I summoned you in council, one and all. Welcome is the bearer of good tidings, but no less welcome he who brings wise warnings. Speak freely.
Nahum
Shortly before you called me to the council, I was visiting the storehouses, and having the grain measured, bushel by bushel. They were full when the siege began, but now they are almost empty. No longer can we provide a whole loaf for the day’s ration.
[All sit in dismayed silence]
Zedekiah
Was there not ample provision of grain from the villages? Was not an abundance of milch cows and other beasts driven within the walls?
Forget not that the siege has lasted nearly a year, and that there are many mouths to feed.
Zedekiah
[After another pause] We can reduce the rations yet further. Let nothing be wasted.