Then Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah should be placed in the court of the prison, and given a piece of bread every day as long as it lasted. Here he continued to prophesy. Some of the princes heard Jeremiah say that those who stayed in the city should die by the sword, or by famine or pestilence, but those who fled to the Chaldeans should live. For the Lord had said that Jerusalem should fall into the hands of the king of Babylon. And they begged Zedekiah to put the prophet to death, because such words took the heart out of the people and made them unfit to go to war.

The king told these persons to do as they chose with Jeremiah, and they threw the prophet into a pit where there was no water, but the mud was deep. And they left him there to die.

Ebedmelech, a negro who waited upon the king, hearing that they had put Jeremiah in a dungeon, or pit, spoke to Zedekiah and told him what the princes had done. And he said that Jeremiah would soon die if left where he was. Then the king commanded Ebedmelech to take thirty men with him and bring the prophet. So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and when they came to the pit they let down by ropes the old cloths and soft rags they had brought. And they told Jeremiah to put the cloths under his arms so that the ropes would not cut into his flesh. And Jeremiah did so. And they drew him out of the pit, and took him back to the court of the prison.

Jeremiah wept over the sins and the sorrows of his people until he was almost blind, and had no more tears to shed. And he wrote down all his sad thoughts in a book, which is called the Lamentations of Jeremiah. His greatest grief was that God was angry with the children of Israel.

After Josiah's death the king of Egypt had conquered the king of Babylon, and the Israelites were also in his power. But not long after, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up and won a victory over the Egyptians and drove them out of the land. Then he besieged Jerusalem and took Jehoiakim captive and sent him in chains to Babylon. He then took all the silver and gold from the temple, and carried off the chief persons-princes, soldiers, skilled workmen, and learned

men-to the number of ten thousand, and left none but the poorest sort of people in the land.

The king of Babylon made Zedekiah, the youngest son of

Josiah, king of Judah, and made him promise to be faithful to him. But he was not a good man, and did not keep his word. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and was tried as a traitor and found guilty. His sons were slain before his

eyes, his eyes were then put out, and he was carried captive to Babylon, where he died.

Jerusalem was so strongly built that Nebuchadnezzar found it no easy matter to destroy the city. For eleven years or more the hosts of Babylon laid siege to it, but it could not be taken until the Jews were so weakened by hunger that they

could not hold out any longer. For there was no bread in the land. The Jews fled into Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar broke down the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the city by fire. The magnificent temple built by Solomon, which had stood for four hundred and twenty-four years, was not spared, and everything took place according to the words of Moses and the later prophets.

CHAPTER XXVII.

DANIEL.

AMONG the Jews that were taken captive into Babylon were four young men, named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were fine-looking, well-formed, and intelligent, and that they might be fitted to fill high positions at the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, they were sent to school for three years to learn the language of the Chaldeans, and to finish their education. And that they might be kept in good health and strength, meat and wine were sent them every day from the king's table.

But Daniel and his friends refused to eat the meat or drink the wine that came from the king's table, and Daniel begged the officer who had the young men in charge not to force them to do so. The officer was friendly to Daniel, but afraid that he might lose his own life should the king come and find the young men looking thin and in poor health. For he would think his orders had not been obeyed.

Daniel said to Melzar, the officer, Try us for ten days, I pray thee, and let them give us nothing but pulse and water. (Pulse is a thick pap made of meal.) And then, said Daniel, if we do not thrive as well as those who eat the meat and drink the wine, you can stop giving it to us. Melzar consented, and at the end of ten days the four young Jews were in better condition than those who ate the food sent from the king's table. And so they lived only on pulse and water, and did not sin by eating food prepared by idolaters.

God gave the four young men great knowledge and skill; and he gave Daniel power to understand and explain the meaning of dreams and visions. And when all the young students were brought before the king to be examined by him, he found none to equal Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And found they had much more wisdom than all the magicians and astrologers with which his realm abounded.

Now in the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar was troubled with strange dreams that would not let him sleep.

And he commanded all the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers, and the Chaldeans also, to tell him what the dreams

meant.

The Chaldeans said, O king, live forever; tell us thy dream and we will show thee the meaning of it. The king answered, I cannot remember it, and if ye cannot make known my dream ye shall be put to death and your houses burned to the ground. But if ye tell the dream and what it means, ye shalı receive rich gifts and great honors.

The Chaldeans said there was no man living who could interpret a dream without first having had the dream told to him; and no king had ever before asked such a thing of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. Only the gods could tell the king what he wanted to know.

Then the king was very angry, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death. And when Daniel heard of it he asked that he might see the king. And when he stood before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel told him it he would give him time he would tell the king his dream and the meaning of it.

Then Daniel went home and told his companions what he had done, and asked them to pray that God would spare their lives. And in the night God made known to Daniel the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and told him the meaning of it. And Daniel gave thanks and praise to God, from whom nothing is hid, and who blesses all those who put their trust in him.

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had commanded to kill the wise men, and he said to him, Kill not the wise men of Babylon, but bring me in to the king and I will show him the meaning of his dream. Then Arioch made haste and brought him before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king said to Daniel, Art thou able to tell me my dream and the meaning of it?

Daniel answered, None of the king's wise men can tell his dream; but there is a God in heaven who sends dreams to Nebuchadnezzar, to show him what will take place at some future time. I did not find out thy dream myself, but God made it known to me, and I will tell it to thee for thine own good, and for his glory.