Nearly five hundred years before the family of Jacob left this land to go down into Egypt where Joseph was. They grew to be a great people, but they were slaves. Then the Lord sent Moses to make them free, and they began the long journey, which at last brought them to their own land. Forty years they were on the journey, and all this time they were pilgrims, but on the day that the Jordan ceased to flow, and parted while they passed over into the land promised to their fathers, they became a nation. The land was before them, and they had only to obey the Lord and his servant Joshua to conquer and possess it. As they filled the valley of the Jordan before Jericho, the hearts of the heathen fainted for fear, for they knew that only the Lord could divide a river to let his people pass. Joshua went out of the camp to look at Jericho, the walled city. It was shut up for fear of the Israelites, and there was no one to be seen. Suddenly Joshua saw a warrior standing with a drawn sword in his hand. "Art thou for us," said Joshua, "or for our adversaries?" and the warrior angel answered, "Nay! but as Captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come," and Joshua fell on his face before him. He knew then that it was the Lord who would conquer Jericho, and he was told how the people were to help him. So Joshua called the priests, and told them to take up the Ark, and he told seven priests to go before it bearing trumpets of rams' horns. Then the army of Israel, ready for war, followed, half of them marching before the Ark, and half of them coming after, and as the trumpets gave a great sound, they marched once around the city, and then went to camp. This they did once every day for seven days, but on the seventh day they marched around the city seven times, and as the priests blew the trumpets for the last time, Joshua cried with a mighty voice, "Shout! for the Lord hath given you the city." Then as a great shout went up from the people, the walls of the city fell down flat, so that the soldiers of Israel went up, every man straight before him, and took Jericho. And Rahab was not forgotten. The Lord cared for her little house on the wall, and she, with all her family, were brought into the Camp of Israel. And so by the conquest of Jericho the new nation of Israel began to possess its land. CHAPTER XV. SAMSON THE STRONG.