DE-STRUC-TION OF THE CIT-IES OF THE PLAIN.
And a voice spoke to Ha-gar out of the sky, and said, What ails thee, Ha-gar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Rise, lift up the lad and hold him in thine arms.
And the voice told her that her son should be the head of a great tribe. And as she raised her eyes she saw a well of wa-ter, and she ran to it and gave her son a drink and he was soon strong and well once more.
And God was kind to Ish-ma-el, and he grew, and made his home in the woods, and came to have great skill with the bow.
Now it was God's wish to try the faith of A-bra-ham to him.
And he told him to take his son, I-saac, and go to the land of Mo-ri-ah, and lay him on the al-tar he was to build on one of the mounts there. It was not a hard task to kill a lamb, and to burn it so that the smoke of it should rise up to God, like praise from the hearts of men. But how could A-bra-ham take his own dear son, I-saac, and lay him on the wood, and let him be burnt up like a lamb?
Yet God told him to do it, and A-bra-ham knew that it was safe for him to do as God said.
So he rose the next day and took two of his young men with him, and I-saac his son, and cut the wood the right length, and set out for the mount of which God had told him.
HA-GAR AND ISH-MA-EL.