The runaway prophet

Long ago in the land of Israel, God called one of His prophets, Jonah, to go to Nineveh. Jonah was to deliver a message to this powerful city warning them that God was very displeased with their wickedness. But instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah got unto a ship and sailed away in the opposite direction.

God didn’t allow Jonah to disobey so easily and soon a terrible storm arose. Terrified, the sailors prayed to their gods and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Jonah was found sleeping, and the sailors decided that their problem had something to do with him. After admitting his disobedience, Jonah told them that they should throw him overboard and that God would then stop the storm. Once Jonah was off the ship, the storm ceased, but not all was well for poor Jonah. God sent a big fish to swallow him …

You can read the rest of this exciting story in your Bible in Jonah, chapters one through four.

C’era una volta una barca che portava tanta gente in cui c’era un bambino che si chiamava Jonas.

L’acqua si muoveva forte perché Jonas aveva fatto una cosa sbagliata. Allora gli altri lo buttarono in acqua. Arrivò un grosso pesce che lo portò dove

non voleva andare.

Queen Esther

After the Babylonian Empire faded from history, a new power arose, the empire of the Medes and the Persians. During the rule of King Ahasuerus, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai who lived in Shushan, the capital of the empire. Mordecai’s family had come to live in Shushan when Jerusalem had been captured earlier under the Babylonian Empire. In Moredecai’s care was Esther, his uncle daughter, who he adopted after the death of her parents.

At this time, many of the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem, while others had stayed in Persia. However, all was not well for the Jews in Persia due to Haman, the king’s prime minister, who was threatening to destroy them.

But God had a plan to save them. Not through the mighty power of an army, but through the love and courage of the young Jewish woman, Esther, who risked her own life to intercede with the king to save her people and defeat the evil plans of Haman.

You can read in your Bible this exciting story of the young Jewish orphan woman who became a queen. The story is found in the Book of Esther, chapters 1 through 10.

La regina di nome Ester e il re di nome Assuero erano il re e la regina di Babilonia (Iraq). Un giorno il re diede lo scettro alla regina in segno di nobiltà. Il re

all’inizio volevo uccidere il popolo ebraico, perché aveva paura che gli ebrei distruggessero il suo popolo. Ma,

grazie all ‘intervento di Ester, non l ‘ha fatto.

The Prophet Daniel Many years have passed since the rules of King David and King Solomon, and many wars have been fought over the land of Israel. One day a young prophet, Jeremiah, gave a warning from God that a terrible and powerful enemy was approaching, the Babylonian army.

Not long after, the armies besieged the city of Jerusalem, and within a few months, the city was conquered, the people were taken captive, and the city was burned.

Amongst the captives taken to Babylon was a young man, named Daniel. Daniel never returned to see Jerusalem again, but God has a special plan for his life in Babylon for many years to come. At one point, God used Daniel to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, foretelling the future of the world. Daniel also received from God amazing visions of events to come.

You can read about these events as well as the vision of king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapters 1 through 2.

C’era una volta un re di nome Nabucodonosor che aveva avuto un brutto sogno. Allora chiamò Daniele che gli spiegò il sogno dall’inizio alla fine: una statua con la

faccia d’oro, il corpo di cemento armato, ma i piedi erano d’argilla.

A shepherd boy and a giant

While King Saul, of Israel, was fighting a war against the army of the Philistines, a giant man, a soldier of the Philistines, came and defied the army of King Saul:“Send a man who dares to fight me,” said Goliath, the giant. “If he kills me, the Philistines will be your servants. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!”

No one dared answer the challenges and fight the biggest, strongest, most feared man of all the Philistines soldiers. But unexpectedly, a young man’s voice was heard: “I’ll do it.”

And soon, a young simple shepherd, armed with only a sling and a few stones, faced the terrible giant. “You come with a sword and a spear and a shield, but I come in the name of the Lord God who will give me the victory!”

And He did! The name of the young shepherd was David, who later became King David.

You can read the rest of the story in 1 Samuel chapter 17.

IL GIGANTE GOLIA VUOLE UCCIDERE IL VILLAGGIO. ALLORA UN BAMBINO DI NOME DAVIDE SI OFFRE A SFIDARE IL GIGANTE CON LA SUA FIONDA. ALLORA

DAVIDE RIUSCÌ A SCONFIGGERLO E TUTTI GLI EBREI FURONO SALVI GRAZIE AL PICCOLO DAVIDE.

King SolomonKing David ruled Israel for many years. After King David’s death, his son, Solomon, became ruler over the land of Israel. People were happy, the kingdom was at peace, and Solomon established good relations with neighboring countries.

King Solomon became known for his wisdom, his wealth, and his writings. One of his most important achievements was the building of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The Temple took seven years to complete. It was built of stone and cedar wood from the country of Tyre, which was carved and overlaid with gold.

After the completion of the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, which has been carried around since the Exodus from Egypt, was placed inside. It was truly a magnificent Temple.

You can read in the Bible in 1 King chapter 2, verses 1 through 4; 1 King chapter 5, verses 5 through 14; and 1 King chapters 5 through 7 about the building of the Temple.

In questa figura si vede un re, di nome Salomone: Un giorno ha costruito un tempio. Il papà di

Salomone si chiamava Davide, era un re anche lui.

“Speak Lord, your servant listens”Many years ago in the time of Eli the prophet, a baby boy was born, who was named Samuel, meaning “asked of God.” Hannah, Samuel’s mother, gave him that name, because for many years she was unable to have children, but God answered her prayers and gave her a son.

In thankfulness for this miracle, when the child, Samuel, was old enough, Hannah took him to serve in the Temple with Eli the prophet.

One night while Samuel was sleeping, he heard the Lord God calling him. He woke up and said: “Here I am” and run to see Eli, because he thought that Eli had called him. But Eli said “No, I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”

Two more times the Lord God called Samuel in the same way, and both of these times Samuel went to see Eli. Eli then realized tha God wanted to talk to Samuel. Eli told Samuel to return to his bed, and the next time God would call him, Samuel was to answer the Lord. And so it was, God called Samuel again, this time the boy sat in his bed and answered, “Speak Lord, your servant listens.”

Many years later Samuel grew to be a great prophet who helped many people, including kings.

You can read this story in 1 Samuel chapter 3.

Il piccolo Samuele faceva il chierichetto al tempio, e ci viveva anche lì. Una notte sente

una voce che lo chiama, e pensa che è il sacerdote e gli chiede: cosa vuoi? perché mi hai chiamato? E il sacerdote gli spiega che non era

lui, ma era Dio che gli parlava.

Ruth, the young woman from MoabAfter having lived many years in the land of Moab, and the death of her husband and her two sons, Naomi, now an older woman was returning to her homeland in Israel. Travelling with her was Ruth, a young woman, the wife of one of Naomi’s deceased sons.

Though Naomi had suggested to both of her daughter-in-laws to stay in their own country of Moab, Ruth chose to go with Naomi to her home in Israel. “Do not urge me to leave you, for where you go I will go. Your people shall be my people and your God my God,” said Ruth to Naomi.

After the long journey, they arrived in Bethlehem during the harvest season. Because they were poor, Ruth went to glean grain left on the ground after the men had harvested the fields. There one day she meets Boaz, a land owner and relative of Naomi’s deceased husband.

Boaz and Ruth love each other and soon decide to be married. Together they had a son, called Obed, who was to be the grandfather of King David. And as this same line of family members went on for many generations, it one day had born to it a special baby, Jesus.

Read this beautiful story in the Book of Ruth, chapters 1 through 4.

Questa e’ la bella storia Di ruth, una donna che veniva da un altro paese, ma e’ rimasta nel paese degli ebrei perche’ voleva aiutare la mamma di suo marito che era morto. Qui trova il padrone del campo dove

lavora, che la aiuta.

Doomed, but Saved by a PrincessAfter Joseph’s father, brothers, and their families settled in Egypt, they lived very happily there, as well as the future generations, who were known as the Hebrews. However, after many generations, during which time the Hebrews grew more numerous, things changed.

A new pharaoh rose to power and feared that the Hebrew’s growing numbers gave them too much power. Because of this, the new pharaoh orders a terrible deed to be carried out. He orders that every newly born Hebrew baby boy be killed.

But one baby boy survives. Due to the prayerful intervention of his mother, and though God’s miraculous protection, he was saved from the river and taken into the care of pharaoh’s owns daughter, and in an amazing turn of events was raised in pharaoh’s palace. This man, Moses, was God’s chosen to help free the Hebrew nation under bondage from Egypt.

Many chapters in the Bible cover the life and journey of Moses as he led the Hebrews through the wilderness into the Promised Land, including the receiving of the Ten Commandments that God wrote into two stones for Moses. You can read the details of the above text about baby Moses in Exodus chapter 1 and in Exodus chapter 2, verses 1 to 10, and about Moses receiving the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 31, verse 18.

C’ era una volta Mose’ che voleva salvare il suo popolo dagli egiziani. E ando’ sul monte Sinai, poi senti’ una voce che lo chiamava: Mose’! prendi due tavole. Poi Dio fece arrivare delle scritte sulle tavole che Mose’ aveva in mano: erano i 10 comandamenti, le cose che ti spiegano cosa devi fare per vivere bene.

The Parting of the Red SeaAnd when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel looked up, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them. The children of Israel were terrified and cried out to the LORD for help.

And Moses said to the people, don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see what the LORD will do today to save you. You will never see the Egyptians again. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall stand still.

Then Moses held out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to move away by a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

And the children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on their right, and on their left.

Exodus Chapter 14, verses10, 13 and 14, 21 and 22

All scriptures are edited and paraphrased from the American King James Version.

1500 anni prima che nascesse Gesù Mosè aiuto’ gli ebrei a scappare degli egiziani e ad attraversare il Mar Rosso. Il Signore ha aiutato il popolo di Israele.