TALES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE
THE STORY OF JONAH.
THE STORY OF A PROPHET TO WHOM GOD TAUGHT IN A WONDERFUL WAY THE LESSON OF OBEDIENCE.
How Jonah Reluctantly Brought a Message of Repentance and Salvation to Nineveh.
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me."
But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was likely to be wrecked. Then the sailors were afraid, and cried every man to his god; and they cast forth the cargo of the ship into the sea, to lighten it. But Jonah was gone below: and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not."
And they said, everyone to his fellow, "Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us."
So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, "Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?"
And he said unto them, "I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land."
Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "What is this that thou hast done?"
For the men knew that he had fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then said they to him, "What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm?" for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
And he said to them, "Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you."
Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
Wherefore they cried to the Lord, and said, "We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee."
JAFFA, THE ANCIENT JOPPA, LOOKING FROM THE SEA.
From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton and used by his kind permission.
The city did not look just like this when Jonah came down to its wharfs to escape from the command of the Lord. But it was a great seaport, bustling with commerce in the days when the prophet found a "ship" (about as large probably as a good-sized modern fishing boat) bound to Tarshish, and "paid his fare" and took passage. Jaffa has the only inside harbor between Egypt and Mount Carmel. At best the space for shipping is very small. The entrance is very narrow and in high seas very dangerous to enter.
So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows. And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly. And he said,--
"I called by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord,
And he answered me;
Out of the belly of hell cried I,
And thou heardest my voice.
For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas,
And the flood was round about me;
All thy waves and thy billows passed over me.
And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes;
Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul;
The deep was round about me;
The weeds were wrapped about my head.
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains;
The earth with her bars closed upon me for ever:
Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord:
And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
They that regard lying vanities
Forsake their own mercy.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay that which I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord."
And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."
So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles.
A PROCLAMATION.
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed nor drink water: but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
And he prayed to the Lord, and said, "I pray thee, O Lord, [{171}] was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee to Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live."
And the Lord said, "Doest thou well to be angry?" Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a shelter, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it ate the gourd, that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
And God said to Jonah, "Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?"
And he said, "I do well to be angry even unto death."
And the Lord said, "Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city; wherein are more than sixty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"
SAMSON.
THE STORY OF A MAN WITH A STRONG BODY, WHO OFTEN YIELDED TO TEMPTATION, AND WHO FELL BECAUSE HE WAS NOT STRONG IN SPIRIT.
How Samson Slew a Lion and Made a Riddle.
(There was a man of the tribe of Dan, whose name was Manoah, and he and his wife had a son whose name was Samson, and Samson had strength of body above all other men of his time.)
And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to be my wife."
Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the Philistines?"
And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well."
But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: [{173}] and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore him as he would have torn a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a while he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went, and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.
And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, "Let me now put forth a riddle for you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment: but if ye cannot declare it to me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment."
And they said to him, "Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it." And he said to them,--
"Out of the eater came forth food,
And out of the strong came forth sweetness."
And they could not in three days declare the riddle.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, "Entice thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us?"
And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, "Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me."
And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told it to my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it to thee?"
And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?" And he said unto them,--
"If ye had not plowed with my heifer,
Ye had not found out my riddle."
And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
How Samson Burned the Cornfield and Slew His Enemies.
At another time, Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards.
Then the Philistines went up, and camped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, "Why are ye come up against us?"
And they said, "To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us."
Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done to us?"
And he said to them, "As they did to me, so have I done to them."
And they said to him, "We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines."
And Samson said unto them, "Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves."
And they spoke unto him, saying, "No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee."
And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock. When he came unto Lehi, the [{176}] Philistines shouted as they met him: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.
And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. And Samson said,--
"With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men."
How Samson Carried Off the Gates of Gaza.
And Samson went to Gaza. And it was told the Gazites, saying, "Samson is come hither." And they surrounded him, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, "Let be till morning light, then we will kill him."
And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
How Samson Was Betrayed by His Own Weakness Into the Hands of His Enemies.
And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said unto her, [{177}] "Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee everyone of us eleven hundred pieces of silver."
And Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee."
And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man."
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson."
And he broke the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
And Delilah said to Samson, "Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound."
And he said to her, "If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man."
So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson."
And the men who were lying in wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.
And Delilah said to Samson, "Hitherto thou hast [{178}] mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound."
And he said to her, "If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web in the loom." And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.
And she said to him, "How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth."
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was sorely vexed.
And he told her all his heart, and said to her, "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my birth: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart."
Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and his strength went from him.
And she said, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson."
THE VALLEY OF SOREK
From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission.
The valley of Sorek, a narrow gorge at its upper end, broadens out into the lowlands of Judah at its lower end, and here in the foothills overlooking the Philistine country was the home of Samson. It was up this valley that the Philistines often made their frequent raids against Jerusalem and the highlands of Judah. It was here that the battle was fought when Israel was defeated under the leadership of Eli's wicked sons, and "the ark of God was taken." The modern railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem follows this valley.
And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free."
But he knew not that the Lord was departed from him. And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and they made him grind in the mill in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
How Samson Had His Revenge.
And the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, "Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand."
And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, "Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which hath slain many of us."
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may make us sport." And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made sport before them: and they set him between the pillars.
And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, "Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them."
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that [{182}] beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, "O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."
And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.
So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
DANIEL.
STORIES OF THE MAN WHO WOULD RATHER DIE THAN DO WRONG.
Daniel is the great Jewish hero of that long period of exile when the nation was captive in a strange land. This was the gloomiest and most distressful time in the nation's history, and afterward in other dark days these stories were told to cheer the people and give them courage.
How Daniel and His Three Friends Refused to Eat the Food of Princes.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God. And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, that he should bring in certain of the children of Israel, even of the royal family and of the nobles; youths in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food, and of the wine which he drank, and that [{184}] they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the king's officer gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the king's officer that he might not defile himself. Now God made Daniel to find favor and compassion in the sight of the king's officer. And he said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths which are of your own age? so should ye endanger my head with the king."
Then said Daniel to the steward, whom the king's officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Test thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths that eat of the king's food; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants."
So he hearkened to them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths which did eat of the king's food. So the steward took away their food, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. Now as for these four [{185}] youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the king's officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
How Daniel Made Known and Interpreted the King's Dream.
And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep was broken. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."
Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king, "O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if [{186}] ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof."
They answered the second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."
The king answered and said, "I know of a certainty that ye would gain time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof."
The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, "There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: forasmuch as no king, lord, nor ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them. Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, "Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king?"
Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee: for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter."
Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him: "Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation."
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, "I have found a man of the [{188}] children of the captivity of Judah, who will make known unto the king the interpretation."
The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?"
Daniel answered before the king, and said, "The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to, the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the appearance thereof was terrible. As for this image, his head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron, and part of clay.
"While thou wast looking a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken [{189}] in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
"This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof unto the king. Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly weak. And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out [{190}] of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."
Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer sacrifice and sweet odors to him.
The king answered Daniel, and said, "Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret."
Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king.
How Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego Refused to Bow Down and Worship before the Image of the King, and How They Were Cast Into the Burning Fiery Furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
MEN PRAYING ON A HOUSETOP
From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission
In the East the time and posture of prayers by the faithful are strictly prescribed. In Daniel's day the form was a part of a duty to be performed, and was as important as the words, but Jesus taught us to regard the thought and attitude of the soul rather than the posture of the body
Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then the herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, "O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: and whoso falleth not down and [{194}] worshipeth, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto them, "Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye are ready when ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if he does not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and his face hardened against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: [{195}] therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than was usual to heat it. And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them in to the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in all their garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spoke and said unto his counselors, "Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?"
They answered and said unto the king, "True, O king." He answered and said, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods."
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spoke and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither."
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth out of the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head [{196}] singed, neither were their garments burned, nor had the smell of fire come on them.
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other god that is able to deliver in this way."
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.
How Daniel Interpreted Another Dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.
"Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you. It hath seemed good unto me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
"I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring [{197}] in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and I told the dream before him, saying, 'O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of the heaven dwelt in the branches thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a holy messenger came down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus. Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: let its [{198}] heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto it; and let seven times pass over it. The sentence is by the decree of the holy messenger: that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men. This dream I King Nebuchadnezzar have seen: and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.'"
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was perplexed for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, "Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, trouble thee."
Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries. The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the birds of the heaven had their habitation: it is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a holy messenger coming down from heaven, and saying, 'Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with [{199}] a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over it'; this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king: that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity."
All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke and said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"
While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: the kingdom is departed from thee. And thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee; until [{200}] thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."
The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair was grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
"And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever; for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 'What doest thou?' At the same time mine understanding returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase."
How Daniel Read the Writing on the Wall at Belshazzar's Feast.
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, and the women of his palace, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, and the women of his palace, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; he trembled, and his knees smote together. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled, [{202}] and his countenance was changed, and his lords were perplexed. Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spoke and said, "O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him: and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation."
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom."
DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN
By Vernet
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep thy gifts to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: until he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over it whomsoever he will.
"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, and the women of thy palace, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and [{206}] whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: therefore the part of the hand was sent by God, and this inscription was written. And this is the inscription which was written:--
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Apharsin.
"This is the interpretation of the thing:--
| Mene, | God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end. |
| Tekel, | Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. |
| Peres, | Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." |
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
How Daniel Was Cast into the Lions' Den.
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty satraps, which should be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no loss. Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and [{207}] the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel in regard to the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him: "King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not."
Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before. Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree; "Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall make petition unto any god or man within thirty days, save unto thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?"
The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not."
Then answered they and said before the king, "That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day."
Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to rescue him. Then these men assembled together unto the king, and said unto the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed."
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, "Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee."
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice: the king spoke and said to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living [{209}] God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"
Then said Daniel unto the king, "O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no harm."
Then was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces, before they came at the bottom of the den.
Then King Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; "Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end: he delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth; who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
| BABYLON |
Pause in this desert! Here, men say, of old Belshazzar reigned, and drank from cups of gold; Here, to his hideous idols, bowed the slave, And here--God struck him dead! . . . . Where lies his grave? 'T is lost!--His brazen gates? his soaring towers, From whose dark tops men watched the starry hours? All to the dust gone down! The desert bare Scarce yields an echo when we question "Where?" The lonely herdsman seeks in vain the spot; And the black wandering Arab knows it not. No brick, no fragment, lingers now, to tell Where Babylon (mighty city!) rose--and fell! O City, vast and old! Where, where is thy grandeur fled? The stream that around thee rolled Still rolls in its ancient bed! But where, oh, where art thou gone? O Babylon! O Babylon! The giant, when he dies, Still leaveth his bones behind, To shrink in the winter skies, And whiten beneath the wind! But where, oh, where art thou gone? O Babylon! O Babylon! Thou liv'st!--for thy name still glows, A light in the desert skies; As the fame of the hero grows Thrice trebled because he dies! But where, oh, where art thou gone? O Babylon! O Babylon! |
| BELSHAZZAR |
Belshazzar is king! Belshazzar is lord! And a thousand dark nobles all bend at his board: Fruits glisten, flowers blossom, meats steam, and a flood Of the wine that man loveth runs redder than blood: Wild dancers are there, and a riot of mirth, And the beauty that maddens the passions of earth; And the crowds all shout, Till the vast roofs ring,-- "All praise to Belshazzar, Belshazzar the king!" "Bring forth," cries the monarch, "the vessels of gold, Which my father tore down from the temples of old;-- Bring forth, and we'll drink, while the trumpets are blown, To the gods of bright silver, of gold, and of stone; Bring forth!"--and before him the vessels all shine, And he bows unto Baal, and he drinks the dark wine; Whilst the trumpets bray, And the cymbals ring,-- "Praise, praise to Belshazzar, Belshazzar the king!" Now what cometh--look, look!--without menace, or call? Who writes, with the lightning's bright hand, on the wall? What pierceth the king, like the point of a dart? What drives the bold blood from his cheek to his heart? "Chaldeans! Magicians! the letters expound!" They are read,--and Belshazzar is dead on the ground! Hark!--the Persian is come On a conqueror's wing; And a Mede's on the throne of Belshazzar the king! |
| --Barry Cornwall. |
NEHEMIAH.
THE STORY OF THE BRAVE MAN WHO PREFERRED HARDSHIPS IN HIS NATIVE LAND, TO PLEASURE AND PLENTY IN THE KING'S PALACE.
(Nehemiah is one of the finest characters of which we are told in the Old Testament. He was a true patriot, brave, patient, persevering, fearing God, and not man. He had an important and profitable position in the royal court, but when he heard how his countrymen were suffering, how the walls of the city of his fathers were in ruins, he did not hesitate, but gaining the permission of the king, he set out to serve his country in its sore distress. How he heard of the need of the city, how he went to its relief, and how the people under his splendid leadership took courage and rebuilt the walls, he himself has told in these words:)--
The Need and the Man.
"Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, 'The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.'
"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that [{213}] I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, 'I beseech thee, O Lord, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments: let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: yea, I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the words that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples: but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to cause my name to dwell there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.' (Now I was cupbearer to the king.)
"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. And the king said to me, 'Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.'
"Then I was very sore afraid. And I said to the king, 'Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?'
"Then the king said unto me, 'For what dost thou make request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven.
"And I said unto the king, 'If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.'
"And the king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), 'For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?'
"So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said to the king, 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.'
"And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
OUTSIDE EAST WALL OF JERUSALEM, GOLDEN GATE AT LEFT
This is on the east side of the city and overlooking it. There were many gates in the wall of Jerusalem to allow the coming and going of trade. Some were used for special branches of trade, which would center there in booths for the merchants. Some of the gates in ancient times were, "The Fish Gate," "The Horse Gate," "The Sheep Gate," "The Gate of Potsherds," "The Gate of the Spring," "The Water Gate," "The Gate of the Guard."
"And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days."
The Right Man in the Right Place.
"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I to them, 'Ye see the evil fortune that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'
"And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, 'Let us rise up and build.'
"So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'
"Then answered I them, and said unto them, 'The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'"
Enemies Threaten.
"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke, before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, 'What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'
"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, 'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.'
"Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity: and cover not their iniquity, [{219}] and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
"So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.'
"And our adversaries said, 'They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.'
"And it came to pass that, when the Jews which dwell by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, 'Ye must return unto us.'"
Watchful and Ready.
"Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, [{220}] and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.'
"And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They that builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
"And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another: in what place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God shall fight for us.'
"So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, 'Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.'
"So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the [{221}] men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water."
Statesman as Well as Soldier.
"Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, 'We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get corn, that we may eat and live.' Some also there were that said, 'We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get corn, because of the dearth.'
"There were also that said, 'We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.'
"And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, 'Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother.'
"And I held a great assembly against them. And I said to them, 'We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us?'
"Then held they their peace, and found never a word. Also I said, 'The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and corn on usury. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.'
"Then said they, 'We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest.'
"Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook out my lap, and said, 'So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.' And all the congregation said, 'Amen,' and praised the Lord.
"And the people did according to this promise. Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
JERUSALEM, A PART OF THE WALL AND THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.
Jerusalem, like all ancient cities, was protected by walls. The first of these walls was built by David and Solomon and the later kings. This wall was broken down and overthrown when the people of the city were carried into captivity, and was rebuilt again by Nehemiah. In the time of Josephus, three walls encircled the city, the oldest being the ancient wall and the others additions necessitated by the enlargement of the boundaries. Parts of these walls have been traced, and some portions still exist. These existing portions are in places 150 feet high, and the ancient towers at the corners were probably 250 feet high. They were built of immense stones very solidly put together to resist the attack of battering rams in times of war.
Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers an hundred and fifty men, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that were round about us. Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people."
In Spite of Foes, the Walls Are Built.
"Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our enemies, that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein (though even unto that time I had not set up the doors in the gates); that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.'
"But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'
"And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; wherein was written, 'It is [{226}] reported among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou buildest the wall: and thou wouldest be their king, according to these words. And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.'
"Then I sent to him, saying, 'There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.'
"For they all would have made us afraid, saying, 'Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done.' But now, O God, strengthen thou my hands.
"And I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, 'Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.'
"And I said, 'Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.'
"And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him: but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat [{227}] according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.
"So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard thereof, that all the heathen that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God."
The People Celebrate the Great Event.
"And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.
"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); and when he [{228}] opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. And the Levites caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. And Nehemiah, which was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said to all the people, 'This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
"Then he said unto them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'
"So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, 'Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.' "And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
"And on the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the law. And they found written in the law, how the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, 'Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.'
JERUSALEM
This view shows the city from the Mount of Olives. The present wall surrounding the city can be plainly seen. Very differently it looked when Nehemiah saw it, with broken walls and ruined houses, swept by the fierce tides of war. The modern city of Jerusalem, connected with the coast by a railroad, is growing very rapidly in size and importance
"So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
"Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance."
The Vows of the People and the Dedication Ceremonies.
"The people entered into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.
"And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, [{232}] and with harps. And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain round about Jerusalem, and from the villages. Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in procession; with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them: and by the fountain gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward. And the other company of them that gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half of the people, upon the wall, above the tower of the furnaces, even unto the broad wall.
"So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me: and the priests with trumpets. And the singers sang loud. And they offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."
How Nehemiah Enforced the Law.
(After the walls were built, and the city brought into a state of law and order, Nehemiah went back to his post in the Persian court. After he went away, trouble arose. The people began to disobey the laws. Nehemiah knew that law abiding people are as necessary to national greatness as stout walls and great armies, so he came back, and enforced the laws with a strong [{233}] hand. How he made the people keep the Sabbath, he tells as follows:)--
"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses therewith; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
"There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought in fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, 'What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.'
"And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
"Then I testified against them, and said to them, 'Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.'
"From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should [{234}] purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
"Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy."
(The story of Nehemiah's life, told by himself, breaks off abruptly, but we know that he lived and died in high honor. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says of him, "He was a man of good and righteous character, and very ambitious to make his nation happy; and he hath left the walls of Jerusalem as an eternal monument of himself.")