ble, though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and have had the utensils of his temple brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them; and you have given praise to the gods of silver, of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which cannot see nor hear nor know; and you have not praised the God in whose control are your very breath and all that you do.'

"Then the hand was sent out before him and traced this writing:

MENE, TEKEL, PERES

"This is its meaning: Mene: God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end. Tekel: you are weighed in the balances and found wanting. Peres. your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.'

Then at Belshazzar's command Daniel was clothed with purple and a chain of gold was put about his neck and he was proclaimed the third ruler in the kingdom. But on that very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.

132. DANIEL'S ESCAPE FROM THE LIONS

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps who ruled throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three chief officials, of whom Daniel was one, that these satraps might report to them and that the king should suffer no loss. This Daniel surpassed the other chief officials and the satraps because he had an excellent spirit; and the king intended to set him over the entire empire.

Then the chief officials and the satraps sought to find an occasion to accuse Daniel because of his admin

istration; but they could find no occasion nor fault, for he was faithful and was not guilty of any error or wrong-doing.

Then these men said, 'We shall find no occasion to accuse this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.' So these chief officials and satraps came tumultuously to the king, and said to him, 'King Darius, live forever. All the chief officials of the kingdom, the counsellors and the satraps, the judges and the governors, have consulted together to have the king establish a statute and to make a strong interdict, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the decree that, like the law of the Medes and Persians which is unalterable, it may not be changed.' So King Darius signed the decree and the interdict.

When Daniel knew that the decree was signed he went into his house-now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem-and he knelt upon his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks before his God as he had formerly. Then these men rushed in and found Daniel praying and invoking his God. So they went before the king and spoke to him about the royal interdict: 'Have you not signed an interdict, that every man who shall ask a petition of any man or god within thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions?' The king answered, 'The ruling is fixed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which is unalterable.' Then they went on to say to the king, 'That Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, nor to the interdict that you have signed, but prays three times a day.'

When the king heard these words, he was greatly

disturbed, and set his heart on delivering Daniel, and he labored until the sun set to save him. Then these men came tumultuously to the king and said to him, 'Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no interdict nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.'

So the king gave his command, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. But the king said to Daniel, 'Your God, whom you serve continually, will deliver you.' Then a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own seal ring and with those of his nobles, that no change might be made in order to rescue Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting.

At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king rose and hastened to the den of lions. When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried with an agonized voice, 'O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?' Daniel said to the king, ‘O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel and has closed the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, for I was found innocent before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.' Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and it was found that he had suffered no injury, for he had trusted in his God.

Then the king commanded that those men who had accused Daniel should be brought and thrown into the den of lions, together with their children and wives; and before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions broke all their bones.

ESTHER

A WOMAN'S LOYALTY TO HER RACE

133. THE FOLLIES OF A DESPOT

Xerxes gave a feast for all his officials, officers, and courtiers in the third year of his reign. The commanders of the military forces of Persia and Media, the nobles and satraps were before him; while for one hundred and eighty days he showed them the glorious riches of his kingdom and the costliness of his magnificent regalia.

When these days were ended, the king made for all classes of people who were present in the royal palace at Susa a seven days' feast in the enclosed garden of the royal palace. There were white and violet cotton curtains fastened to silver rings and pillars of marble with cords of fine purple and linen. The couches were of gold and silver placed upon a mosaic pavement of alabaster, white marble, mother-of-pearl, and dark stone. The drink was brought in vessels of gold which were all different, and the king's wine was provided with royal liberality. The drinking was unrestricted, for the king had directed all the officers of his household to let each man do as he pleased. Vashti the queen also gave a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Xerxes.

On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was under the influence of wine, he commanded his seven court attendants to bring Vashti the queen before him with the royal turban on her head, to show the peoples and the officials her beauty, for she was very fair. But Queen Vashti refused to come as the king commanded

through the court attendants. Therefore the king was very angry.

In his rage the king said to the wise men who knew the precedents, 'According to law what should we do to Queen Vashti?' Memucan, one of the seven viziers, said before the king and the officials, 'Vashti the queen has done wrong not only to the king but also to all the officials and to all the peoples in all of the king's provinces. For the refusal of the queen will be reported to all the women with the result that it will make them despise their husbands, for they will say, "King Xerxes commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come!" And this very day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the refusal of the queen will tell it to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and strife! If it seems best to the king, let him send out a royal edict, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media, in order that it may not be repealed, that Vashti may never again come before King Xerxes; and let the king give her place as queen to another who is better than she. And when the king's decree which he makes shall be heard throughout his kingdom-great as it is-the wives of all classes will give honor to their husbands.'

The proposal pleased the king and the officials, and the king did as Memucan advised. So the king sent letters to all the provinces, to every province in its system of writing and to every race in its language, that every man should be master in his own house!

134. THE CHOICE OF A QUEEN

After these events, when the wrath of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done