Chapter LVF.

THE DAILY SERVICE OF GOD'S PRIESTS, AND THE OFFERINGS OF HIS PEOPLE.

EVERY morning and every evening Aaron the high priest was to burn incense before God upon the golden altar that was within the tabernacle ; and he was to dress with pure olive oil the seven lamps of the golden candlestick, to cause it to burn always before the Lord. And every morning, and every evening, the priests, his sons, were to offer upon the brazen altar in the court of the tabernacle, a lamb for a burnt offering. But before they offered sacrifice, or went into God's holy house, they were to wash their feet and hands with water from a brazen vessel, which was to be placed in the court of the tabernacle.

And on every Sabbath-day, the priests were to place upon the golden table, which was within the tabernacle, twelve loaves which the children of

Israel were to offer to the Lord. Twelve loaves were always to be there before the Lord on the golden table. These twelve loaves of bread were called the shew-bread; they were holy unto the Lord, and the priests were to eat them in the holy place.

The children of Israel might come into the court of the tabernacle to worship God. There they were to bring the animals or other things which they wished to offer to the Lord. And the priests were to offer them upon the brazen altar.

God's people might not offer all beasts and birds as a sacrifice to Him; the beasts and birds which they might offer to the Lord, were called clean. The children of Israel were also forbidden to eat of any unclean beast, or unclean bird.

And when Moses had been taught how the tabernacle, or holy house of God, and all the things which belonged to it, were to be made, and the service and daily offerings which the priests of God were to offer, God again commanded him to teach the children of Israel to keep the Sabbath-day holy to the Lord. And then God gave

into the hands of Moses the two tables of stone, on which were the ten commandments written with the finger of God.

Exod. xxx. 7, 8; xxvii. 20; xxix. 38, 39; xxv. 30. Levit. xxiv. 5-9; i.; xi. Exod. xxxi. 12-18.

Clean animals: all animals whose hoofs were divided, and which chewed the cud, were counted clean; as sheep, and goats, and oxen. All others were counted unclean; as lions and tigers, hares, and rabbits, and swine. All birds which ate flesh were counted unclean; as owls, and hawks, and ravens.

Chapter LVH.

THE REBELLION OF GOD'S PEOPLE AGAINST HIM.

MOSES was in the mount with God forty days and forty nights.

The children of Israel remained encamped before the mount, waiting for Moses to come back to them. And when he had been many days in the mount, they began to fear that he would not return to them again.

Now the Israelites, when they were in the land of Egypt, had seen the Egyptians worshipping images of animals,—of a bull, and other creatures. The Egyptians used to call these images "gods." So when the children of Israel saw that Moses did not come back to tell them the words of God, and thought that he would not return to them any more, they asked Aaron to make them an image, like the images they had seen in Egypt, to remind them of God.

Then Aaron told them to bring to him the golden earrings that were in their ears. And he melted them on a fire, and made the gold into a golden calf.

Then the people said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt." They meant that the golden calf which Aaron had made should be an image to remind them of the Lord, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. Thus God's people broke the second commandment.

And Aaron built an altar before the golden calf. And the people offered burnt offerings upon the

altar before the golden calf; and they sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

And at the end of forty days, when Moses with Joshua came down from the mount, they saw the golden calf, and the people round it feasting. Then Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast out of his hand the two tables of stone, on which God had written the ten commandments, and he broke them.

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me." Then all the tribe of Levi gathered themselves together unto Moses. And Moses commanded them to put each man a sword by his side, and to go through the camp, and slay those who had broken God's commandment, and had worshipped the golden calf.

And the children of Levi did as Moses commanded them, and they slew that day about three thousand men.

And Moses took the golden calf which the children of Israel had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and he cast the