Finding the Ark

BY THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH ARTIST,

J. YOUNG HUNTER.

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"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river."-Ex., 2, 5.

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S the infant Moses grew, it became impossible to conceal him in the house, and his mother, Jochebed, decided on the desperate expedient of placing him in a little ark or basket made of rushes, and hiding this beside the Nile. Perhaps the finder, not knowing the child was a Hebrew, or even if guessing at it, might adopt him. Some writers tell us that she laid this plan with deliberate reference to Pharaoh's daughter, knowing where the latter was accustomed to come down to the Nile to bathe, and watching for the princess' approach.

The Bible, however, says nothing of such an aim; the appearance of the princess seems as if accidental, or rather providential, God-directed. Who was she, this gentle-hearted Egyptian whose influence was thus to shape the first forty years of Moses' life. Josephus gives her name as Thermuthis; another author calls her Merrhis, and says that she was wedded but childless, and longed eagerly for a son. The Bible is content to pass her by unnamed and undescribed, telling only that she noticed the ark, sent a maid to fetch it, and when she saw the babe within and he wept, she "had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children."

LEVITICUS XV—OF ATONEMENT FOR UNCLEANNESS

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17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

19 | And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.

21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.

26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.

27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. .

30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness.

31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

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LEVITICUS XVI—THE HIGH PRIEST'S ATONEMENT

11 The sin offering for himself.

Chapter 16 1 How the high priest must enter into the holy place.

15 The sin offering for the people. 20 The scapegoat. 29 The yearly feast of the expiations.

IND the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;

2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat.

3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering:

10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself.

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 | Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as

1 Both the American and English revisions substitute for the word scapegoat the original Hebrew word.