concerned in proving that a whale can swallow a man, than in carrying out the command to evangelise those who know not their right hand from their left. THE WORK OF THE PRIESTS The following passage (Exod. vii. 14-25) illustrates the attempt to disintegrate the various documents ("J" is indicated by roman type, "E" by _italics_, and "P" by CAPITALS). "And Yahwe said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. _Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take into thine hand._ And thou shalt say unto him, Yahwe, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. Thus saith Yahwe, in this thou shalt know that I am Yahwe: behold, I will smite ... _with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood_. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river. AND YAHWE SAID UNTO MOSES, SAY UNTO AARON, TAKE THY ROD, AND STRETCH OUT THINE HAND OVER THE WATERS OF EGYPT, OVER THEIR RIVERS, OVER THEIR STREAMS, AND OVER THEIR POOLS, AND OVER ALL THEIR PONDS OF WATER, THAT THEY MAY BECOME BLOOD; AND THERE SHALL BE BLOOD THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT, BOTH IN VESSELS OF WOOD AND IN VESSELS OF STONE. AND MOSES AND AARON DID SO, AS YAHWE COMMANDED; _and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river; in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood_. And the fish that was in the River died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; AND THE BLOOD WAS THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT. AND THE MAGICIANS OF EGYPT DID IN LIKE MANNER WITH THEIR ENCHANTMENTS: AND PHARAOH'S HEART WAS HARDENED, AND HE HEARKENED NOT UNTO THEM; AS YAHWE HAD SPOKEN. _And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart._ And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after that Yahwe had smitten the river." Notes:--The account in "J" evidently had nothing about the water being turned into blood. Yahwe himself will smite the river (_Ye' or_; the Nile) so that the fish will die. "The river" probably stood after "smite ..." in "J." In "E" Moses is commanded to smite with his rod, and the Nile will be turned into blood. In verse 17 _thine_ must have stood in the original and was altered to "mine" when the documents were pieced together.