m,
let my right hand forget her cunning.

"If I do not remember thee, let my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer
not Jerusalem above my chief joy."

{223}

When one Bible writer hoped for some great good in the future, and
wanted to make a very glorious picture, as splendid as he could, he
told of a city coming down from heaven, and called it the New
Jerusalem, because that city was dearer to him than any other place he
knew, and he said:--

"AND I JOHN SAW THE HOLY CITY,
NEW JERUSALEM,
COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN."

{224}

THE JORDAN

Up among the mountains in the North of the land of the Bible a little
stream flows down from a rocky valley. After wandering through
beautiful hills with many trees and vines, it comes into a wide valley
and passes through a little lake. Then it goes tumbling and roaring
down a narrow gorge with high rocks on each side.

After that it widens out into the beautiful lake of Gennesaret, or Sea
of Galilee. In the time of Jesus there were many towns about this lake
and many boats sailing over it.

After leaving this lake, the river flows through a valley, winding
from one side of it to the other. The valley grows deeper and deeper,
until at last to get into it one must go down, down long, steep hills
by winding roads, down narrow valleys where the rocks are piled high
above one. At last the river flows through a wide, sandy plain into
the Dead Sea.

The Jordan is the largest river of the Bible {225} land. The Hebrews
used to tell their little children that in the ancient time, when they
first came into the land, the Jordan stopped flowing so that their
fathers, with all their little children, and cattle and sheep, crossed
it on dry ground. Later King David crossed it, once when he found that
all his country had gone over to his enemies. A few weeks later he
came back, and many people went down to the river to welcome him. The
great general who had leprosy was sent to wash in the river, and he
was healed.

Jesus was baptized in the river. He often crossed it, and he lived and
taught on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, through which it flows.

{226}

THE DEAD SEA

The strangest lake in the world is the lake that is called the Dead
Sea. It is east of Canaan. The Jordan runs into it, but no river runs
out of it. It lies deep down between mountains. On one side the hills
rise so steep that one cannot climb them. On the other, there is onl