LECTURE IV.

HISTORY OF DEBORAH

Judg. v. 1, 5.-Then sang Deborah, and Barak the son of

Abinoam, on that day, saying, Praise ye the Lord for the

avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered them-

selves. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes: I,

even I will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the

Lord God of Israel. Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir,

when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth

trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also drop-

ped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord,

even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

LECTURE V.

HISTORY OF DEBORAH.

Judg. v. 12, 13.-Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake,

utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive,

thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth

have dominion over the nobles among the people: the

Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.

LECTURE VI.

HISTORY OF DEBORAH.

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Judg. v. 20, 21.-They fought from heaven; the stars in

their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon

swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon : 0,

my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

LECTURE VII.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth i. 1, 5.-Now it came to pass in the days when the

judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.
And a

certain man of Beth-le-hem-Judah went to sojourn in the

country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And

the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his

wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chi-

lion, Ephrathites of Beth-le-hem-Judah. And they came

into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Eli-

melech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left and her

two sons. And they took them wives of the women of

Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of

the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

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And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the

woman was left of her two sons, and her husband.

LECTURE VIII.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth i. 14, 18. And they lift up their voice, and wept again:

and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto

her. And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back

unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy

sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave

thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither

thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will

lodge thy people shall be my people, and thy God my

God where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be bu-

ried the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but

death part thee and me. When she saw that she was sted-

fastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto

her.

:

LECTURE IX.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth i. 19, 22.-So they two went until they came to Beth-

lehem. And it came to pass when they were come to

Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them; and

they said, Is this Naomi ? And she said unto them, Call me

not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt

very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath

brought me home again empty: Why then call ye me Na-

omi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Al-

mighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth,

the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law with her, which return-

ed out of the country of Moab. And they came to Beth-

lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

LECTURE X.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth ii. 1, 3.-And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's,

a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech ; and

his name was Boaz. And Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto

Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn

after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said

unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came,

and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was

to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was

of the kindred of Elimelech.

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LECTURF XI.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth ii. 4.—And behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and

said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you; and they

answered him, The Lord bless thee.

LECTURE XII.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth ii. 5, 17.-Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set

over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant

that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the

Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the

country of Moab and she said, I pray you, let me glean,

and gather after the reapers amongst the sheaves: so she

came, and hath continued even from the morning until now,

that she tarried a little in the house. Then said Boaz unto

Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in

another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by

my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do

reap, and go thou after them have I not charged the

young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou

art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which

the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face,

and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why

have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take

knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz an-

swered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me all

that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death

of thine husband and how thou hast left thy father and

thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto

a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord

recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of

the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come

to trust. Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my

lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou

hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not

like unto one of thine handmaidens. And Boaz said unto

her, At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread,

and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the

reapers and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat,

and was sufficed, and left. And when she was risen up to

glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her

glean even amoug the sheaves, and reproach her not. And

let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and

:

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leave them that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she

had gleaned and it was about an ephah of barley.

LECTURE XIII.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth ii. 19, 23, and iii. 1.—And her mother-in-law said unto

her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wrought-

est thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.

And she shewed her mother-in-law with whom she had

wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought

to-day is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-

law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his

kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said

unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next

kinsmen. And Ruth, the Moabitess, said, He said unto

me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they

have ended all my harvest. And Naomi said unto Ruth

her daughter-in-law. It is good, my daughter, that thou go

out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other

field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean

unto the end of barley harvest, and of wheat harvest; and

dwelt with her mother-in-law. Then Naomi, her mother-

in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest

for thee, that it may be well with thee?

LECTURE XIV.

HISTORY OF RUTH.

Ruth iv. 13, 17.-So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife:

and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her concep-

tion, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Nao-

mi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day

without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

And be shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nou-

risher of thine old age. For thy daughter-in-law, which

loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath

born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her

bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her

neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to

Naomi, and they called his name Obed. He is the father

of Jesse, the father of David.

LECTURE XV.

HISTORY OF HANNAH THE MOTHER OF

SAMUEL.

1 Sam. i. 1, 8.-Now there was a certain man of Ramath-
aim-Zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elka-

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nah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu,

the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. And he had two wives;

the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other

Peninnah and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no

children. And this man went up out of his city yearly, to

worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh.

And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests

of the Lord were there. And when the time was that Elka-

nah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her

sons and daughters, portions. But unto Hannah he gave

a worthy portion: for he loved Hannah; but the Lord had

shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her

sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up

her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went

up to the house of the Lord; so she provoked her; there-

fore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her

husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why

eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? Am not I

better to thee than ten sons?

LECTURE XVI.

HISTORY OF HANNAH.

1 Sam. i. 9, 18.-So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in

Shiloh, and after they had drank. Now Eli the priest sat upon

a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in

bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of Hosts, if thou

wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and re-

member me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give

unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto

the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor

come upon his head. And it came to pass as she continued

praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now

Hannah, she spake in her heart, only her lips moved, but

her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had

been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou

be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah

answered and said, No, my Lord, I am a woman of a sor-

rowful spirit: I have drank neither wine nor strong drink,

but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not

thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the

abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hither-

to. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the

God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked

of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in

thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and

her countenance was no more sad.

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