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1.

JONAH.

About 250., B. C. E.

Jonah's second commission to Nineveh.

Jove.

The universality of God's

AND the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second 2. time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim 3. to her the words which I shall speak to thee. And Jonah arose

and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. 4. Now Nineveh was through God a great city, three days' 5. journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried out and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

6.

And the men of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to 7. the least of them. For when the matter came to the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, and put off his mantle and 8. covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, 9. nor drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God. Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 10. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from bis fierce anger, that we perish not?

11.

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way: and God repented of the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.

12. But this displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very 13. angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, Ah! O LORD, was not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? 14. Therefore I made haste to flee to Tarshish. For I knew that thou art a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and that thou repentest of a threatened evil. And 15. now O LORD; take, I pray thee, my life from me! for it is better 16. for me to die than to live. And the LORD said, Is it right that

thou shouldst be angry? 17. Now Jonah had gone out of the city, and had sat on the seat side of the city, and had made himself a booth there, and had sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become

18. of the city. And the LORD, appointed a gourd; and it grew up over Jonah to be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his distress. And Jonah was exceedingly glad of the gourd.

19. But God appointed a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd so that it withered. And when the sun arose, God appointed a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, and he was faint, and he asked for himself death, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 21. And God said to Jonah, Is it right that thou shouldst be angry

20.

for the gourd? And he said, It is right that I should be angry, 22. even to death. And the LORD said, Thou hast had pity on the gourd for which thou hast not labored, and which thou madest not to grow, which grew up in a night and perished in a night; 23. and should not I spare Ninevah, the great city, wherein are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many cattle? (Chap. III and IV.)

1.

DANIEL.

About 164 B, C. E.

I.

Daniel's captivity and elevation.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, against 2. Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the LORD gave Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of 3. the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar,

to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the 4. treasure-house of his god. And the king commanded Ash5. penaz, the master of his palace, that he should bring certain of the sons of Israel of the king's race, and of the princes; youths in whom was no blemish, and well favored, and skillfull in all wisdom, and having knowledge and intelligence and strength, to stand as servants in the king's palace, and be taught the writ6. ing and the language of the Chaldæans. Now among these were, of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and

7. Azariah.

8.

And the prince of the eunuchs gave them other names. To Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

And God gave these four youths knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all vis9. ions and dreams. And at the end of the days, when the king had commanded him to bring them before him, then the prince 10. of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king conversed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore 11. they stood as servants before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them he found them ten times better than all the scribes and magicians that were in all his realms. (Chap. I; 1-4, 17-20.) 12. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel spake and said: Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever! for wisdom and might are his. And he changeth times and seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding. He re13. vealeth deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in darkness, and light dwelleth with him. I thank thee and praise thee, O 14. thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known to me now what we desired of thee.

'(Chap. II; 20-23.)

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II.

Belshazzer's Feast.

BELSHAZZAR, the king, gave a great feast to his thousand 2. lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple at Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives 3. and attendants, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God at Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his 4. wives and attendants, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

5.

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the chandelier upon the plaster of the wall of

the king's palace; and the king saw the hand that wrote. 6. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts

tr bled him so that the joints of his loins were loosened, and his knees smote one against the other. The king cried aloud to 7. bring in the magicians, the Chaldæans, and the astrologers. And

the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold about his 8. neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom. Then all the king's wise men came in; but they could not read the writing, 9. nor make known to the king its signification. Then was King Belshazzar in great consternation, and his countenance was 10. changed, and his lords were amazed. Then the queen, un account of this affair of the king and his lords, came into the banquet-house; and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever! Let not thy thoughts terrify thee, nor let thy countenance 11. 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, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him chief of the scribes, the magicians, the Chaldæans, and the 12. astrologers, thy father, O king! Forasmuch as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding to interpret dreams, and to explain hard sentences, and solve difficult questions were found in him, in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.

13. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said to Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, of the captives of Judah, whom the king, my father, brought out of 14. Judæa? I have heard concerning thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent 15. wisdom are found in thee. And now, the wise men and the

magicians have been brought in before me, that they might read this writing, and make known to me its signification; but 16. they could not show the signification of the thing. But I have heard of thee that thou canst give interpretations, and solve difficult questions. Now if thou canst read the writing and make known to me its signification, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule as the third in the kingdom.

17.

Then answered Daniel and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another: yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the signi18. fication. O king, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, 19. thy father, a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor. And

by reason of the majesty which he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he 20. set up, and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened in pride, he was thrust down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21. And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart became like the beasts, and his dwelling was with wild beasts; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that Most High God ruled in the kingdoms of men, and set up over them whomsoever he would. 22. And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted thyself up against 23. the LORD of heaven; and the vessels of his house have been brought before thee, and thou, and the lords, thy wives, and thy attendants 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 is thy breath, and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not honored 24. Then was sent from him the hand, and this writing was written. 25. And this is the writing which was written: Mené, Mené, 26. Tekél, Upharsin. Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Di

vided. And this is the interpretation of it. Numbered: God 27. hath numbered thy kingdom, and made an end of it. Weighed: 28. Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Divided:

Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians, 29. Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be third ruler in the kingdom.

30. In the same night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chal31. dæans, slain; and Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

(Chap. V.)

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