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Show Short Stories From The Bible I5Y V. V. HANSEN ABKAM ENTERS CANAAN Terah, the father of Abram, took with him his family and moved to Ur, of the Chaldees, and set out for the land of Canaan. Ca-naan. He came to Haran and there dwelt for a season, and died at this place at the age of 205 years. For certain doctrines taught by Abram, the Chaldeans and other people of Mesopotamia raised a tumult against him, and he decided to leave that country, and at the command and assistance assist-ance of God, he came and lived in the land of Canaan. Abram was now 75 years old. The Lord nt this time came to him and said: "Abram, leave this country and your relations and your fathers house, and go to a land which I wil lshow you. And I will make of you a great nation and a multitude mul-titude of people. And I will make your name great, and greatly bless you; that you will be a blessing bless-ing to others. And I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you; and through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Abram took Sarai, his wife, and his nephew Lot, and all his possessions pos-sessions and went forth into the land Canaan, passing through the land until they came to a place died Sichem, by Moreo. (Gen. 12.) Sichcm, later called Shechcm, meaning (back or shoulder)) an important city in central Palestine, Pales-tine, in the valley between mount Ebal and Gerezin, 34 miles north of Jerusalem ,and 7 miles southeast south-east of Samaria. Its present name, Nablus, is a. corruption of Nepolis, which succeeded the more ancient Shechem, and received its new name from Vespasian. It was a beautiful country, with vegetable gardens and orchards of nil kinds of fruit, watered by streams coming down the mountains. moun-tains. Such was the land to which the Lord led Abram, and here he was told that this land would be given lo him and his posterity. And here he built an alter unto the Lord and worshipped him. After staying at this place for some time, Abram again pulled his tent-sticks and moved to a mountain moun-tain cast of Bethel, and pitched his tent there, and built another alter and called upon the Lard. Later he moved toward the south. Bethel means "the house of God" a well known city and holy place of central Palestine, about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Its ruins can be seen on the right hand side of the road from Jerusalem Jeru-salem to Nablus. Next Abram enters Egypt. |