Ahaz proved an impious man and a transgressor against the laws of his country. He imitated the kings of Israel, and raised altars in Jerusalem to false gods, and taught his people to worship them. He even offered up human sacrifices, as the Canaanites did, and allowed his own son to be burnt on an altar.
While he was going on in these wicked courses, Pekah, king of Israel, mase an alliance with the king of Syria and Damascus, and the two kings joined their forces and invaded the land of Judah. The Syrian king took several cities and slew their inhabitants and peopled them with his own subjects, and then returned to Syria. When Ahaz, who had shut himself up in the city of Jerusalem, learned that the Syrians had departed, he believed he would be more than a match for the king of Israel. So he sallied out with his army. But the Israelites defeated him with great slaughter and drove him back to Jerusalem. They laid waste all the country round about Jerusalem, and took captive the women and children of the tribe of Benjamin, and returned with them to Samaria.
Now there was one Obed, who was a prophet at that time in Samaria. He met the army before the city walls, and cried out to them in a loud voice, and said,—
"Know, ye men of Israel, that ye have gotten this victory over the people of Judah not by reason of your own strength, but because God is angered against King Ahaz. And ye should have been satisfied with this success, and should not have made captives of your own kinsmen. Therefore I tell you to let these captives return home, and to do them no harm, for otherwise the Lord will punish you."
So the people consulted together, and decided to return the captives whom they had taken.
After this, King Ahaz sent to a king of the Assyrians, named Tiglath-Pileser, and sued for his assistance against the Israelites and the Syrians, promising to pay him large sums of money. So Tiglath-Pileser came to assist Ahaz, and made war upon the Syrians, and defeated them, and captured many of their towns, and afterwards he invaded Israel and took many captives. Ahaz took all the gold and silver that was in his treasury and in the temple of God and gave it to the king of Assyria. Now, Ahaz had been worshipping the gods of the Syrians, though that nation was his enemy; but when the Syrians were defeated, he lost faith in those gods and worshipped the gods of the Assyrians. For he was always ready to worship strange gods and to turn away from the true God, the God of his own nation, whose anger was the cause of his many defeats. He even shut up the temple and forbade the priests to offer sacrifices in it, and committed many other indignities.
When he had reigned sixteen years he died, and his son Hezekiah succeeded to the kingdom. Hezekiah was a very different man from his father. He was righteous and religious, and his first care was to restore the worship of the true God. So he called together the people and the priests and the Levites, and announced to them his intention. And he said to the people,—
"You know that because my father transgressed the law of God, and offered up worship to false gods, and persuaded you to do the like, you have suffered many grievous punishments. Therefore I pray you who have been taught by these sad experiences to give up your idolatries, and to purify you souls, and to open the temple to these priests and Levites, and cleanse it with the customary sacrifices, for by these means we may render God favorable, and He will remit his anger towards us."
When the king had finished speaking, the priests opened the temple. And when they had set in order the vessels of God and cast out what was impure, they laid the sacrifices upon the altar according to the custom of their ancestors.
The king also sent out messengers to all his people, and to the people of the ten tribes of Israel, telling them that the worship of the true God had been restored in Jerusalem, and asking them all to come and celebrate the feast of the Pass-over, for it was now many years since the people had kept that feast as God commanded them to keep it. The people of Judah gladly accepted the invitation, but most of the Israelites laughed the ambassadors to scorn and treated them as fools; and when some of the prophets among them foretold that they would suffer great misfortunes if they refused this opportunity of returning to the worship of God, they took these prophets and slew them. Not all of the Israelites, however, were so blind and foolish, for some of them listened to the words of the prophets, and returned to the worship of God. And all these came running to Jerusalem.
When the time had come, Hezekiah and the priests and the rulers and all the people went up to the temple and offered up solemn sacrifices. And then they feasted for seven days, and there was everywhere great rejoicing. After the festival was ended, the people went out through the country and destroyed the idols everywhere and overthrew their altars. The king also gave orders that the daily sacrifices should be offered up according to law and at his own expense, and appointed that the tenth part of all the ground produced should be given to the priests and Levites. And thus did the tribes of Judah and Benjamin return to their old form of worship.
Pekah, king of Israel, had ruled for twenty years, he was treacherously slain by one of his most trusted servants, named Hosea, and Hosea made himself king. He was a wicked man, and despised the worship of God. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, invaded his kingdom and defeated him, and ordered Hosea to pay him a large sum of money every year. Hosea found it burdensome to pay this money, so he called upon the king of Egypt to assist him in casting off the yoke of the Assyrians, Shalmaneser heard of this, and he raised an army and marched into Israel, and in three years he had entirely conquered the country and taken all the cities, and their armies and their king he made prisoners. And he determined to put and end forever to the government of the Israelites; so he sent all the people away to the countries of Media and Persia, and he gave their country to a people called the Cutheans, who lived by a river called Cuthah. These people came and lived in the houses and towns of the Israelites; and because they took Samaria as their principal city they soon became known as Samaritans. Thus the kingdom of Israel came to an end two hundred and forty years after the ten tribes had revolted from Rehoboam; and no one knows what became of the tribes after this. And in this way were they punished for having despised the law of God and the voice of His prophets, who had so often warned them of what would happen if they persisted in their impiety.When the Cutheans, or Samaritans, first came into their new country, they were worshippers of idols, and they brought their gods with them. But God sent upon the a grievous sickness, and many of them died; and when they found no cure for their miseries, they were informed by a prophet that if they worshipped God they would be relieved. So they sent ambassadors to the king of Assyria, asking him to send them some of those priests of the Israelites whom he had taken captive. And the priests came, and taught the Samaritans the worship of God, and the plague ceased immediately.
the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the king of Assyria made war against him and took a great many of his cities. This was not the same king of Assyria who had destroyed the kingdom of Israel, but his successor, Sennacherib. When Sennacherib laid siege to Jerusalem, Hezekiah sent ambassadors promising him large presents if he would withdraw his army. Sennacherib took the presents, and then treacherously refused to raise the siege. He himself, indeed, crossed over to Egypt with a portion of his army to fight against the king of that country, but he left behind him a great number of men under his general, Rabshakeh, commanding him to destroy Jerusalem.Rabshakeh, with several of his captains, came close up to the walls of Jerusalem, and commanded the people to give up their town to him if they did not wish his army to destroy it utterly.
The people were frightened at these words, and Hezekiah himself was much troubled. He rent his clothes and fell on his face, and besought God to assist him. He sent messengers also to a great prophet, whose name was Isaiah, asking him what he should do. And Isaiah returned answer, "God will destroy thy enemies, and they shall be beaten without fighting, and shall go home sorry and ashamed, and without that insolence they now show. And as for Sennacherib, he shall fail of his purpose against Egypt, and when he comes home he shall perish by the sword."
Everything happened as the prophet had foretold, for Sennacherib hastily retreated from Egypt on learning that a great army was coming to assist the king of that country, and when he joined his general, Rabshakeh, before Jerusalem, he found that on the very first night of the siege a grievous distemper had been sent down by God upon the Assyrians, so that one hundred and eighty-five thousand perished in one night.
So the king was in great fear, and fled with what remained of his forces to his own country and to his city, Nineveh. A little while after he was treacherously killed by his own son.
dies after he had reigned twenty-nine years, and he was succeeded by his son Manasseh. But Manasseh, instead of following in the footsteps of Hezekiah, abandoned to all the wicked practices of those kings of Israel whom God had exterminated. Therefore God allowed the king of Babylon and Chaldea to invade Judea with a mighty army and lay waste the country. And Manasseh himself was brought captive to Babylon. Then it was that Manasseh repented of his sin and turned to God, praying Him to render his enemy humane and merciful. God heard his prayer, and granted him what he prayed for. For Manasseh was released by the king of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem.He showed that his repentance was sincere, for he turned from all false worships, consecrated the temple anew, and re-established the sacrifices according to the law of Moses. But when he died, his son Amon, who succeeded to the throne, imitated only the youthful wickedness of his father, and it was not long before he reaped his reward. For he had reigned only two years when he was slain by a conspiracy of his own servants.
people punished the murderers of Amon and gave the kingdom to his son Josiah, who was eight years old at the time. Josiah was a wise and good youth, and when only twelve years of age he exhorted the people to leave off the worship of idols and return to their own God. And he went about the country and threw down all the altars that were devoted to false gods, and destroyed the idols. He also caused the temple to be repaired, for during the reigns of his father and grandfather it had been falling into decay. And while they were repairing the temple one of the priests came across the sacred books of Moses, that had been laid there and wellnigh forgotten by every one. He gave them to a scribe, named Shaphan, with orders to take them to the king. The king caused them to be read to him, and when he had heard what was said about those who transgressed the laws, he rent his clothes and was sore distressed, and sent messengers to a prophetess, named Huldah, begging that she would pray to God and appease His anger. "For," said the king, "on account of the sins of the kings who came before me, I fear that the race of the Jews has incurred the wrath of the Lord, and that He will punish us all and cast us out of our country."And Huldah sent back word to the king that God had already delivered sentence against the Jews on account of the many sins they had committed, and it was too late now to change His purpose; but that on account of the virtue of Josiah He would not cast the Jews out while he was alive, but would wait for a later generation.
When this message was delivered to the king, he ordered all the people, including the women and children, to come to Jerusalem. And he read them the holy books, and asked them all to take a solemn oath that they would worship God and keep the laws of Moses, and they all did so. Then the king slew all the false prophets that remained in the land, and he went into the country where the Israelites had lived, and, after burning the bones of the false prophets upon the altars built by Jeroboam, he destroyed those altars and all other buildings which the Israelites had raised in honor of strange gods. And in this way was fulfilled the prophecy of Jadon, given in the reign of Jeroboam. And when all the land had been purged, he called the people together to celebrate the feast of Pass-over.
After Josiah had reigned prosperously for thirty-one years he was slain in a battle against Neco, king of Egypt. His son Jehoahaz then proclaimed himself king, but Neco made him a prisoner, and caused a brother of his, whose name he changed from Eliakim to Jehoiakim, to be installed king in his place. Then Neco returned to his own country, carrying with him Jehoahaz, who died soon after.
Jehoiakim had been king for four years, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched against him with a great army, and threatened to destroy the country unless Jehoiakim would pay him a large sum of money every year. Jehoiakim was frightened, and agreed to do this. But the third year afterwards he heard that Nebuchadnezzar was about to fight with the Egyptians, so he did not pay his tribute that year, hoping the Egyptians would be victorious.In vain did the prophet Jeremiah warn him against putting his trust in the Egyptians, and foretell that Jerusalem would be overthrown by the king of Babylon, who would take Jehoiakim captive. Jeremiah wrote down all his prophecies in a book, and read them to the people in the temple. When the rulers heard of this, they took the book from him and brought it to the king. And the king ordered that it should be read to him. But he was angry when he found what the book contained, and tore it up and threw it into the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar came against the city, as the prophet had foretold, and took it, and slew the king, Jehoiakim, and made his son Jehoiachin king in his place. But afterwards Nebuchadnezzar repented of having put Jehoiachin on the throne, fearing that he would endeavor to avenge his father's death, so he displaced him and made Zedekiah king instead, having first made him promise that he would always be faithful to him. Zedekiah was a brother of Jehoiakim. He was not a bad man naturally, but was weak, and could easily be persuaded to do evil. He allowed his courtiers and his people to sin against the law of Moses, and he worshipped false gods himself. Jeremiah came often to him and warned him that if he did not leave off his transgressions great calamities would fall upon him and his people, and the king of Babylon would destroy their cities and carry their people into bondage. And another prophet, named Ezekiel, also prophesied that God would punish him. Now, Zedekiah did not believe these prophets, because, although they agreed in all other points, they seemed to disagree in one thing, for Jeremiah said that Zedekiah "would be carried a captive to Babylon," while Ezekiel said that "he would not see Babylon." So Zedekiah flattered himself that neither prophet spoke the truth.
After Zedekiah had been king eight years he broke his promise to Nebuchadnezzar, and allied himself with the king of Egypt, who was fighting against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar gathered up an army, and, having defeated the Egyptians, marched against Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah had been thrown into prison by his enemies, but he did not cease to exhort the multitude to open their gate to the king of Babylon and trust to his mercy, for if they resisted the city would surely be taken, and they would suffer the worst at the hands of their conquerors. Then his enemies came to Zedekiah and accused the prophet of giving evil counsel to the people, and they persuaded the king to deliver him into their hands. And they came into the prison and took him and let him down into a pit full of mire, that he might be suffocated there. And he stood up to his neck in the mire, and would surely have perished if one of the king's servants had not obtained permission to draw him out again. For the king was so weak and good-natured that it was easy to make him change his mind.
For eighteen months Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, and then the city could no longer hold out against him. And when Zedekiah saw that all was lost, he took his wives and his children and his captains and his friends, and with them fled out of Jerusalem by night. But at daybreak the Babylonians overtook the fugitives near Jericho, and they seized the king and his wives and children, but let the rest escape. So Zedekiah was brought before Nebuchadnezzar. And Nebuchadnezzar reproached Zedekiah for having broken his promises to him who had made him ruler over Judea. Then he ordered the children of Zedekiah to be slain in the presence of their father, and he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him, and carried him to Babylon. Thus the prophecies both of Jeremiah and of Ezekiel were fulfilled, for the king of Judea was brought captive to Babylon, yet he did not see that city.
The general of Nebuchadnezzar's army was ordered to pillage the temple and the royal palace, and afterwards to set fire to them, and to overthrow the whole city to its foundations. And he did as he was told, so that not a stone remained in its place. He also carried away captive all the people of Jerusalem who were not slain, except a few of the poor of the land, who were left to work in the fields and vineyards. The gold and silver and all the treasures of the temple and the royal palace were taken to Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar dedicated the holy vessels to the service of his own gods.
And thus the kingdom of Judah came to an end.
made a man named Gedaliah ruler over the handful of people who were left in Judea. He was a good man, and ruled justly. He took Jeremiah out of prison, and treated him kindly, and suffered him to live in the city of Mizpah, as he wished to do. Now, there were a certain number of the Jews who had fled from Jerusalem when it was taken. Hearing that the Babylonians had gone, they returned to their own country and submitted to the rule of Gedaliah. But there was among them a man named Ishmael, who was of the royal family of David, and he determined to wrest the government from Gedaliah. So he came with ten men to the house of Gedaliah, and Gedaliah, suspecting nothing, invited him and his men to dinner. But after they had eaten they rose up and slew the governor, and Ishmael fled to the land of the Ammonites.The Jews were angry at what Ishmael had done, and were also greatly afraid, thinking the king of Babylon would avenge the death of his governor. They came in their distress to Jeremiah, and asked him what they should do. Jeremiah advised them to remain in Judea. But though they had asked his counsel, they would not accept it after he had given it, and they all removed into Egypt, carrying Jeremiah with them. So the land of Judah was left desolate and without any inhabitants.
king of Babylon, chose from among the captive Jews a number of young men who were strong and handsome and of good understandings. He handed them over to the care of tutors, and had them instructed in the language of the Babylonians and the Chaldeans, and in all the wisdom of the learned men of those nations. Among these youths were four princes of the house of Zedekiah, whose names were Daniel, Ananis, Misael, and Azarias, but Nebuchadnezzar change their names, respectively, to Balthaser, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel, however, is generally known by his Jewish name, while the others are mentioned in history by the names which Nebuchadnezzar gave them.Daniel and his kinsmen disdained luxury, and determined to live only on fruit and vegetables. So they asked the servant who was over them to take for himself the meat and wine that was sent them from the king's table, and to leave them only simple food. But the servant was afraid, saying that they would grow thin and pale, and the king would discover what he had done and be very angry with him.
"Nay," said the youths; "try us for ten days on the simple food, and if we look less fat and healthy than the other young men, you may give us the meat and wine."
The servant agreed to this, and at the end of ten days the four youths looked fatter and heartier than the rest of the young men who were fed from the king's table. So the servant continued to keep for himself the meat and wine, and gave them only fruit and vegetables. And God was with them, so that they readily acquired all the learning of the Babylonians and the Chaldeans, as also of the Jews. Daniel was especially favored, so that God revealed to him the meaning of dreams and visions.
Now one night King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a wonderful dream, and while he was sleeping God explained the meaning of his dream to him. But when he awoke he forgot both the dream and its interpretation. He was much troubled, and sent for all the wise men and the prophets among the Chaldeans, and asked them to tell him his dream and its interpretation. The wise men told him that he asked what was impossible, but that if he would tell them the dream they would give him the interpretation. But Nebuchadnezzar threatened to put all the wise men to death, with their disciples and pupils, unless they could tell him both the dream and its meaning. When Daniel heard this, and that he and his kinsmen were in danger, he sent word to the king to put off the slaughter of the wise men for one night, for that he hoped within that time to obtain by prayer to God a knowledge both of the dream and its meaning. And the king consented to this.
Daniel retired to his own house with his kinsmen, and prayed all that night to God. And God heard his prayer, and revealed to him the dream and its interpretation.
Early next morning the king sent for Daniel, who came joyfully into his presence. And he said,—
"O king, thou didst see in thy sleep a great image. Its head was of gold, its shoulders and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, but the legs and the feet of iron. Then there fell a stone from the mountain upon this image and threw it down and broke it to pieces, so that the gold, the silver, the iron, and the brass were ground into powder, and the wind blew them away, no one could tell where. But the stone grew so large that the whole earth seemed to be filled with it. This was thy dream. The interpretation is as follows: The head of gold denotes thee and the kings of Babylon that have been before thee; the two hands and arms signify this, that thy kingdom shall be conquered by two kings, but the government of these kings shall also be destroyed by another king, who shall come from the west armed with brass, and another government that shall be like unto iron shall put an end to the power of the western king, and shall have dominion over all the earth, on account of the nature of iron, which is stronger than gold, or silver, or brass."
When Nebuchadnezzar heard this and recollected that it was indeed his dream, he was astonished, and fell on his face before Daniel and saluted him as if he were a god. And he appointed Daniel and his kinsmen rulers under him of his whole kingdom.
But soon afterwards the three kinsmen of Daniel incurred the anger of Nebuchadnezzar. For that king made a great statue of gold and set it up on a plain in the province of Babylon. And he commanded all the principal men and the rulers in his dominions to come to the plain, and when the trumpet sounded they were to bow down and worship the statue. Those who refused to do this should be cast into a fiery furnace. The trumpet sounded, and every one obeyed the command of the king except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who said they could not offend in this way against the laws of their country. They were brought before the king, and he had them cast into the fiery furnace. But God saved them in a surprising manner, for the fire would not burn them. This great miracle recommended them still more to the king, who now saw that the blessing of God was upon them; therefore he released them from the furnace, and they continued in great esteem with him.
Some time after this Nebuchadnezzar dreamed another dream, which meant that he should be despoiled of his kingdom and should pass seven years in the desert with wild beasts, after which he would return to his kingdom. No one of the wise men could tell him what the dream meant, except Daniel, and Daniel's interpretation came true.
After Nebuchadnezzar had reigned for forty-three years, he died, and was succeeded by Evil-Merodach, his son.
of the successors of Nebuchadnezzar in the kingdom of Babylon was named Belshazzar. He was the great-great-grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. After he had ruled for seventeen years, Cyrus, the king of Persia, and Darius, the king of Media, made war against him.Belshazzar made a great feast in his palace, to which he invited all his lords. And he commanded his servants to bring in the holy vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of Jerusalem, and to place them on the table, so that he and his lords and wives might drink out of them. And while all the company were drinking and praising their own idols, they saw a hand come out of the wall, and it wrote certain words upon the wall. But no one could read the words or understand what they meant, though the king called for all the prophets and the wise men to come to his palace. Then Belshazzar was greatly disturbed, and he caused it to be proclaimed throughout the country that if any one could read the writing on the wall and explain its meaning, the king would give him a chain of gold and clothe him in purple, which was the royal color, and give him a third of all his dominions. And many wise men were tempted by these offers, but when they came and saw the writing they could not read it.
The king's grandmother saw how greatly distressed he was, and she came to him and said that there was an old man among the Jews whose name was Daniel, who was of great sagacity, and had explained to Nebuchadnezzar many things that were known to no other man. Belshazzar sent for Daniel to come to him, and he repeated his promises to him if he would interpret the writing on the wall. But Daniel told him to keep his gifts, for he would explain the writing without requiring any reward. And Daniel said the words were Greek, and were as follows: Maneh, Thekel, Phares.
"Maneh," Daniel explained, "means a number, and it signifies that the number of years which God hath appointed for thy kingdom have nearly expired. Thekel means a weight, for God hath weighed thy kingdom in a balance and finds it going down already. Phares means a fragment, for God will break thy kingdom into pieces and divide it among the Medes and the Persians."
And what Daniel had foretold came true. For soon afterwards Babylon was taken by the Medes and the Persians, and Belshazzar himself was carried away into captivity.
treated Daniel with great respect, and brought him to Media, where he made him one of his chief rulers. But the other rulers were jealous of Daniel, and determined to rid themselves of him. They noticed that he prayed to God three times a day, so they came to the king, and said,—"O king, the princes and governors of thy people have determined among themselves to pass a law that for the space of thirty days no one among them is to offer a petition or prayer either to the king or to the gods, and whoever disobeys this law shall be cast into a den of lions to be destroyed."
The king suspected no evil, and he agreed to this law and signed it. Every one obeyed except Daniel, who continued his daily prayers in the sight of all. Then the princes came to Darius and accused Daniel of having transgressed the law, and said that he ought to be cast into the den of lions. Though the king was much grieved, he could do nothing to save Daniel, for the laws of the Medes and the Persians could not be altered. So he ordered his servants to cast Daniel into a den of lions, and a great stone was rolled over the entrance. Darius sealed up the stone with his own seal, so that no one could roll it away without breaking the seal, and he then returned to his palace in great distress, so that he could neither eat nor sleep. As soon as it was day, Darius rose and went to the cave. He found the stone in its place and the seal unbroken. Then he rolled away the stone and cried out in a loud voice to Daniel, asking him if he were still alive.
And Daniel answered that he was still alive and had received no hurt from the wild beasts. And the king ordered him to come forth out of the den.
But the enemies of Daniel would not acknowledge that he had been saved by the hand of God, and they said that some one had given food to the lions, so that they were not hungry, and that was the reason Daniel had not been touched. Then the king said that he would prove if this were so or not. So he ordered a quantity of food to be thrown to the lions, and when they had eaten of it and had satisfied their hunger, he caused the enemies of Daniel to be cast into the den. And the lions fell upon these men and devoured them. So it appeared plain to Darius that it was God who had spared Daniel from their fury.
After this Daniel was held in greater honor than ever. The Lord also sent him visions and revelations of the future, and Daniel wrote these visions down and explained what they meant, and everything came to pass as Daniel had predicted.
made himself king over Babylon, which he had conquered, in the seventieth year of the captivity of the Jews in that country. Now, Jeremiah the prophet had predicted that after the Jews had been held in bondage for seventy years they would be restored again to the land of their fathers and rebuild the temple. And more than two hundred years before this time Isaiah had mentioned Cyrus by name as a mighty conqueror, to whom the Lord would give dominion over many nations, and who would cause a temple to be built in Jerusalem to the Lord.It happened one day that Cyrus was reading the book of Isaiah, and he marvelled greatly at the prophecy, and an earnest desire seized upon him to fulfil what was so written. And he wrote to all the people in Asia, and said,—
"Thus saith Cyrus the king: since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of all the earth, I believe that He is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship, for, indeed, He foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build Him a house in Jerusalem, in the country of Judea."
Then Cyrus called together all the principal men among the Jews that were in Babylon, and told them that he gave them leave to return to their own country and to rebuild Jerusalem and their temple, and that he would be their assistant, and would make the rulers and governors in the neighborhood of Judea contribute gold and silver for the building of the temple.
Then the rulers of the Jews, and the priests and the Levites, and all the others who were willing to go, made ready to start on their journey. Cyrus sent back to them the holy vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple and carried to Babylon.
Now, the number of those that returned out of captivity to Jerusalem was forty-two thousand four hundred and sixty-two.
As soon as they reached Jerusalem they commenced rebuilding the temple. But their neighbors the Samaritans were jealous and angry, for they feared the Jews would become a great nation again. And when Cyrus died, not long afterwards, they wrote to his son Cambyses, and told him that the Jews were a proud and rebellious race, and that if they became powerful again they would not submit to the rule of the Persians nor pay them tribute, but would strive to overthrow them. Cambyses believed what they said, and he made the Jews stop their work on the temple. Cambyses reigned for six years, and a few months after his death Darius was elected to succeed him.
In the first year of his reign Darius made a great feast, to which all the lords and rulers of his kingdom were invited. And after the king had eaten and drunk he went to bed, but, being unable to sleep, he fell into conversation with his three guards, and told them he wished to have a question answered: "What were the strongest of these four things, wine, kings, women, or truth?" He would give them all night to think over whatever answer they should make.
"And whoever," he said, "shall speak most wisely and truthfully in reply to this question, shall put on a purple garment, and drink from cups of gold, and have a chariot with bridles of gold, and a chain of gold about his neck, and sit next to me and be called my cousin."
Then Darius went to sleep, but in the morning he sent for his great men, the princes and the rulers of Persia and Media, and gathered them round in the room where he used to give audience, and bade each of the guards to tell their answers.
The first of the guards said that wine was the strongest of all things, because it could intoxicate the mightiest king as well as the meanest slave, and put both on the same level, so that the king could no longer command, nor would the slave obey; and it made men forget for a time all their greatest sorrows and afflictions, and when they came out of their drunkenness they forgot what they had done while they were in that state.
Then the second of the guards spoke up and said that kings were the mightiest of all things, for they rule over men, and men are the most powerful of all living beings. Men command all other animals and force them to obey them, but men in their turn are forced to obey the commands of their kings. Therefore kings are the mightiest of all things.
Now the third guard was a Jew, whose name was Zorobabel. He was a grandson of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had brought captive to Babylon, and was, therefore, a prince of the house of David. When the second guard had stopped speaking, Zorobabel rose and said that wine and kings were mighty indeed, but women were mightier. For women were the mothers and wives of kings as well as of the men that planted vines, and therefore it was owing to women that there were kings and vines in the world. Moreover, the greatest kings were ruled by their wives and would do anything to please them.
"But, mighty as women are," continued Zorobabel, "both women themselves and the king himself are weaker than truth. For though the earth be large, and the heaven high, and the course of the sun swift, yet are all these moved according to the will of God, who is true and righteous. And all things else, however strong they may be, are mortal and short-lived, but truth is immortal and eternal."
The assembly cried aloud that Zorobabel had spoken the most wisely of the three. And the king himself was so much pleased with Zorobabel's answer that he commanded him to ask for something over and above what he had promised, for that he would give it to him on account of his wisdom. When he had said this, Zorobabel put him in mind of a vow he had made in case he should ever possess the kingdom. Now, this vow was to rebuild Jerusalem and to restore the temple of God.
"I only ask," said Zorobabel, "that you will keep this vow which you have sworn."
Darius was pleased with what he said, and rose and embraced him, and told him it should be as he wished. Then the king wrote to the rulers throughout his dominions, asking them to give free passage to Zorobabel and all those that were with him till they had reached Jerusalem. He sent letters also to the governors of Syria and Phoenicia, ordering them to make their subjects cut down the cedar-trees on Mount Lebanon and carry them to Jerusalem, and he proclaimed that all prisoners who were willing to go to that city to help in rebuilding the temple should be set at liberty. And all that Cyrus intended to do before him relating to the restoration of Jerusalem Darius now ordained should be done.
So Zorobabel started out joyfully with a great number of the Jews that had not gone in the first journey to Jerusalem. The work on the temple was taken up again, and progressed very fast. Now, the Samaritans were a deceitful people, who pretended to be very friendly to the Jews when they saw them in prosperity, but were always enemies to them in their distress. So they came to Zorobabel and the rulers of the Jews, and said to them, "Let us help you in rebuilding the temple and be partners with you in its ownership, for we worship the same God that you do, and have offered sacrifices to Him ever since the king of Assyria gave us the land of Israel to live in."
When they had said this, Zorobabel and Joshua the high-priest and the rulers of the Jews answered that they could not let them be their partners in rebuilding the temple, but that when it was finished the Samaritans would have the same privilege as all other men to come and worship in the temple if they felt so disposed.
Then the Samaritans were angry, and they wrote to Darius as they had before written to Cambyses; but Darius would not listen to them, and the building of the temple was allowed to proceed.
At the end of seven years it was completed, and solemn sacrifices were offered upon the altars. The time for celebrating the feast of the Passover was now at hand, and the Jews came in great crowds to Jerusalem from all their villages and cities, and kept the feast for seven days with great joy.
Darius died, his son Xerxes took the kingdom. There was a Jew named Esdras, who was one of those that had remained in Babylon when his brethren returned to the city of their fathers. He was a priest, and very learned in the laws which God had given to Moses. Being anxious that his countrymen should live in accordance with these laws, he determined to go to Jerusalem to see that they were fully and firmly established. So, having asked and obtained permission from King Xerxes, he set out with a company of some six or seven thousand Jews who also wished to return to the holy city. It took them four months to cross the desert. Besides carrying with them a great many gold and silver vessels, Esdras and his friends had letters from the king ordering many of the governors of the countries near Judea to pay him sums of money.On reaching Jerusalem, Esdras and his friends sacrificed to the Lord at the temple, and thanked Him for the care He had taken of them during their journey. Then some of the men of Jerusalem came to Esdras and told him that many of the people, including the rulers and the priests and the Levites, had offended against the law of Moses and taken heathen women for their wives. And they prayed Esdras to do all he could to enforce the laws, for otherwise God might be angry with all the people and punish them severely.
When Esdras heard this, he rent his garments and tore his hair, and sat down in great distress. He feared that if he told the men to put away their heathen wives they would not obey him. And he knew very well that if they continued to live with these wives they would learn to worship idols and to commit sin as their fathers had done. All those who served God and respected the laws came to Esdras and grieved with him. And after a little while Esdras rose, and stretched out his arms to heaven, and prayed, saying,—
"I am ashamed, O Lord, to look up to heaven, because of the sins the people have committed, for they have forgotten the punishments which Thou didst visit upon their fathers. But Thou, O Lord, who hast saved a remnant of Thy people out of captivity in Babylon, and hast restored them to Jerusalem and to their own land, take pity on them, I beseech Thee, and forgive them what they have done."
After Esdras had said this he left off praying. And there came to him great numbers of men and women and children, weeping on account of the sins that had been done. Then one whose name was Jechonias, a principal man in Jerusalem, spoke to Esdras, and said,—
"We have sinned in marrying strange wives; therefore do thou order that all these wives be cast off, with the children that were born of them; and if any do not obey the law, let them be punished."
Esdras listened gladly to this advice, and he made the priests and the Levites and the heads of the people swear that they would put away those wives and children, according to the advice of Jechonias. And word was sent through all the land that the people should come to Jerusalem within three days, and if any man did not come, his property would be taken away from him. The people came together in this way, and Esdras told them they had sinned in taking strange wives, and that God would not forgive them unless these wives and the children that were born of them were put away. Then it was determined by the people that all who had married strange wives should come before the rulers of the towns in which they lived and renounce their wives. And within a month all the Jews had done as was determined. In order to appease God they offered sacrifices and slew rams as burnt offerings.
A little while after, at one of the great feasts, the people all came to the temple and desired that Esdras should there read to them the laws of Moses. Accordingly, he stood in the midst of the multitude and read the laws from morning to noon. When the people heard the words of God, and remembered how many times they had offended against them, they were troubled, and wept. But Esdras bade them not weep, for it was a festival, when it was not lawful to lament, and he told them to go home and feast and rejoice, but to determine never again to fall into those sins.
And when Esdras had lived to a good old age he died, and was buried in Jerusalem.
was a Jew, named Nehemiah, who lived in Susa, the capital of the Persian kingdom, and was cup-bearer to King Xerxes. As this man was one day out walking, he heard some strangers that were entering the city after a long journey speaking to each other in the Jewish language, so he went to them and asked them from whence they came.They told him, "From Judea."
Then he asked in what state were the people and the city.
"They are in a bad state," answered the strangers, "for the walls of the city have not yet been rebuilt, nor the gates set up, and the neighboring nations do the people a great deal of mischief."
Hereupon Nehemiah shed tears out of pity for the calamities of his countrymen; and, looking up to heaven, he said,—
"How long, O Lord, wilt thou overlook our nation while it suffers so great miseries, and while we are made the prey and the spoil of all men?"
And while he lamented thus, he was told that the king was going to sit down to supper; so he made haste, and went as he was, without washing himself, to minister to the king in his office of cup-bearer. But as the king was very pleasant after supper, and more cheerful than usual, he cast his eyes on Nehemiah, and, seeing him look sad, he asked him why he was sad. Nehemiah prayed to God to give him favor and afford him the power of persuading by his words, and said,—
"How can I, O king, appear otherwise than sad, when I hear that the walls of Jerusalem, the city in which my fathers are buried, are thrown down to the ground, and that its gates are consumed by fire? but do thou grant me favor to go and build its walls, and to finish the building of the temple."
And the king granted him what he asked, and told him that he should carry an epistle to the governors, that they might pay him due honor, and afford him whatsoever assistance he wanted.
"Leave off thy sorrow, then," said the king, "and be cheerful in the performance of thy office hereafter."
So Nehemiah worshipped God, and gave the king thanks for his promise, and forgot his sorrow. Next day the king called for him, and gave him a letter to the governor of Syria and Phoenicia and Samaria, ordering him to pay due honor to Nehemiah, and to supply him with what he wanted for his building.
Nehemiah went to Babylon, and took with him many of his countrymen, and set out for Jerusalem, reaching it in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Xerxes. He called together all the people to the city, and stood in the midst of the temple, and told them that he had come with the permission of the king of Persia to rebuild the wall of their city, and he exhorted them all to assist him. Then he gave orders that the rulers should measure the wall, and divide the work of it among the people, according to their ability. And when he had added this promise, that he himself, with his servants, would assist them, he dissolved the assembly. So the Jews prepared for the work.
But when the Ammonites, and Moabites, and Samaritans, and all who inhabited the neighboring countries, heard that the walls were going up again, they determined to do what they could to interfere with the builders. They attacked and slew many of them, and they frequently endeavored to kill Nehemiah himself. But Nehemiah took great care of his own safety, and set a number of men around himself as a guard to his body; not that he feared death, but because he knew that if he were dead the walls of the city would never be raised. He also gave orders that the builders should have their armor on while they were building, and their swords by their sides. And at the distance of every five hundred feet trumpeters were placed, who were to give a signal whenever the enemy approached, so that the builders might be ready to receive them. In spite of all discouragements, therefore, the work went on apace, and in two years and four months the walls were finished. And when Nehemiah had done many other things which were worthy of commendation, he came to a great age, and then died.
the death of Xerxes, the kingdom of Persia passed into the hands of his son, Artaxerxes. In the third year of his reign Artaxerxes made a costly feast for his friends and for the princes of his kingdom, which lasted for one hundred and eighty days. After this he made a feast for the rulers of other nations and for their ambassadors, which lasted seven days. The way in which this feast was celebrated was as follows: Artaxerxes caused a great tent to be pitched, which was supported by pillars of gold and silver, with curtains of linen and purple spread over them, and this tent was large enough for many ten thousands to sit down in. The cups out of which the guests drank were of gold adorned with precious stones; but Artaxerxes gave orders that, while the wine was to be given in such abundance that every one might drink all he wanted, no one was to be forced to drink, for it was the custom in Persia to oblige every one to drink to excess at a public feast.Vashti, the queen, also made a feast for the women in the king's palace. Now, on the seventh day of the king's feast, being merry with wine, he was desirous of showing the queen to those that feasted with him, because he was proud of her beauty, which exceeded that of all other women. So he sent a messenger to command her to appear before him. The laws of Persia forbid any women to be seen by strangers without a veil over her face, and Vashti, out of regard to these laws, refused to obey the king. Then Artaxerxes was so angry that he broke up the entertainment, and he called to him the wise men of his kingdom, and accused the queen of disobedience, and asked how he should punish her. One of the wise men answered,—
"Vashti has done wrong not only to thee, O king, but to all the Persians, for wives will no longer obey their husbands when they learn that the queen has refused obedience to the king."
So the wise man told Artaxerxes to punish his queen in a sever manner, and, when he had done so, to announce the fact publicly, so that it would be an example to all the people. And the king decided that he would put away Vashti, and take another queen in her place.
When Vashti had been put away, messengers were sent over the land announcing the fact, and also ordering that all the young and beautiful unmarried women should be sent to Susa, in order that the king might choose the one he liked best as his wife. Among the maidens who came in this way was a Jewess named Esther. She was an orphan, and had been brought up in Babylon by her uncle Mordecai, who was the principal man among the Jews that had not returned to their own land. Now, of all the maidens Esther pleased the king most; so he chose her out, and made a wedding-feast for her, and placed a diadem on her head, and she came to live at the royal palace as his queen.
As Mordecai loved Esther very much, he came from Babylon to Susa, in order that he might be near her, and obtained employment in the palace. But he did not let anyone know that he was the queen's uncle, and he advised Esther not to tell the king that she was a Jewess.
Some time after this, two of the king's servants plotted together to kill Artaxerxes, but Mordecai discovered the plot, and made it known to the king through Esther. The king seized the servants and put them to death. He gave no reward to Mordecai at the time, but he bade the scribes set down his name in the public records, where all the great events of the kingdom were written.
There was at the royal palace a man named Haman, an Amalekite by birth, who was in great favor with the king. All the other servants of the king bowed down to Haman when he appeared in their presence, but Mordecai would not bow down to him. When Haman observed this, he was angry, and he asked, "Who is that man?"
And he was answered, "It is Mordecai the Jew."
Then Haman was still more angry, for he said to himself, "The Persians, who are free men, bow down to me, but this man, who is no better than a slave, will not do so."
He made up his mind to punish Mordecai, and, being himself an Amalekite and an enemy of the Jews, he determined to ask the king to destroy the whole nation. So he came to Artaxerxes, and said,—
"O king, there is a certain wicked nation called the Jews, who are dispersed all over thy kingdom. The men of this nation are the proudest and most unsocial of all men; they will not mingle with other nations, nor worship their gods, and they have laws of their own which they will obey, but they will not submit themselves to the laws of thy kingdom. Therefore they are dangerous men, and if thou wilt be a benefactor to thy subjects thou wilt give orders to destroy them utterly."
The king believed what Haman said to him, and told him he might do what he wished to the Jews. So Haman sent out a decree, and sealed it with the king's seal, and this decree ordered that all the Jews in the Persian empire should be put to death, with their wives and children, on a certain day named in the decree. When this decree was brought to the cities and countries over which Artaxerxes ruled, the governors everywhere prepared to carry it out, and everywhere there was great mourning and distress among the Jews.
Mordecai grieved with the rest; but he contrived to let Queen Esther know of the danger that threatened her nation, and he charged her to go to the king's palace and beseech him to save the Jews.
Now, the king had made a law that no one should come into his presence unless he was called, and men with axes in their hands stood around his throne to punish those that came without being summoned. But the king held in his hand a golden sceptre, and if he wished the offender to be spared, he held out his sceptre, and he who touched it was free from danger.
Esther prayed to God for assistance, and fasted for three days. Then she adorned herself as became a queen, and took two of her handmaids with her, and came thus into the presence of the king. But as she saw him sitting on his throne, in all the splendor of his royal robes, she trembled with fear, especially as he looked at her with a severe and angry frown; her knees failed her, and she fell in a swoon in the arms of her maidens. But God touched the heart of the king, so that he forgot his anger and sprang from his throne and raised the queen, and placed the golden sceptre in her hand. Then he besought her to be of good cheer, for that no harm would befall her. And she, having revived under these soothing words, said to him,—
"My lord, it is not easy for me on the sudden to say what hath happened; for as soon as I saw thee to be great and comely and terrible, my spirit departed from me, and I had no strength left."
It was with difficulty and in a low voice that the queen could say this, and the king, still anxious to console and support her, told her she might ask any boon of him, even to the half of his kingdom. Then Esther asked that he with his friend Haman should come to a banquet which she had prepared for him. He consented, and sent for Haman, and they went in together to the banquet. And while they were feasting, Artaxerxes asked Esther to let him know what she desired, saying again that he would part with one-half his kingdom for her sake. But she only asked him to come the next day to another banquet, and to bring Haman with him.
Haman went away that day in great joy, because he alone had had the honor of supping with the king at the queen's banquet. But as he passed out of the palace he saw Mordecai, who again refused to bow to him, and Haman was filled with anger. When he reached home, he called to him his wife and his friends, and told them what honor he had enjoyed, not only from the king, but from the queen also, and that he was invited to another banquet on the morrow.
"Yet," said he, "am I not pleased to see Mordecai the Jew in the palace."
Then Haman's wife advised him to give orders that a gallows should be made fifty cubits high, and that in the morning he should ask of the king that Mordecai might be hanged thereon. And Haman commended her advice, and ordered his servants to prepare the gallows in his own court.
That night God took away the king's sleep, and, as he wished to occupy his time with some useful matter, he called to his servant to read to him the book in which was kept the account of what things had happened during his reign. And after the servant had read about many great battles and how the victorious generals had been rewarded for their services, he came at last to the conspiracy which had been discovered by Mordecai. Here the king stopped him, and asked,—
"Is it not put down that Mordecai had a reward given him?"
But the servant answered that it was not so put down.
Then the king bade him leave off his reading, and, finding that it was nearly day, he gave orders that if any of his friends had already come to wait upon him and were standing in the court, the servants should tell him. Now, it happened that Haman was found there, for he had come earlier than usual to petition the king to have Mordecai put to death. The king at once summoned Haman into his presence, and, when he was come in, he said to him,—
"Because I know thou art one of my best friends, I desire thee to give me advice how I may honor one whom I greatly love in a manner suitable to my magnificence."
Haman at once thought the king meant to honor him, and he answered,—
"If thou wouldst truly honor a man whom thou dost love, give orders that he may ride on horseback clothed in the royal robes and with a gold chain about his neck, and let one of thy intimate friends go before him and proclaim throughout the whole city that in this way doth the king honor those whom he loves."
The king was pleased with this answer, and he said to Haman, "Make haste and take the robes and the chain and the horse, and do to Mordecai the Jew as thou hast said. And because thou art one of my intimate friends and hast given me this advice, do thou go before the horse and make proclamation of the words thou hast advised."
At this unexpected order Haman was confounded, and at first knew not what to do. But he dared not disobey; so he took the king's robes and his horse and his chain, and went to Mordecai and told him what the king had said. Mordecai at first thought that Haman was mocking him, but when he was convinced of the truth of what he said, he put on the royal robes and got on horseback, and was led through the city by Haman. The Mordecai returned to the palace, but Haman, full of grief and shame, went home and informed his wife and friends of what had happened. And his wife told him that he would never be able to be revenged on Mordecai, for certainly God was with him.
Just then a servant came and summoned Haman to Esther's banquet. So he sat down with the king and the queen, and after they had all eaten and drunk, Artaxerxes asked Esther what was her request, for he would grant her anything she demanded. Then Esther confessed that she was a Jewess, and said that she and all her nation were condemned to death, and besought the king to spare her and them.
The king asked, "Who hath condemned thy people to death?"
Esther answered, "Haman."
The king rose hastily from the table in anger and confusion and went out into the garden to compose himself. Then Haman threw himself down before the queen, begging her to spare his life. But when the king returned and saw him in this position, he was only angrier. Just then the servant who had been sent to summon Haman to the banquet came in and said that he had seen a high gallows in the court of Haman's house, and that when he had inquired who was to be hanged on it, he was answered, "Mordecai the Jew."
The king at once gave orders that Haman should be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and Haman was taken out and hanged accordingly.
Then the king told Esther to write letters in his name and to seal them with his seal, and these letters gave permission to the Jews on the day that had been mentioned in the former decree to arm them selves and resist all efforts that might be made for their slaughter, and to slay their enemies. Horsemen were sent all over the kingdom with these letters, and on the appointed day the Jews took down their armor and their weapons, and gathered themselves together in every city, and fought for their lives, and gained the victory over all who came against them. And for two days following they feasted and rejoiced, and the Jews have ever since held those days to be holy days, and celebrate upon them the feast they call Purim.
Mordecai became a great and illustrious person with the king, and assisted him in the government. He also lived with the queen, so that the affairs of the Jews were by their means better than they could ever have hoped for. And this was the state of the Jews during the reign of Artaxerxes.
more than a hundred years after the death of Artaxerxes the Persian kings continued to hold dominion over Judea, though they treated the inhabitants kindly and allowed them to be governed by the priests of their own nation. The Jews flourished and grew wealthy and prosperous, but not much is known about them during this period until the reign of another Artaxerxes, called Artaxerxes Mnemon. At that time a man named John succeeded his father Judas as high-priest of Jerusalem. Now, John had a brother named Jesus, who was a friend of Bagoses, the general of the Persian army, and Bagoses had promised to procure the priesthood for Jesus. Jesus and John quarrelled together in the temple, and in his anger John slew Jesus.God did not neglect to punish this unnatural crime. For when Bagoses heard of it he came to the Jews and said to them in anger,—
"Have you dared to perpetrate a murder in you own temple?"
And as Bagoses was going into the temple the people tried to stop him, saying it was forbidden for any but the priests to enter it. But Bagoses answered,—
"Am I not purer than the dead body of him that was slain in the temple?"
Therefore he pressed on into the sanctuary and defiled it. And he imposed tribute on the Jews, ordering them to pay fifty shekels out of the public treasury for every lamb that was offered in sacrifice during the next seven years.
John died, his son Jaddua succeeded to the high-priesthood. He had a brother whose name was Manasseh. Now there was one Sanballat, whom Darius, the last king of Persia, had sent into Samaria. He was a Cuthean by birth, and the Samaritans also came from the same stock. This man was anxious to live on friendly terms with the Jews, so he gladly gave his daughter in marriage to Manasseh.But when Jaddua became high-priest the elders among the Jews became very uneasy that Manasseh, who was married to a foreigner, should be associated with him in any priestly duties. For they feared that this man's marriage would encourage others to transgress the law against taking strange wives. So they commanded Manasseh either to put away his wife or not to approach the altar. The high-priest himself joined with the people in their anger against his brother, and drove him away from the altar. Manasseh went to his father-in-law and told him that although he loved his wife he would be forced to give her up. But Sanballat told him that he might keep his wife, and be not only priest but a high-priest, for that he would write to Darius and obtain from him permission to build another temple on Mount Gerazim, in Samaria, of which Manasseh should be high-priest.
Then Manasseh took up his abode with his father-in-law, and many other priests and Levites who had also offended against the law and married strange wives came and lived with him.