God. But these images of wood and stone could not hear them, so it was foolish, as well as wicked, to worship them.

The people who worshipped these false gods were called idolaters.

Among these idolaters1 there lived one good man, who loved and served God; his name was Abram. Abram dwelt in the land of the Chaldees. And God told him to come out from his own country where he lived, into another country. God said to Abram, "Get thee out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

When God told Abram that he should be a blessing, and that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed, He meant, that a long time afterwards, our Lord Jesus Christ should be born into the world in Abram's family. The coming of

1 Joshua xxiv. 2.

our Lord Jesus Christ was a great blessing to all the world.

So through Abram and his family, all the families of the earth were to be blessed.

Abram must have been sorry to leave his friends and his father's house, and his own country, to go and dwell in a strange land. But he believed in God's promises, and he did as God commanded him. He did not know what the country was that God would show him, nor where he was to go. But when God commanded him, he at once left his own country.

So Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his nephew, with him, and all his goods; and he journeyed on till he came to the land of Canaan.

The land of Canaan was a very rich land, and beautiful; all kinds of pleasant fruits grew there, and corn, and grass for the sheep and cattle.

And when Abram had come to the land of Canaan with Sarai his wife, and his nephew Lot, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, that his children should have that land for their own; God

said to Abram, "Unto thy seed will I give this land."

His seed meant his children.

Then Abram built an altar there unto the Lord, and worshipped the Lord.

Kindred, are those who are related to us. Abram's kindred were his father and mother, his brothers and sisters, and their children.

A nation is a great number of families and people, who live in one country, and speak the same language, and are called by the

same name.

Chapter XVI.

THE SEPARATION OF ABRAM AND LOT.

ABRAM dwelt in the land of Canaan, with Lot his nephew. And Abram was very rich in flocks and herds, and in silver and in gold. Lot, his nephew, had also a great many flocks and herds. And Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen quarrelled

about grass and food for their cattle. They had SO many flocks and herds, that there was not grass enough for them all in one place.

Abram did not like that the herdsmen should quarrel; for quarrelling is very wrong, and displeasing to God. So Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen. Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me." So Abram told Lot, that he might choose which part of the country he liked to live in.

Then Lot chose to go and live in the city of Sodom, because the country round it was very rich; much corn and grass grew in it, and a river ran through it, and watered it. But the people who lived in that country were very wicked: "they were sinners before the Lord exceedingly."

It was wrong of Lot to choose to live among the wicked people of Sodom, because the country was rich. It is better to be good than to be rich. And it is better to be poor, and to live among those who love God and serve Him, who will teach us and help us to be good also, than to

be rich, or well off, among wicked people, who will try to make us wicked too. We ought to keep away from wicked people as much as we can.

Abram cared more for God's love and favour, than for riches or pleasant lands, and God watched over him, and blessed him. So when Lot had gone away and left Abram alone, God again spoke to Abram. God said, that He would give to him all that land, all the land which he could see, to him and to his seed for ever. And God told him to walk through it, and to look at it, because ít should be his.

A city

a large town where there are many houses. Herdsmen are those who take care of herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep. A number of cattle are called a herd, and a number of sheep a flock.

Chapter XVII.

LOT'S CAPTIVITY AND WARNING.

AFTER Lot had gone to live in Sodom, four kings, who lived in the country near, came and fought