The Doré Bible Gallery, Volume 2

In Short

This volume presents a curated collection of foundational biblical passages spanning the Old Testament, focusing heavily on the patriarchs, the Exodus, and the conquest of Canaan. It brings together major narrative turning points, such as Abraham’s ultimate test on Mount Moriah, the intricate betrayals and reunions within the family of Jacob, and the fierce military campaigns led by Joshua. Driven by themes of covenant, divine intervention, and familial conflict, the text endures because it captures the raw, foundational stories that have shaped Western literature, ethics, and religious thought for centuries.

The Story

The narrative arc begins with the patriarch Abraham facing the most severe trial of his faith: God commands him to take his beloved son Isaac to the land of Moriah and offer him up as a burnt offering. Abraham obeys without hesitation, traveling three days to the designated mountain. Just as he raises the knife to slay his son, an angel intervenes, halting the sacrifice and providing a ram trapped in a thicket instead. God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham, promising that his descendants will multiply like the stars. Following the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham secures her burial place by purchasing the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite for four hundred shekels of silver, establishing a permanent piece of land for his family in Canaan.

To ensure his line continues appropriately, Abraham sends his senior servant Eliezer to his ancestral homeland to find a wife for Isaac. At a well outside the city of Nahor, Eliezer prays for a sign and meets Rebekah, who demonstrates exceptional hospitality by drawing water for both him and his ten camels. She returns with him to marry Isaac. Decades later, an aging and blind Isaac intends to give his final blessing to his eldest son, Esau. However, Rebekah schemes with her younger son, Jacob, dressing him in Esau's clothes and covering his hands in goat skins to mimic his brother's hairiness. Jacob successfully deceives his father, securing the primary blessing and the promise of dominion.

Jacob then travels to the household of his uncle Laban, where he falls in love with Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. He agrees to work seven years for her hand, but on the wedding night, Laban deceives Jacob by substituting his elder daughter, Leah. Jacob is forced to serve another seven years to finally marry Rachel. Among Jacob's children, Joseph becomes his father's favorite, receiving a coat of many colors. Joseph's arrogant dreams of dominance provoke intense envy from his brothers. They conspire against him, throw him into a dry pit, and ultimately sell him into Egyptian slavery for twenty pieces of silver.

In Egypt, Joseph's ability to interpret dreams elevates him from prisoner to ruler. When Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows eaten by seven lean cows, Joseph correctly predicts seven years of extreme plenty followed by seven years of severe famine. Appointed to manage Egypt's grain reserves, Joseph saves the region. When famine strikes Canaan, his brothers travel to Egypt for food. Joseph reveals his identity to them in a tearful reconciliation, forgiving their past treachery and relocating his entire extended family to the safety of Goshen.

Generations later, the narrative shifts to the birth of Moses during a period of Hebrew oppression. To save him from a royal decree, his mother places him in a waterproofed basket among the river bulrushes, where he is discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. As the Israelites eventually fight for the Promised Land, Joshua leads them in a dramatic campaign against five allied Amorite kings at Gibeon. During the battle, God casts down giant hailstones upon the fleeing enemy, and Joshua commands the sun and moon to stand still in the sky for a full day until victory is secured. The volume concludes with the defeat of the Canaanite commander Sisera, whose army is routed by Barak and Deborah; fleeing on foot, Sisera seeks refuge in the tent of Jael, who slays him in his sleep by driving a tent peg through his temple.

How It Unfolds

The ultimate test of faith Abraham obeys the divine command to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. At the final moment, an angel stops the execution, providing a ram as an alternate offering and renewing God's covenant of boundless descendants.

Securing a resting place Following Sarah's death in Hebron, Abraham negotiates with Ephron the Hittite to purchase the cave of Machpelah. He pays four hundred shekels of silver, establishing the first legal property ownership for his lineage in the land of Canaan.

The maiden at the well Abraham's servant Eliezer travels to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac. He prays for a hospitable sign, which is immediately fulfilled when Rebekah offers water to both him and his camels, leading to her departure to marry Isaac.

A stolen birthright Rebekah helps Jacob trick his blind father, Isaac, into giving him the patriarchal blessing meant for Esau. By wearing his brother's clothes and goat skins on his hands, Jacob successfully claims his father's solemn favor.

Tricked in the dark Jacob works seven years for the right to marry Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. On the wedding night, Laban secretly substitutes his elder daughter Leah, forcing Jacob to commit to seven more years of labor to marry Rachel as well.

Sold into slavery Joseph's brothers grow bitter over their father's blatant favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams. They strip him of his colorful coat, cast him into a dry pit, and sell him to passing merchants bound for Egypt.

Famine predicted and averted Pharaoh suffers from disturbing dreams of lean cattle devouring fat cattle. Joseph is brought from prison to interpret the vision as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, earning him supreme authority over Egypt's agricultural reserves.

Reconciliation in Egypt When his brothers arrive in Egypt seeking grain during the famine, Joseph reveals his true identity with tears. He forgives their past betrayal, attributing his hardship to divine providence, and invites his entire clan to settle in Goshen.

Rescued from the river Seeking to save her infant from royal persecution, a Levite mother places baby Moses in a pitch-daubed basket among the river reeds. Pharaoh's daughter discovers the child, feels compassion, and raises him as her own son.

The sun stands still Joshua marches all night to defend Gibeon against five Amorite kings. God rains heavy hailstones upon the enemy army, and Joshua commands the sun to halt in the sky for a full day to ensure complete victory.

A gruesome end for Sisera After his army is wiped out by Barak's forces, the Canaanite general Sisera flees to the tent of Jael. While he slumbers from exhaustion, Jael quietly drives a tent peg through his temples, securing peace for Israel.

The People

• Abraham: A patriarch defined by absolute obedience to divine commands. He seeks to fulfill God's vision for his lineage, facing the horrific requirement to sacrifice his heir and the practical burden of securing family burial land. He ends his primary narrative arc triumphant in faith and established in Canaan.
• Jacob: A cunning, opportunistic figure who desires prosperity and status. Obstacles include his brother's rightful claim and his uncle Laban's equal capacity for deception. He transitions from a deceitful youth hiding under goat skins to a battered father dependent on the mercy of his long-lost son.
• Joseph: An initially arrogant youth who wants recognition, signaled by his coat of many colors and prideful dreams. Hindered by his brothers' murderous jealousy and subsequent enslavement in Egypt, he develops deep administrative wisdom and emotional maturity, ultimately saving his family from starvation.
• Joshua: A bold military commander dedicated to securing the Promised Land for his people. He faces formidable confederations of enemy kings and harsh battle conditions. Through absolute confidence in divine assistance, he becomes an unstoppable conqueror who can command the elements.
• Rebekah: A decisive, proactive woman who wants to secure her favored son Jacob's dominance. Hindered by traditional birthright customs and her husband's preference for Esau, she orchestrates a bold deception that permanently alters her family's trajectory.

In Its Own Voice

"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together."

Abraham and his son walk side by side toward Mount Moriah, bearing the instruments of sacrifice.

"And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me?"

Jacob wakes on the morning after his wedding to discover his uncle has tricked him into marrying the elder sister.

"And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck."

Joseph breaks down emotionally as he finally reveals his identity to his brothers in the Egyptian court.

What It's Really About

At its core, this selection of text examines the tension between human weakness and divine destiny. The narrative continually explores how grand historical promises are funneled through fragile, deeply flawed family structures. Favoritism, sibling rivalry, and calculated deception threaten to derail the covenant at every generation—whether through Rebekah's scheming, Laban's trickery, or the envious betrayal of Joseph by his brothers.

Yet, the text argues that overarching providence operates through these very human failings rather than being thwarted by them. Joseph explicitly frames his brothers' treason as a necessary step in a larger plan to preserve life during catastrophic famine. Alongside this theme of providence runs an exploration of total surrender, epitomized by Abraham's terrifying willingness to sacrifice Isaac, demonstrating that devotion requires relinquishing even the promised future.

Why Read It Today

This text remains compelling for anyone interested in the foundational storytelling structures of Western culture. Readers who appreciate high family drama, sharp ironies, and vivid ancient warfare will find much to admire. The narrative moves at a brisk, unsparing pace; scenes of tender emotion—such as Jacob weeping over Rachel at the well or Joseph embracing Benjamin—are juxtaposed directly against bloody military encounters and calculated assassinations like Jael’s execution of Sisera.

The primary difficulty for modern readers lies in the archaic King James phrasing ("clave the wood," "kine," "earing nor harvest") and the remote moral landscape of the ancient Near East. The text presents deception, polygamy, and brutal warfare without modern commentary or ethical softening. Patriarchs deceive their aging parents, and military campaigns end in total slaughter. Yet, if one engages with the formal cadence of the prose, the psychological sharpness of these ancient figures shines through. The themes of legacy, jealousy, exile, and reconciliation remain startlingly immediate, proving why these ancient narrative cycles continue to resonate.