Chapter 2 of Shorter Bible Plays is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Shorter Bible Plays is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MOTHER: Is there no one in sight? (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one! MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save. SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch. Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
Chapter 2 of Shorter Bible Plays is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
(Judaism) sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments
From this reading “SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.”
a region marking a boundary
From this reading “Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?”
past form of “daub” — coat with plaster
From this reading “SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.”
the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
plural of “flag” — emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading “Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?”
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
From this reading “MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.”
possessive form of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?”
In this reading “(_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!”
at or within a reasonable distance for seeing
In this reading “MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!
(Judaism) sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
a region marking a boundary
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
a young person of either sex
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
past form of “daub” — coat with plaster
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
plural of “flag” — emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
not any; not one
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
possessive form of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
except for; apart from
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall I lay it among the flags at the river's brink?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!
an instance of visual perception
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading (_She looks anxiously about._) SISTER: No one!
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
a male human offspring
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
in or at that place or location
From this reading MOTHER: Is there no one in sight?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
in the company of; together with
From this reading SISTER: Here is the ark of bulrushes; I have daubed it well with pitch.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading MOTHER (_embracing the child_): O my son, the cruel Pharaoh would slay thee, but the Lord is gracious; he will save.
Chapter 2 of Shorter Bible Plays by Rita Benton holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 386 sentences of Shorter Bible Plays, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Shorter Bible Plays by Rita Benton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Shorter Bible Plays by Rita Benton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1529 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46419 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46419, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 127 minutes of reading across 306 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shorter Bible Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Shorter Bible Plays to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Shorter Bible Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
