of his ring and staff and armlet which she had received as a pledge. CH. IX.—The descendants of Jacob are oppressed in Egypt— Moses is born—The Egyptians are lost in the Red Sea—God leads the Israelites through the wilderness. BUT after that Israel had died in Egypt, and had been carried into Canaan, and buried there, the people of the Hebrews increased wonderfully for many years, until the Egyptians became jealous of their increase, and till their very fecundity became troublesome to them. Then they began to oppress them with many labours, but at length the Divine pity had regard to the people. For in these days there went forth a man of the house of Levi, by name, Amram, who, having received a wife of his own family, by name Jochabeth, begat Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. Afterwards, when Moses had grown up under the favour of the Lord, he led forth his people from Egypt by great portents and prodigies, and they crossed the Red Sea with dry feet. And when the king of Egypt pursued them, being moved by repentance for having permitted them to depart, he himself, with his chariots and his horsemen, entered the middle of the dry sea ; but suddenly the whole mass of water was poured back upon him from behind, and he was overwhelmed there with his entire army. And even now there exist on that shore the most undoubted traces of this miracle ; unto this day the tracks of the wheels and the footsteps of the horsemen and foot-soldiers are beheld there, and if by any chance they are disturbed, they are repaired again at sunrise by Divine interposition. But after the people of the Hebrews had passed the Red Sea, they were in the desert of Sinai forty years ; in the first of which years, they received a law from God by the hand of Moses. Nevertheless, during all these years none of their shoes or garments became worn out, nor did their hair or nails grow long, so as to inconvenience them. But, as if immortality had been restored to them, their simple integrity preserved the form of man unchanged. And a column of light preceded them by night as a guide to their road, which by day bore the appearance of a cloud, and defended them from any injury from the heat, so that the vast solitude might not overwhelm them with weariness.