship - the rise of Babylon - Judah becomes tributary - the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel - rebellion against Babylon- Jerusalem besieged and submits - the king and the leading men taken into exile - Jerusalem again rebels, believing that God will not allow Jerusalem to be destroyed (rejecting Jeremiah and Ezekiel) - Jerusalem and theTemple are destroyed the people carried into exile, where Ezekiel ministers to them. The land is left desolate. Daniel - prophesying in Babylon Cyrus becomes King of Persia. Ezra Cyrus proclaims freedom of religion in all his empire - decrees the establishment of a new Temple in Jerusalem - Zerubbabel, with a fairly large group of people, returns to Jerusalem with the Temple treasures restored by Cyrus - the Temple and a small part of the city are partly rebuilt - opposition from dwellers in the land who appeal to Artaxerxes and have the work stopped - Haggai and Zechariah prophesy - Zerubbabel starts up the work again - the Temple finished - Ezra arrives in Jerusalem with another group as a teacher of the Law of Moses - they face opposition on the way but arrive safely the covenant renewed - the religion is purified. There is, however, continual opposition and the work is restricted. There are powerful people in opposition round about, including the governor of Samaria. Nehemiah. Messengers report to Nehemiah. The Ezra and the people in Jersualem are hard pressed, and the partly built city subject to continued harassment from the surrounding peoples. Nehemiah was Artaxerxes cup bearer. This was a high position of trust. It was he who would finally hand the king his cup after it had been tested for poison. He was one of the highest in the empire and the kings trusted minister, (and needed to be from what followed). Using his personal influence he obtains permission from the king for the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the walls, and the re-establishing of the city as capital of |Judah. There is powerful opposition from two governors of provinces and a powerful war-lord - but the people unite to refurbish the city and build its walls, sword in hand . The walls are finished and Ezra, the priest, brings the Book of the Law of Moses and reads it aloud to the people. There is general renewal and the city is once again established. Malachi later proclaims the coming of a messenger of the Lord, and the coming of the day of God. Moses Moses was the son of Amram. When his mother saw that he was a healthy child she hid him for as long as she could. When she could hide him no longer she put him in a basket and placed it in the Nile River. He was discovered and adopted by the daughter of the Pharaoh. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them work. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting he went to them and asked them why they were fighting. One of them responded and said, "What are you going to kill me too." So Moses got scared and decided to flee the country, he took refuge in Midian. While

there he helped some women water their flock and there father Jethro told them to go get Moses and let him live with them. So Moses accepted the invitation and Jethro soon gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. Now Zipporah gave birth to a son and Moses named him Gershom. One day Moses noticed a bush on fire, but the bush did not seem to be burning up. Walking over to the bush God began to talk to Moses, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." Then the Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." But Moses was not convinced the people would believe him or even listen to him. Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you." The Lord also added, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [1] like snow. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground." Moses met his brother Aaron and him and Aaron went together to try and fulfill Moses' mission. Moses and Aaron had done everything the Lord had asked of them so the Lord changed all the water in Egypt into blood. All the fish in the Nile died and the land stunk terribly. This still did not change the Pharaoh's mind so the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, `This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.'" So Moses and Aaron did this and frogs covered the land of Egypt. So the Pharaoh. finally gives in and releases the people to with Moses. Moses and the Israelites went away from Egypt and ended up between the Red Sea and a desert. When the Pharaoh. saw this he decided to attack the Israelites and overtake them. But the Lord told Moses to hold out his staff and divide the water so the Israelites could flee on dry ground. Once the Israelites got across Moses stretched back out his arm and let the water flow back into place and kill all the Egyptians. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died. Deborah Deborah was the nurse of Rebekah. Deborah was the only female judge of Israel. Deborah was a prophet and she was married to Lappidoth. Deborah is credit for inspiring Barak to defeat Sisera. Deborah also wrote many songs while she was alive, when she died she was buried under the oak below Bethel. So it was called Allon Bacuth(oak of weeping). Samson Samson was a Nazirite and son of Manoah. Samson grew up to become one of the judges of Israel. One day Samson saw a young Philistine woman that he desired to be his wife. When he was going to talk with the woman a lion jumped at him and he tore apart with his bare hands. After talking to the young woman he liked her and still wanted to take her as his wife. So Samson decided to marry the woman and went to prepare the customary feast. When Samson appeared he was given thirty companions, he said to them, "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it." He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." Knowing they did not understand the riddle they went to Samson's wife to get the answer. After threatening her into telling them the answer

they told it to Samson. So Samson went and killed thirty of their people and took the clothes off of them and went and gave them to the other thirty that had got the riddle right. The Philistines decided to give Samson's wife to his friend. When Samson found this out he tied foxes together by the tails in pairs of two. He then put a torch on each tail and set it on fire and turned them loose in all of the Philistines' grain and burned it up. When they found out why Samson had done this they went and burned the woman and her father to death. This infuriated Samson even more and he promised revenge. He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam. The Philistines sent the men of Judah to go get Samson. When they found him they tied him up and took him to the Philistines. They started screaming as soon as they saw Samson but the Lord was with him and Samson was able to snap the ropes he was tied up with. Samson found a fresh jawbone on the ground a picked it up and killed a thousand men with it. Then dieing of thirst he asked the Lord for help. So the Lord gave Samson water and his strength was revived. He ruled Israel. for twenty years. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. Then all the Philistines wanted them to bring out Samson to entertain them so they did. Then Samson asked the guard with him to lean him against the pillar holding the place up so he could rest. Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Samson died with all the Philistines, being crushed in the rubble. Saul Saul was the son of Kish. Saul was a tall young man, a head taller than all other Israelites. He was also called Shaul. One day Saul went looking for his father's donkeys. Saul crossed many through many lands and then met Samuel. Samuel told Saul the donkeys had been found and also gave him a set of messages for God. Then Saul was chosen by God to be king of Israel. Saul was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned over Israel. for forty-two years. Saul went into battled against the Philistines and defeated them. But Saul did not act as the Lord had told him too so Samuel told Saul that he would not rule forever. Next the Lord told Saul to attack the Amalekites and not to spare anything. So Saul did this, but he did spare Agag, and some sheep and other things. This upset the Lord and he decided that Saul would no longer be king. Saul would later become jealous of David and attempt to kill him. Unable to do so Saul would eventually give his daughter Michal to David in marriage. Soon after Saul and David would become enemies. Saul would try to slay David once again but would not be able to. Saul soon attacked David's army and chased after him. David's men would trap Saul in a cave but David, surprisingly, would not allow his men to kill Saul. Instead he let Saul go free, apologizing to him. Years later Saul's life is once again spared by David. A few years later Saul's land is attacked by the Philistines and he is defeated. He is killed along with his sons. Solomon Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba. Nathan, the prophet, named him Jedidiah. He was set to succeed David as the king of Israel upon his birth. Once his father died he was anointed king and then years later he was anointed king for a second time. Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines in his lifetime. He ruled over Israel for forty years. When he died he was buried with his father and his son Rehoboam was crowned king. Job Job lived in the land of Uz. Job feared God and shunned evil. One day Satan told God that he could make Job give up faith in the Lord. The Lord allowed Satan to torture Job and see how he would react. Satan killed all his cattle, killed his servants and family, put awful blisters on Job's body. His friends turned their backs on him and told him had done something wrong and deserved all this. But Job, knowing he hadn't done anything to deserve this, kept his faith in God. After Satan had tortured Job for quite some time the Lord healed Job and gave him twice the riches he had before. After this Job live a hundred and forty-two years. And so he died full of faith and full of years.

Abraham Abraham, also called Abram, was the son of Terah. Abraham married a woman named Sarai. Together with Abraham's family they lived in Ur, but they all soon move to Canaan. On their way to Canaan they come to Haran and decide to settle their. While here the Lord said to Abram "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram obeyed the Lord and left Haran in search of his country. Lot, Abraham's nephew, went with him. When they set out of Zharan Abraham was 75 years old. Abraham took Sarai, all their possessions and all the people they had acquired while in Haran and set out for Canaan. Abraham had to go to Egypt eventually. He was worried about being killed by the Egyptians when they saw his beautiful wife. So Abram and Sarai came up with a plan that she would tell the Pharoah that she was Abraham's sister. The planned worked and both Abraham and Sarai were treated well. But the lord inflicted serious disease on Pharaoh and everyone in his household because of Abraham's wife. When Pharaoh realized that Sarai was Abraham's wife he became upset that Abraham had lied to him. But Pharaoh did not kill Abraham, instead he sent Abram and his wife and everything they had away. Abram had become very wealthy over this time. But Abram and Lot, who was still traveling with Abram, both had lots of livestock and people. The land could not support both of them together and quarreling between their stockmen soon broke out. So Abram said this to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left." Lot chose the well watered plain of Jordan, so Abraham headed toward Canaan. After Abraham and Lot had parted ways the Lord said to Abram, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Around thias time war broke out near where Lot was living. When the enemy won they took all the people of sodom and their possessions, including Lot. Upon hearing this news Abram rallied all the 318 trained men that he had. Abram and his men went in search of Lot and his people. Abraham caught up to the enemy soldiers at Dan, and attacked them during the night. They recovered all the possessions and all of the people. When they returned to their homeland all the kings greeted Abram and praised him for what he did. He tried to give Abram all the possessions that he had returned but Abraham refused to accept them by saying, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, `I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me--to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." One night when Abram was talking to the Lord he expressed concern that he had no children so one of his servants was entitled to inherit his estate. The Lord told Abram to look up and count the stars and that if he could count all the stars in the sky then he could have a son. Abraham also wondered how he should be for sure that he would inherit all of this land. The Lord responded by saying, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." On that day the Lord made a deal with Abram that he would give his descendants the land from the River of Egypt to the Great River. Next Abram's wife said to him, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to do as Sarai had asked him to do. So Saria took her maid servant and gave her to Abraham to be his husband. Once Hagar, the maidservant, knew she was pregnant she began to hate Sarai. Sarai came to Abram and told him of her trouble. Abram told her that Hagar was hers to do whatever she felt was right. So Sarai began mistreating Hagar, causing her to flee. An angel found Hagar and told her to go back and submit to her master and that she would have a son and to name him Ishmael. When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord gave him many nations to be in charge of. The Lord also told Abraham that he would allow Sarai, now Sarah, to bear him a son. So the Lord went to destroy Sodom, but when they got there they realized Lot was a righteous man and did not deserve to die so the angels told him to get himself and all his family out of the place because they were going to destroy it. Sarah would bear a son and Abram named him Isaac. The Lord told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as an offering. So fearing God Abram went to sacrifice Isaac. But right before he was able to do this an angel came and told him not to. The angel said that the Lord saw that Abram was

willing to sacrifice his only son and that was enough. Instead he sacrificed a ram and the Lord blessed Abram for his devotion. Abram's wife Sarah would die when she was a hundred and twenty-seven years old. Abraham died when he was a hundred and seventy-five and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with his wife Sarah. Isaac Isaac was the son of Abraham. He was an ancestor of Jesus. Abraham offered him as a sacrifice to God. He married Rebekah when he was forty years old. Isaac pleaded to God for a son because Rebekah was barren. The Lord answered his prayers and Rebekah became pregnant. She gave birth to twins; Esau, and Jacob. Isaac lived to be one hundred and eighty years old. Joseph Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel. Joseph was Jacob's favorite child and this upset his brothers greatly. One day his brothers plotted to kill him but decided not to. Instead they captured him and threw him into the cistern. Then they sold him to a group of Ishmaelites. They took his robe and covered it with goat's blood and then took it back and gave it to Jacob. Joseph was then sold in Egypt to Potiphar. Potiphar came to love and trust Joseph and eventually put everything he owned in the hands of Joseph, Joseph was in charge of all his possessions. But Potiphar's wife lied to her husband and got Joseph thrown into prison. She told Potiphar that Joseph had tried to sleep with her when in reality she had wanted to sleep with him but he had refused. Once out of prison Pharaoh would give Joseph a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah. He then gave Joseph Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, to be his wife. Joseph had two sons before the famine. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh, and the second son he named Ephraim. Joseph grew much grain and food and stored large quantities of it up. When the famine hit he was able to supply many countries with enough grain to survive. One day Joseph found his brothers and he told them who he was. He asked them if his father was still living and he gave all his people land to live on through the famine. Then Joseph sent for his father and upon the reuniting both were happy. Joseph died when he was a hundred and ten years old. Joshua Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, and was the son of Nun. Joshua was the aide of Moses. Joshua would do many miraculous things during his lifetime. At one point he led the people back into the land of Canaan. He also renewed the circumcision of the children of Israel, reestablished the Passover, and had a vision of the angel of God. Joshua killed many kings and defeated many countries in his lifetime. Joshua lived until he was a hundred and ten years old. He was buried at Timnath Serah. Gideon Gideon grew up and had many occurrences with angels and the Lord. He destroyed the altar of Baal and built one for the Lord. He would later lead an army against, and defeat the Midianites. Israel desired to make him king but he refuses to accept the honor. He would eventually have seventy sons and many wives. He died at an old age and was buried with his father Joash. Ruth & Naomi Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Ruth pledged her devotion to Naomi, once saying, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Once Ruth's husband died Naomi told her to go back home to her family but Ruth refused. Ruth would later marry Boaz. When married to Boaz Ruth would bear a child. Naomi was the wife of Elimelech. David David was the son of Jesse, he was the king of Israel for many years. One day while tending Saul's sheep a lion came and carried off one of the sheep, so David chased it down and killed the lion and saved the sheep from its mouth. David had killed a bear and lion. Saul gave his daughter, Michal, to

David to wed. But he made David kill two hundred Philistines in order to become his son-in-law. David probably wrote most of the book of Psalms. David would defeat the Philistines at this point. Saul had wanted David dead and planned to let him die by the hands of the Philistines. But at this point Saul decides he has waited long enough and tries to slay David himself. David escapes and begins to flee. Saul chases him and twice David has an opportunity to have Saul killed but both times he lets him walk free. After Saul was killed David went in search of Saul's murderer. Upon finding him David slays the murderer. Once Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was crowned king David waged war against him. David defeats Ish and demands Michal back. He is then anointed king of Israel He reigns over Israel for thirtythree years. David sinned by sleeping with a married woman, Bathsheba. He then causes her husband to die and takes her as his wife. They had a son and named him Solomon. David lived to an old age and when he died he was buried in the city of David. Esther Esther the niece of Mordecai was also called Hadassah. She was chosen queen by Xerxes. She found out about a plot to kill the king and reported this to him, thus saving his life. She lived a long and prosperous life, standing up for her people and her country. Daniel Daniel was a Jewish captive also called Belteshazzar. Daniel soon begins to interpret different visions that people have. Then the king gave Daniel control of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its people. The king then planned to put Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom. When all the other satraps heard of this they got upset so they talked the king into passing a law that whoever prays to their god within the next thirty days shall be thrown in a lions den. As the others knew he would Daniel prayed to God three times a day. The others reported this to the king and the king tried hard to save Daniel but at sundown the men went to get Daniel. Daniel was thrown in the lion's den for breaking the law. Daniel never stopped praying and believing in God all through his life. He lived a life of faithfulness and devotion. Adam & Eve God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." God then created man. This was Adam. After this God created a companion for Adam. We now call her Eve. God told Adam and Eve everything in the universe was theirs and that they could eat anything they wanted to except the fruit form the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But the serpent convinced Eve to eat the fruit from this tree and she gave a piece of it to Adam and he ate it too. God then told Adam that he would have to work the land to grow food to eat on and he would have to sweat in the hot sun in order to have. He told Adam that since he ate the fruit from the tree of life he must slave for food until he died. He then said to Eve, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Adam had many children during his lifetime and he died when he was 930 years old. Noah Noah was born the son of Lamech. After Noah had become 500 years old he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God came and told Noah one day that he was going to destroy mankind because they had become corrupt in their ways. God told Noah to build an ark and keep him and his family alive on this ark. He also wanted Noah to bring two of every living creature on this ark. After the rain had came and passed and everything that wasn't on Noah's Ark had perished Noah made a covenant with God that no flood would ever again wash away the earth. Noah lived until he was 950 years old. Sarah

Sarah was also called Sarai. She was the wife of Abraham. Now Sarah was barren so she and Abram had no kids. But Sarah was allowed to have a son by the Lord. They named this son Isaac. When Sarai and Abraham had to flee from the land because of the famine they went to Egypt. Abram knew if the Egyptians found out Sarah was his wife they would kill him some they told the Egyptians that Sarah was his sister. Everywhere Abram and Sarah went they told the people they were brother and sister. Now Sarai had borne Abram no kids so she gave her maidservant to him and told him to have kids with her. Once Hagar, Sarai's servant, was pregnant she started to despise her master. Sarah began to mistreat her for this so Hagar fled. Sarah did not like Hagar or the child she had delivered she told Abram to get rid of them both and he did so. Sarah lived to be a hundred, and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Jacob Jacob was the son of Isaac and the twin brother Esau. One day Jacob was cooking some stew when his brother Esau. came in and was famished, he said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" But Jacob made Esau. swear to give him his birthright. After Esau. did this Jacob gave him some stew. One day as Isaac was dieing he said to Esua, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons--your quiver and bow--and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." Isaac's wife Rebekah heard this and went and told Jacob, she also told him to go get to of the finest goats and bring them to her and she would prepare them the way Isaac liked. So Jacob did this and Rebekah fixed them the way Isaac liked them and Jacob took them to Isaac to eat. Isaac in his old age thinks this is Esua that brings him the food so he gives Jacob his blessings before he dies. He says to Jacob, "May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness-- an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." Upon finding out that Jacob had stolen his blessing Esua thought of killing Jacob to get even with him. Rebekah heard of her oldest son's ideas and she told Jacob to go live with her brother Laban until Esua was no longer upset. One night while Jacob was sleeping he had a dream, he dreamed of a stairway and God at the top of this stairway. God talked to Jacob and this is what he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Later God confirmed this dream he told Jacob which land he would be given and he also told him that his name would nolonger be Jacob, it would now be Isreal. Once Jacob got to the house of Laban he started working for him for nothing. Laban asked Jacob what he wanted in exchange for his labor, Jacob responded that he wanted his youngest daughter, Rachel. So Jacob worked seven years so he could have Rachel, then when that seven years was up Laban gave to Jacob Leah, because she was his oldest daughter. Jacob was not satisfied he still had eyes for Labans other daughter Rachel, so he was forced to work seven more years. After this second seven year period Jacob was given Rachel. Jacob later left Laban because he was not pleased with the way that he had been treated. Jacob took his wives and children and set off for Canaan. Jacob, now called Israel was not to excited about reuniting with Esua.He was afraid of what Esua may do to him when they met. Upon arriving home Esua saw Jacob and ran to him and gave him a hug. After Esua had met all of Jacob servants Jacob tried to give Esua a few of them, this is what he said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." So Esua graciously accepted and the brothers were friends again. On their way to Ephrath Rachel began to give birth. She gave to a son but she herself could not make it through the pregnancy. Jacob later went back and lived in the land of Canaan. It was known that Jacob loved one son, Joseph more than all the others. The others were jealous because of this and plotted to kill Joseph. But instead of killing him they threw him in a cistern and waited for someone to come by. They sold him to some Ishmaelites an their way to Egypt. Once they did this they slaughtered a goat and soaked Joseph's robe in the blood. They took the Robe to Jacob and asked if it was the robe of Joseph. Recognizing it Jacob thought Joseph had been eaten by some animal and grieved for quite a while. After living in Canaan quite some time Isreal got news that his son, Joseph, was still alive. Upon hearing this he left out for Egypt to find him. On his way their the Lord came to Jacob and said, "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you

back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." When they saw each other they hugged and wept for a long time. Jacob would continue to live in Egypt for seventeen years and he would die when he was one hundred and forty-seven years old.