Buried in what many religion scholars agree is the least read and most boring section of the Bible, among the interminable genealogies where one ancient "begat" another, are 73 words about a mysterious character named Jabez.
Little is said about Jabez except that he was "more honorable than his brothers." He prayed to God to "bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory," and, the Bible says, God granted his request.
Now, thanks to a small book — and spinoff coffee mugs, bookmarks and plaques — Jabez's prayer is being murmured in many parts of America: businesspeople say it has increased their profits; single women say it has found them boyfriends; and pastors say it has enlarged their congregations.
"The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life," by an Atlanta evangelist, Bruce H. Wilkinson, has sold 4.1 million copies, most in the last three months. It is No. 1 on USA Today's best-seller list, No. 1 on The New York Times's list of advice, how-to and miscellaneous best sellers and No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's list of hardcover nonfiction best sellers.
At the Good News Bookstore in Topsham, Me., the manager, Terri Demaria, said: "We just got 30 more in. We couldn't keep them on the shelf."
The slim volume, little more than a sermon, is one in a large field of religious self-help books. At first glance, the book appears to be spreading the "prosperity gospel" popular in the 1950's and 1960's, which taught that there is no shame in praying to God for a red Cadillac. With its blatant materialism, the prosperity gospel eventually became an embarrassment for evangelicals.
But "The Prayer of Jabez" offers a new view of the prosperity gospel. It preaches that it is perfectly fine to ask God for personal success, as long as that success has a godly purpose.
"Jabez prayed for more property," the author, Dr. Wilkinson, said. "He was a farmer or herdsman, and he was asking for more business. When I talk to business owners or managers, I tell them that if their business is honoring the public and they're treating their employees well, it's right to ask God to bless their business."
Jeffrey H. Mahan, professor of ministry, media and culture at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, said: "It fits with the narcissism of the age. Religious life is focused on me and my needs."
Dr. Wilkinson said he had recited Jabez's prayer daily for 30 years, since he learned it from a teacher in seminary. It has been his signature prayer in his hundreds of preaching appearances all over the world. His ministry, Walk Thru the Bible, has expanded to more than 40 countries — proof, he says, that the prayer of Jabez (pronounced JAY-bez) works.
The prayer itself, from First Chronicles 4:9-10, goes, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." (The book uses the translation from the New King James Version of the Bible, though some merchandise uses other versions.)
The whole book is built around the prayer. Each chapter offers a motivational lesson — from overcoming personal challenges to how to share the Gospel. Jabez's story, the book says, is "proof that it's not who you are, or what your parents decided for you, or what you were 'fated' to be that counts. What counts is knowing who you want to be and asking for it. Through a simple, believing prayer, you can change your future."
Alan Cooper, a professor at both Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary in New York, said Chronicles, was written for the Jews returning from Babylonian exile, when all that was left of Israel was one Persian province, later called Judah.
"In that period it would make sense to have a prayer which would talk about expanding the borders under Judean control, or to increase the number of settlements which might have been available for Jews in the territory," Dr. Cooper said. But Jewish liturgy has never taken particular note of Jabez's prayer, he said.
The book's phenomenal sales are attributable in large part to purchases of multiple copies. One woman in Atlanta bought 500 to give to guests at her daughter's wedding. The Rev. Pete Briscoe in Carrollton, Tex., said he bought 4,000 to give to members of his Bent Tree Bible Fellowship at the church's 25th anniversary celebration in February.
The book, slightly larger than a hand-held computer, sells for $9.99 or less, and can easily be read in one sitting. Dr. Wilkinson had written a 270-page version years earlier, but it was never published.
"I think people are responding very well to the smaller book format," said Don Jacobson, president of Multnomah Publishers in Sisters, Ore., the book's publisher. "We've gotten so used to fast food, we need things in smaller bites."
Mr. Jacobson said he had expected the book to sell about 30,000 copies. The sales of more than four million copies have astounded him.
"People are reading this book, praying this prayer, and they're seeing God work in their lives," he said. "When that happens, it kind of shocks them, so much so that they go out and buy books for other people."
Britt Jones, a film and video producer in Colorado Springs, said that when he first heard the prayer at a staff meeting last June, "I just couldn't bring myself to pray it. It seemed selfish."
Mr. Jones said the book helped him realize it was all right to ask God to enable him to buy a house, because owning a house instead of renting would bless his wife.
"The book changed my thinking," Mr. Jones said. "I prayed, `God, I'm going to ask you to bless me, and you do it how you want, but at the same time, I'm going to tell you I really want to bless my wife.' "
Two months later, four people at his company were laid off, and Mr. Jones successfully asked for a raise, allowing him to afford a mortgage.
"I think this prayer is the real deal," he said.