doing out so late at night?” she asked. “We are coming from studying the holy books,” they replied. Hopefully, Melek inquired, “Which holy books?” Although now sixty years of age, she was overjoyed when they replied, “Why, the Tevrat, Zebur and Incil.” “Those are the books I have been looking for for almost fifty years!” she exclaimed.

But Melek’s happiness quickly turned to dismay. Just then the bus pulled up and the girls had to leave. There was no time to exchange addresses or even names.

After having searched for so long, Melek, however, was not going to give up easily. For weeks thereafter she would go to the same bus stop on the same night, waiting and waiting in the hope that she would meet the girls again. But her efforts were fruitless.

Then, one day, Melek entered a tailor’s shop. Who should be sitting right across from her? Why, it was one of the three girls! Melek rushed up to her, embraced her, kissed her and declared, “You are the one who has the three holy books. Would you please give them to me?” The young woman, one of Jehovah’s witnesses, replied that she would both give them to her and study them with her. Her life’s search ended, Melek herself is now helping others to benefit from the three holy books that make up the complete Bible.

Questions From Readers

● How can Acts 7:16, which ascribes to Abraham the purchase of a burial place in Shechem, be harmonized with Genesis 23:15-19?

It might seem that there is a conflict, with Acts 7:16 saying Abraham bought a burial place in Shechem but Genesis 23:15-19 reporting that he purchased such a plot in Machpelah near Hebron. There are a number of possible explanations. Let us note some of the details.

Soon after Abraham entered the Promised Land (1943 B.C.E.) he resided for a time in Shechem, which was in the northern area where Samaria was later built. (Gen. 12:6-8) When Abraham’s wife Sarah later died (1881 B.C.E.), he purchased as a burial place the field and cave of Machpelah, which was near Hebron to the south of Jerusalem. “Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah in front of Mamre, that is to say, Hebron, in the land of Canaan.” (Gen. 23:15-19) In time Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah were also buried there.​—Gen. 25:9; 49:29-32.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob also dwelt for a while near Shechem, and he there purchased a tract of land and built an altar. (Gen. 33:18-20) When he was near death in Egypt, Jacob commanded his sons that he be buried, not in Shechem, but with his fathers in the plot that Abraham had purchased near Hebron. (Gen. 49:29-32; 50:12, 13) As to a burial in Shechem, Joshua 24:32 says that after the Israelites entered the Promised Land they buried Joseph’s bones “in Shechem in the tract of the field that Jacob had acquired,” which came to be in the territory of Joseph’s son Manasseh.

With this history in mind, we can note Acts 7:15, 16. In his masterful defense the Christian disciple Stephen said: “Jacob went down into Egypt. And he deceased; and so did our forefathers, and they [the “forefathers”] were transferred to Shechem and were laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a price with silver money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” So it might appear that Stephen was saying that Abraham, rather than Jacob, purchased land in Shechem. Yet Genesis 23:17, 18 tells us that Abraham bought a burial place in Machpelah near Hebron.

Certain scholars believe that in addition to