“Build yourself an ark, the dimensions I will give
Your family and earth’s creatures, are going to live”
Before the rains came and the water began to soar
God said “Noah get in the ark, and don’t open the door”
When land appeared and the waters were on the wane
Noah said to his sons, “start the thing over again”
The world spoke one tongue, and built the Tower of Babel
But God confused their speech, it was tough to play Scrabble
At age seventy-five, the Lord told Abraham
“Take Sarah and Lot, and go to Canaan”
“I will make you a great nation, and I will bless
All this land will be yours, for you to assess”
Isaac was born, to continue the line
He became very rich, God’s blessing did shine
Twins were born to Rebekah, after an ordeal
They hairy one came first, the other gripping his heel
“Two nations are they, and one shall pass the other
Esau the red, will serve Jacob his brother
The blessing went to Jacob, because Isaac was blind
He wrestled with God, to receive an anointing divine
Twelve sons he received, and it was a big deal
They became the fathers, of the tribes of Israel
To get rid of Joseph, his brothers made a plot
But in Egypt he landed, and became a big shot
Now famine hit Israel, and the family did pack
And traveled to Egypt, for the food they did lack
But Jacob and the eleven, were in for a surprise
They recognized Joseph, with tears in their eyes
The twelve tribes lived in Egypt, for many a year
They multiplied so fast, the Pharaoh did fear
He suppressed them in slavery, and it remained so
Until Moses came along, and said “Let my people go”
Ten plagues did it take, before the Pharaoh made it clear
He told Moses and Aaron, “get the heck out of here”
Moses led his people, about three million or more
For forty years in the desert and across the sea floor
God’s presence was with them, it was an awesome sight
A massive cloud by day, and raging fire by night
With Manna coming from Heaven, and water from a rock
There was enough to sustain them, and all of their stock
Moses was a true friend of God, they talked face to face
No greater man ever lived, that had God’s grace
“Curse Israel, Balaam,” said the great king Balak
But Balaam chickened out, when a donkey talked back
Joshua and Caleb, crossed the Jordan one day
And kicked the heathens out of Israel, in a multi-year fray
Now Israel was camped, in the Promised Land
But they continued to fight, to further expand
When Joshua passed on, the Judges took rule
It was their job, to keep things running cool
The heathens attacked Israel, and Othniel did slam
Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Aram
When Israel served Moab, Ehud was up to the test
He defeated king Eglon, and had an eighty year rest
The army of Canaan, could not withstand the attack
Of ten thousand Israelites, led by Deborah and Barak
When Gideon and the three hundred, blew their trumpets one night
The Midianites and Amalekites, got up and took flight
After Jephthah subdued Ammon, it was a real shame
There was nobody in Israel, who could pronounce his name
So mighty was Samson, a lion he slew by its den
Then with the jawbone of an ass, he killed one thousand men
He had a big weakness, for a Philistine maiden
He woke up one morning, and found his head shaven
But the anointing returned, when his hair grew back
And the Philistine temple, he gave a good whack
With Ruth’s self sacrifice, and moral integrity
She became David’s great grandma, and gave him a legacy
Samuel was the last of the Judges, and he anointed Saul
As the first king of Israel, he was handsome and tall
But Saul went bad, and when it was time to depart
David came on the scene, a man after God’s heart
A great king was David, in the Lord’s sight
A little shepherd boy, who liked a good fight
He made some mistakes, but to God he would go
To get his sins forgiven, and continue to grow
Solomon was next in line, and under his reign
He built the Lord’s Temple, and increased the domain
He was the wisest of all kings, but later in life
He worshipped some idols, causing his country much strife
When Solomon died, the kingdom split in two
Ten tribes became Israel, while Judah had two
There were many kings of Israel, and Judah as well
Some followed God, and some followed Baal
Now God is alive, and will be ever more
Baal is a stone, that sits on the floor
But the people bowed to the stone, and idols of wood
And that was the end, of God’s old neighborhood
Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash and Amaziah
Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah
They were good kings, and did things to please God
But most of the others, did things that were odd
Ahab and Ahaz, were two of the worst
And Manasseh was so bad, he left Judah a curse
God sent many prophets, to turn things about
Some would dress funny, while others would shout
One of the best was Elijah, that the Lord sent
Away in a flaming chariot, to Heaven he went
He never really died, and there are rumors that say
He is coming back to earth, on a future day
Elisha had a double anointing, and it was said
He even performed a miracle, after he was dead
The destruction of the two kingdoms, Isaiah did preach
But the people did not listen, to his God-fearing speech
There were twelve minor prophets, as great as the rest
They answered His call, they all passed the test
Nahum and Habakkuk, Joel and Zechariah
Amos and Hosea, Haggai and Zephaniah
Micah and Malachi, Jonah and Obadiah
They preached the Lord’s prophecies, and did it with fire
The prophets tried to tell them, they went to every door
But the people worshipped idols, and sinned all the more
They sinned against the Lord, once too often my friend
The Assyrians attacked, and brought Israel to an end
The northern kingdom was gone, the people had fled
Judah hung in there, just by a thread
Another fierce army, was beginning to loom
Jeremiah did his best, to stop the oncoming doom
But Judah was stiff-necked, and went their own way
They turned their backs to God, His prophets they slay
And it was not too long, before their number was up
Because Judah and Israel, drank the same cup
Now God is slow to anger, but don’t push your luck
Keep on sinning my friend, and you’re a dead duck
Down came Nebuchadnezzar, and the men of Babylon
Judah was destroyed, the Temple was gone
Ezekiel became a prophet, in the Babylonian exile
He preached of restoration, that would come in a while
Daniel showed Nebuchadnezzar, the things that will come
A high post he was given, and a ruler of some
The Jews were in exile, for year after year
They begged God for mercy, their prayers He did hear
A Persian ruler was Cyrus, and a good man was he
He was a servant of God, and the Jews did he free
Back to the homeland, some of them came
They rebuilt the Temple, but it was never the same
Nehemiah and Ezra, and some other good men
Rebuilt the cities, and got things going again
Beautiful Esther talked, to the Persian king
And saved the Jewish people, from a slaughtering
But Israel was dominated, for many years more
The Persians, Greeks and Romans, all stood on their shore
