E-text prepared by Al Haines
[Frontispiece]
ALTEMUS' CHILDREN OF THE BIBLE SERIES
THE FARMER BOY
THE STORY OF JACOB
BY
J. H. WILLARD
ILLUSTRATED
Philadelphia
Henry Altemus Company
1905
Altemus' Illustrated Children of the Bible Series
The Boy who Obeyed: The Story of Isaac
The Farmer Boy: The Story of Jacob
The Favorite Son: The Story of Joseph
The Adopted Son: The Story of Moses
The Boy General: The Story of Joshua
The Boy at School: The Story of Samuel
The Shepherd Boy: The Story of David
The Boy who would be King: The Story of Absalom
The Captive Boy: The Story of Daniel
The Boy Jesus
THE FARMER BOY
THE STORY OF JACOB
Abraham, the father of the great Israelitish, or Hebrew, nation, wasthe chief, or sheikh, as he would be called now, of his family ortribe, and with his flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, camels and otheranimals, servants and followers, moved from place to place, adding tohis wealth as time went on and making for himself a respected namewherever he went.
God chose Abraham to be the founder of this mighty nation, and at hisdeath promised a continuation of His favor to his son Isaac, who hadmarried Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, who was Abraham's nephew.Isaac was an only son and inherited his father's great wealth.
[Illustration: Abraham, the Founder of a Nation.]
Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons whose names were Esau and Jacob, andperhaps no brothers were ever more unlike in their dispositions. Esaugrew up to be a hunter. Nothing pleased him so much as to take his bowand arrows and spend days away from home in the pursuit of deer, fromwhose flesh he made food which his father liked.
Among other customs of that time which seem strange to us now was thatof rich men and their wives and their sons as well preparing food withtheir own hands, although it is done in the East to some extent inthese days.
Abraham was certainly a rich man with a host of servants at command,yet the Bible tells us that Sarah, his wife, pr