How Daniel Read the Writing on the Wall at Belshazzar's Feast.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, and the women of his palace, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, and the women of his palace, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; he trembled, and his knees smote together. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled, {202} and his countenance was changed, and his lords were perplexed. Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spoke and said, "O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance 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, was found in him: and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation."

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom."

DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

By Vernet

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep thy gifts to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: until he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over it whomsoever he will.

"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, and the women of thy palace, 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 thy breath is, and {206} whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: therefore the part of the hand was sent by God, and this inscription was written. And this is the inscription which was written:--

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Apharsin.

"This is the interpretation of the thing:--

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

How Daniel Was Cast into the Lions' Den.

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty satraps, which should be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no loss. Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and {207} the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel in regard to the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him: "King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not."

Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before. Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree; "Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall make petition unto any god or man within thirty days, save unto thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?"

The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not."

Then answered they and said before the king, "That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day."

Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to rescue him. Then these men assembled together unto the king, and said unto the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed."

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, "Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee."

And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice: the king spoke and said to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living {209} God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"

Then said Daniel unto the king, "O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no harm."

Then was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces, before they came at the bottom of the den.

Then King Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; "Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end: he delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth; who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

NEHEMIAH.

THE STORY OF THE BRAVE MAN WHO PREFERRED HARDSHIPS IN HIS NATIVE LAND, TO PLEASURE AND PLENTY IN THE KING'S PALACE.

(Nehemiah is one of the finest characters of which we are told in the Old Testament. He was a true patriot, brave, patient, persevering, fearing God, and not man. He had an important and profitable position in the royal court, but when he heard how his countrymen were suffering, how the walls of the city of his fathers were in ruins, he did not hesitate, but gaining the permission of the king, he set out to serve his country in its sore distress. How he heard of the need of the city, how he went to its relief, and how the people under his splendid leadership took courage and rebuilt the walls, he himself has told in these words:)--

The Need and the Man.

"Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, 'The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.'

"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that {213} I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, 'I beseech thee, O Lord, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments: let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: yea, I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the words that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples: but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to cause my name to dwell there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.' (Now I was cupbearer to the king.)

"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. And the king said to me, 'Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.'

"Then I was very sore afraid. And I said to the king, 'Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?'

"Then the king said unto me, 'For what dost thou make request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven.

"And I said unto the king, 'If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.'

"And the king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), 'For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?'

"So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said to the king, 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.'

"And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.

OUTSIDE EAST WALL OF JERUSALEM, GOLDEN GATE AT LEFT

This is on the east side of the city and overlooking it. There were many gates in the wall of Jerusalem to allow the coming and going of trade. Some were used for special branches of trade, which would center there in booths for the merchants. Some of the gates in ancient times were, "The Fish Gate," "The Horse Gate," "The Sheep Gate," "The Gate of Potsherds," "The Gate of the Spring," "The Water Gate," "The Gate of the Guard."

"And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days."

The Right Man in the Right Place.

"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I to them, 'Ye see the evil fortune that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'

"And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, 'Let us rise up and build.'

"So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'

"Then answered I them, and said unto them, 'The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'"

Enemies Threaten.

"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke, before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, 'What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'

"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, 'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.'

"Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity: and cover not their iniquity, {219} and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

"So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.'

"And our adversaries said, 'They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.'

"And it came to pass that, when the Jews which dwell by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, 'Ye must return unto us.'"

Watchful and Ready.

"Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, {220} and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.'

"And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They that builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

"And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another: in what place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God shall fight for us.'

"So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, 'Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.'

"So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the {221} men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water."

Statesman as Well as Soldier.

"Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, 'We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get corn, that we may eat and live.' Some also there were that said, 'We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get corn, because of the dearth.'

"There were also that said, 'We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.'

"And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, 'Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother.'

"And I held a great assembly against them. And I said to them, 'We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us?'

"Then held they their peace, and found never a word. Also I said, 'The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and corn on usury. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.'

"Then said they, 'We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest.'

"Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook out my lap, and said, 'So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.' And all the congregation said, 'Amen,' and praised the Lord.

"And the people did according to this promise. Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

JERUSALEM, A PART OF THE WALL AND THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.

Jerusalem, like all ancient cities, was protected by walls. The first of these walls was built by David and Solomon and the later kings. This wall was broken down and overthrown when the people of the city were carried into captivity, and was rebuilt again by Nehemiah. In the time of Josephus, three walls encircled the city, the oldest being the ancient wall and the others additions necessitated by the enlargement of the boundaries. Parts of these walls have been traced, and some portions still exist. These existing portions are in places 150 feet high, and the ancient towers at the corners were probably 250 feet high. They were built of immense stones very solidly put together to resist the attack of battering rams in times of war.

Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers an hundred and fifty men, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that were round about us. Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people."

In Spite of Foes, the Walls Are Built.

"Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our enemies, that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein (though even unto that time I had not set up the doors in the gates); that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.'

"But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'

"And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; wherein was written, 'It is {226} reported among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou buildest the wall: and thou wouldest be their king, according to these words. And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.'

"Then I sent to him, saying, 'There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.'

"For they all would have made us afraid, saying, 'Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done.' But now, O God, strengthen thou my hands.

"And I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, 'Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.'

"And I said, 'Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.'

"And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him: but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat {227} according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.

"So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard thereof, that all the heathen that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God."

The People Celebrate the Great Event.

"And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.

"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); and when he {228} opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. And the Levites caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. And Nehemiah, which was the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said to all the people, 'This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

"Then he said unto them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'

"So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, 'Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.' "And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

"And on the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the law. And they found written in the law, how the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, 'Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.'

JERUSALEM

This view shows the city from the Mount of Olives. The present wall surrounding the city can be plainly seen. Very differently it looked when Nehemiah saw it, with broken walls and ruined houses, swept by the fierce tides of war. The modern city of Jerusalem, connected with the coast by a railroad, is growing very rapidly in size and importance

"So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

"Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance."

The Vows of the People and the Dedication Ceremonies.

"The people entered into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.

"And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, {232} and with harps. And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain round about Jerusalem, and from the villages. Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in procession; with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them: and by the fountain gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward. And the other company of them that gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half of the people, upon the wall, above the tower of the furnaces, even unto the broad wall.

"So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me: and the priests with trumpets. And the singers sang loud. And they offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."

How Nehemiah Enforced the Law.

(After the walls were built, and the city brought into a state of law and order, Nehemiah went back to his post in the Persian court. After he went away, trouble arose. The people began to disobey the laws. Nehemiah knew that law abiding people are as necessary to national greatness as stout walls and great armies, so he came back, and enforced the laws with a strong {233} hand. How he made the people keep the Sabbath, he tells as follows:)--

"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses therewith; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.

"There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought in fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, 'What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.'

"And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.

"Then I testified against them, and said to them, 'Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.'

"From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should {234} purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

"Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy."

(The story of Nehemiah's life, told by himself, breaks off abruptly, but we know that he lived and died in high honor. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says of him, "He was a man of good and righteous character, and very ambitious to make his nation happy; and he hath left the walls of Jerusalem as an eternal monument of himself.")

THE STORY OF A DIVIDED KINGDOM