READING ADVENTURES

Joseph's Special Coat

Joseph was a young man. He had many brothers. His father was named Jacob. Jacob loved all his sons, but Joseph was his favorite.

Jacob gave Joseph a special gift. It was a coat of many colors! The coat was beautiful. It had red, blue, yellow, and purple.

Joseph had dreams too. In his dreams, the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him. His brothers did not like his dreams. They were jealous of Joseph.

But Yahuah had a big plan for Joseph!

From Slave to Leader

Joseph's brothers sold him. He went to Egypt as a slave. But Yahuah was with Joseph!

Joseph worked hard. His master trusted him. But then Joseph was put in prison. Even in prison, Yahuah was with him.

The king of Egypt was called Pharaoh. Pharaoh had a dream, but no one could tell him what it meant.

Someone told Pharaoh about Joseph. "He can tell you about dreams!" they said.

Joseph came before Pharaoh. He said, "Yahuah will give you the answer." Joseph told Pharaoh the meaning of his dream.

Pharaoh was so happy! He made Joseph a leader over all Egypt!

Safe in the River

The people of Israel lived in Egypt. A mean Pharaoh was now the king. He was afraid of the Israelites because there were so many of them.

Pharaoh gave a terrible command. "Throw all the baby boys into the river!" he said.

One mother had a baby boy. She loved him very much. She wanted to keep him safe. So she hid him for three months.

When she could not hide him anymore, she made a basket. She put the baby in the basket. She put the basket in the river Nile. The baby's sister, Miriam, watched from far away.

The princess of Egypt came to the river. She found the basket! The baby cried, and the princess felt sorry for him.

"This is a Hebrew baby," she said. "I will keep him. I will call him Moses."

Yahuah had protected baby Moses!

Yahuah Speaks to Moses

Moses grew up in the palace. But later, he ran away to the wilderness. He became a shepherd. He took care of sheep for many years.

One day, Moses saw something strange. A bush was on fire! But the bush did not burn up. Moses went to look at it.

Then Yahuah called to him from the bush. "Moses! Moses!" He said.

"Here I am," Moses answered.

"Do not come any closer," Yahuah said. "Take off your shoes. The ground where you stand is holy."

Moses hid his face. He was afraid to look at Elohim.

Yahuah said, "I have seen my people suffer in Egypt. I am sending you to free them. You will lead them out of Egypt."

Moses was scared. But Yahuah promised to be with him.

Let My People Go!

Moses went to Pharaoh. "Yahuah says, 'Let My people go!'" Moses said.

But Pharaoh said, "No! I will not let them go."

So Yahuah sent plagues on Egypt. First, the water turned to blood. Then frogs covered the land. Gnats and flies came everywhere!

The animals got sick. The people got sores. Hail fell from the sky. Locusts ate the crops. Darkness covered the land for three days.

Still, Pharaoh would not listen. He was stubborn.

The last plague was the worst. The firstborn of every Egyptian family died. But Yahuah protected His people. They put lamb's blood on their doors, and the death passed over them.

Finally, Pharaoh let the people go!

Yahuah Opens the Sea

The Israelites left Egypt! They were finally free! But Pharaoh changed his mind. "Go get them back!" he told his army.

Pharaoh's army chased the Israelites. The people came to the Red Sea. They were trapped! The sea was in front. The army was behind.

The people were very afraid. "Why did you bring us here to die?" they cried to Moses.

But Moses said, "Do not be afraid! Stand still and see the salvation of Yahuah!"

Yahuah told Moses to hold out his staff over the water. Moses obeyed. A strong wind blew all night. The water split apart! There were walls of water on each side, and dry ground in the middle!

All the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. When the Egyptian army tried to follow, the water came back together. Yahuah saved His people!

The Law from the Mountain

The Israelites came to a mountain called Sinai. Yahuah was going to speak to them!

The mountain shook. Thunder and lightning filled the sky. A thick cloud covered the top of the mountain. A trumpet sounded loud and long.

Yahuah called Moses to come up the mountain. Moses went up and stayed for forty days. There, Yahuah gave him the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets.

These commandments taught the people how to love Yahuah and love each other:

• Have no other gods
• Do not make idols
• Do not take Yahuah's name in vain
• Remember the Sabbath day
• Honor your father and mother
• Do not murder
• Do not commit adultery
• Do not steal
• Do not lie
• Do not covet (want what others have)

These commandments are still important today!

A Heart After Yahuah

David was the youngest of eight brothers. His father was Jesse, and they lived in Bethlehem. David's job was to watch the sheep.

David was a good shepherd. He protected his sheep from danger. When a lion came to take a lamb, David fought the lion and saved the lamb! When a bear came, David fought the bear too!

David was brave because Yahuah was with him. While he watched the sheep, David sang songs to Yahuah. He played the harp and wrote beautiful psalms.

One day, the prophet Samuel came to Jesse's house. Yahuah had told Samuel to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the next king. Jesse brought out all his tall, strong sons. But Yahuah did not choose any of them.

"Do you have any more sons?" Samuel asked.

"Yes, the youngest is watching the sheep," Jesse said.

When David came in, Yahuah told Samuel, "This is the one!" Samuel anointed David. Yahuah said, "I look at the heart, not the outside."

The Giant Falls

The Philistine army came to fight Israel. They had a giant champion named Goliath. He was over nine feet tall! He wore heavy armor and carried a huge sword.

Every day, Goliath yelled at the Israelites. "Send someone to fight me! If he wins, we will be your slaves. If I win, you will be our slaves!" No one was brave enough to fight him. Everyone was afraid.

David came to bring food to his brothers. When he heard Goliath, he was angry. "Who is this Philistine to defy the armies of the living Elohim?" David asked.

David said, "I will fight him!" King Saul tried to give David his armor, but it was too big. David took it off.

David went to a stream and picked up five smooth stones. He took his sling and walked toward Goliath.

Goliath laughed at the boy. "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?"

But David said, "You come with a sword and spear. I come in the name of Yahuah! The battle is Yahuah's!"

David put a stone in his sling. He swung it and let the stone fly. It hit Goliath right in the forehead. The giant fell down dead!

Yahuah had given David the victory!

Faithful to Yahuah

Daniel lived in Babylon. He worked for the king. Daniel always prayed to Yahuah three times every day. He prayed with his window open toward Jerusalem.

Some men were jealous of Daniel. They wanted to get him in trouble. They tricked the king into making a new law: "No one can pray to anyone except the king for thirty days. Anyone who prays to another god will be thrown to the lions!"

Daniel heard about the law. But he did not stop praying to Yahuah. He knew that obeying Yahuah was more important than obeying a bad law.

The jealous men caught Daniel praying. They told the king. The king was sad, but he had to follow the law. Daniel was thrown into the den of lions!

The king could not sleep all night. Early in the morning, he ran to the den. "Daniel! Did your God save you?" he called.

Daniel answered, "My Elohim sent His angel! The angel shut the lions' mouths. They did not hurt me!"

The king was so happy! He brought Daniel out and praised the Elohim of Daniel. Yahuah had delivered His faithful servant!

Running from Yahuah

Yahuah told Jonah, "Go to the city of Nineveh. Tell the people to stop being wicked, or I will destroy the city."

But Jonah did not want to go! He got on a ship going the other way. He tried to run from Yahuah.

A terrible storm came! The sailors were afraid. Jonah told them, "This storm is because of me. Throw me into the sea, and the storm will stop."

The sailors threw Jonah into the water. The storm stopped! But Yahuah sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights!

Inside the fish, Jonah prayed. "I am sorry! I will obey you!"

The fish spit Jonah out onto dry land. This time, Jonah obeyed. He went to Nineveh and told the people to repent. The people were sorry for their sins! They turned back to Yahuah, and He did not destroy the city.

The Savior is Born!

For hundreds of years, Yahuah's people waited for the Messiah. The prophets said He would come to save His people.

Miriam was a young woman who loved Yahuah. An angel told her, "You will have a baby! He will be the Son of Yahuah. You shall call Him Yahusha, because He will save His people from their sins."

Miriam and her husband Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. When they got there, there was no room at the inn. They had to stay where animals were kept.

That night, baby Yahusha was born! Miriam wrapped Him in cloth and laid Him in a manger. The King of kings was born in a humble place!

In the fields nearby, shepherds were watching their sheep. Suddenly, an angel appeared! The shepherds were afraid.

"Do not be afraid!" the angel said. "I bring you good news of great joy! Today in Bethlehem, a Savior is born. He is Messiah, the Master! You will find the baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger."

Then the sky was full of angels praising Yahuah! "Glory to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace!"

The shepherds ran to find the baby. They found Him just as the angel said!