e remembered the favors, God's promises,
which the King of Victory Himself truthfully declared
to him through his holy word), until the people came with
their possessions to the place where the town is called
Bethlem: the glad-hearted chieftain and his brother's 1800
son, pious men, went forward over the storied land from
the east, with their possessions, over the precipitous
mountain-sides, and chose a dwelling-place for them-
selves where the fields seemed bright and fair to them. 1805

XXII.

There Abraham for the second time built an altar:
there he called upon God with noble words, and offered
sacrifice to the Lord of his life. Not at all sparingly
did God, through His own hand, give him reward for
this,--rich bounty, in the very place of sacrifice. 1810

There for a while the wise leader dwelt in his home
and enjoyed happiness, the hero with his bride, until a
frightful calamity began to press upon the Cananite
race, cruel hunger, deadly to home-staying men. Then 1815
the wise Abraham, chosen by the Lord, went into Egypt
to seek sustenance; the sage fled before evil: the plague
was too strong. Abraham spoke,--for he saw the white 1820
pinnacled halls of Egypt and the tall cities shining
brightly,--and then the ruler, the sagacious man, began
to instruct his wife, in these words:

"When many haughty Egyptians shall gaze with
their eyes upon thy countenance, then should the nobly- 1825
born chieftains suppose, O woman fair as a goddess, that
thou art my bright bed-fellow whom some one of the
warriors will wish to have for himself, then I may well
fear for myself lest some one of my foes may deprive 1830
me of life with the edge of his sword by reason of his
amorous desire. Say then, Sarra, that thou art my
sister, my blood-relation, when the strange men ask
thee what degree of familiarity may exist between us 1835
two foreigners, who come from so far away: hold fast
true speech from them, and thus thou shalt preserve
my life,--if the Lord of Peace, our Almighty Ruler,
grant me longer life in this world, as he did before, who 1840
ordained these travels for us in order that we might seek
aid and secure sustenance for ourselves in Egipt."

Thereupon Abraham, the vigorous leader, proceeded 1845
with his possessions into Egypt, where the people were
strange to h