it fhall be ló unto thee; but if not, it shall not be fo. And it came to pafs, as they ftill went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and hor. fes of fire, and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

31....And Elifha faw it, and he cried, My father, my father! The chariot of Ifrael, and the horsemen thereof. And he faw him no more. And he took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and flood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and fmote the waters, and faid, Where is the Lord God of Elijah ?

32....And when he had fmitten the waters, they parted hither and thither; and Elifha went over. And when the fons of the prophets, which were to view at Jericho, faw him, they laid, The fpirit of Elijah doth reft on Elifha.

33....And Elisha went up from thence unto Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and faid unto him, Go up thou bald head; go up thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them :And there came forth two fhe bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.*

*Children will learn from this, how very wicked it is to make a mock of aged people and of perfons who are deformed in body. The young ought to refpect and reverence the old for the holy bible exprefsly commands, faying, Thou shalt rife up before the hoary (or gray) head, and honor the face of the old man. And as to deformed, and underwitted perfons, if you make a mock of them, it would be mocking their maker. You ought to pity them, and be thankful that you were not made like them.

34....And after these things, a certain, woman of the wives of the fons of the prophets, cried unto Elifha, faying, Thy fervant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy fervant did fear the Lord and the creditor is come to take unto him my two. fons to be bond-men. And Elisha faid unto her, What fhall I do for thee? Tell me: What haft thou in the house? And the faid, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, fave a pot of oil.

35....Then he faid, Go, borrow thee veffels abroad of all thy neighbours borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou fhalt pour into all those vessels, and thou shalt fet afide that which is full. So fhe went from him, and fhut the door upon her, and upon her fons, who brought the veffels to her, and the poured

out.

36....And when the veffels were full, fhe faid to her fon, Bring me yet a veffel. And he faid unto her, There is not a veffel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came, and told the man of God and he said, Go, fell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the reft.

37....Now Naaman, captain of the hoft of the king of Syria, was a great man with his mafter and, honoura ble he was alfo a mighty man of valour but he was a leper. And the Syrians had brought away captive out of the land of Ifrael, a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife. And the faid unto her mistress, I with my Lord were with the prophet, who is in Samaria for he would recover him of his leprofy.

+

38....And one went in and told his lord of this fay

But ftill more wicked it is, to make derifion of Godly people children, who are fo hardened as to do this; are in the way to deftruction. L

ing. And the king of Syria faid, I will fend a letter unto the king of Ifrael. And Naaman departed, and took with him ten talents of filver, and fix thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

39....And he brought the letter to the king of Ifrael, faying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, be. hold, I have therewith fert Naaman my servant unto thee, that thou mayeft recover him of his leprofy. And when the king of Ifrael had read the letter, he rent his clothes, and faid, Am I a God, to kill and to make alive, that this man hath fent unto me to recov. er a man of his leprofy?

40....And it was fo, when Elifha the man of God heard this, he sent to the king, faying, Let Naaman come now to me, and he fhall know that there is a prophet in Ifrael. So Naaman came with his horfes and with his chariots, and flood at the door of the houfe of Elifha. And Elifba fent a meffenger unto him, laying, Go and wash in Jordan feven times, and thy flesh fhall come again to thee, and thou fhalt be clean.

41....And Naaman was wroth, and went away, and faid, Behold, I thought he would furely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damafcus, better than all the waters of Ifrael? May I Inot wash in them and be clean ? So he turned, and went away in a rage,

42....And his fervants came near, and spake unto him, and faid, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do fome great thing, wouldeft thou not have done it ? "How much rather then, when he faith unto thee, wash and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped bimfelf leven times in Jordan, according to the faying of

the man of God and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child,

43....And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him; and be faid, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Ifrael; now therefore, I pray thee, take a gift of thy fervant. But Elifha faid, As the Lord liveth, before whom I ftand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.

44....But Gehazi, the fervant of Elisha the man of God faid, Behold, my mafter hath fpared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought; but furely, I will run after him and take fomewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Naaman ; and when Naaman faw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well ?

45....And Gehazi faid, All is well. My master hath fent me, faying, Behold, even now there become to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the fons of the prophets : give them, I pray thee, a talent of Gilver, and two changes of raiment. And Naaman faid, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of filver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his fervants, and they bare them before him.

46....And when he came to the tower, he took the talents and the garments, and hid them in the house : and let the men go their way. But he went in, and flood before his master: and Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi ? And he said, Thy fervant went no whither.

47....And Elifha faid unto him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to re

ceive garments ? The leprofy, therefore, of Naaman fhall cleave unto thee. And he went out from his prefence a leper as white as fnow.

CHAPTER XXVI.

A PATRIOTIC GOVERNOR; OR THE WASHINGTON OF THE JEWS.

1....

T

A. M. 3774.

HE words of Nehemiah, the fon of Hachaliah. It came to pafs, as I was in Shufhan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews, who had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerufalem. And they faid unto me, The remnant, who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerufalem alfo is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.

2....And when I heard thele words, I fat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fafted, and prayed before the God of heaven. And it came to pass, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him and I took up the wine and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime fad in his prefence.

3....Wherefore the king faid unto me, Why is thy countenance fad, feeing thou art not fick? This is nothing else but forrow of heart. Then I was very fore afraid, and faid unto the king, Let the king live for ever why should not my countenance be fad, when the city,the place of my fathers' fepulchres, lieth wafle, and the gates thereof are confumed with fire ?