$6 BATTLES OF THE BIBLE.

Grandfather. They were very far from doing what
was right, as a story that I am now to tell you will
shew ; the circumstances recorded in it took place about:
this time.

In Mount Ephraim, the territory of the Ephraimites,
there lived an old woman, who had a son named Micah.
The old woman was fond of money ; she had eleven hun-
dred shekels of silver, which she kept hoarded up, and
found great pleasure in looking upon it and counting it
over occasionally.

Johnnie. How much is a shekel, grandfather ¢

Grandfather. A shekel is about equal in value to a
half-crown. Well, this old woman’s treasure suddenly
disappeared. She was very much enraged—so much that
she even forgot herself so far as to denounce a curse upon
whoever had taken it. I told you that this old woman
had a son named Micah; he had stolen the money, which
was wicked, for though it belonged to his mother he had
no right to touch it. Perhaps he thought he needed it
at the time, and intended to pay it again; in that case
he ought to have asked his mother for it, and not have
helped himself slyly ; but it seems more probable that he
was not poor, but, like his mother, was fond of having
silver in his possession. Though Micah was wicked
enough to steal, he was not hardened enough to keep
the money when his mother had sent a curse after it.
He confessed that he had taken it. His mother then
changed her curse into a blessing, and told him that she
had dedicated the silver to the Lord, to make with it a