sackcloth, and cry mightily to God. Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is 9 in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 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.

10

1

But this displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was 2 very angry. And he prayed to Jehovah and said, Ah! Jehovah, was not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? 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 3 that thou repentest of a threatened evil. And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray thee, my life from me! for it is 4 better for me to die than to live. And Jehovah said, Is it right that thou shouldst be angry?

5

Now Jonah had gone out of the city, and had sat on the east side of the city, and had made himself a booth there, and had sat under it in the shade, till he should 6 see what would become of the city. And God, Jehovah, 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.

7 But God appointed a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd so that it withered. 8 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.

9

And God said to Jonah, Is it right that thou shouldst be angry for the gourd? And he said, It is right that I 10 should be angry even to death. And Jehovah said, Thou hast had pity on the gourd for which thou hast not labored, and which thou madest not to grow, which grew 11 up in a night and perished in a night; and should not I spare Nineveh, the great city, wherein are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left and, and also many cattle?

DANIE L.

1.

Daniel's captivity and elevation. — CH. I.

1 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 the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god; and he brought the 3 vessels into the treasure-house of his god. And the king commanded Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the sons of Israel of the king's 4 race, and of the princes, youths in whom was no blemish, and well favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and having knowledge and intelligence and strength, to stand as servants in the king's palace, and be taught the writing and 5 the language of the Chaldæans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's food, and of the wine which he drank; so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand as servants before the 6 king. Now among these were, of the sons of Judah, 7 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the prince of the eunuchs gave them other names. gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

8

To Daniel he

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himAnd God gave Daniel favor and kindness from the

9 self.

13 *

10 prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink; for he might see your faces in worse condition than the youths of your age; then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 11 Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 12 Azariah, Try thy servants ten days, and let them give us 13 pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our counte

nances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths that eat of the portion of the king's meat; 14 and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. And he consented to them in this matter, and tried them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared

fairer and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the 16 portion of the king's meat. So the steward took away the portion of their meat, and the wine which they should drink, and gave them pulse.

17

And God gave these four youths knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understand18 ing in all visions and dreams. And at the end of the days, when the king had commanded him to bring them before him, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them 19 in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king conversed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood 20 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 realm. 21 And Daniel lived even to the first year of Cyrus the king.

II.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and its interpretation by Daniel. - CH. II.

1 AND in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, on account of

which his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from 2 him. Then the king commanded to call the scribes, and the magicians, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldæans, that they might show the king his dreams; and they came and 3 stood before the king. And the king said to them, have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know 4 the dream. And the Chaldæans said to the king in Aramæan, O king, live forever! Tell thy servants the 5 dream, and we will show the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans: The word has gone from me. If ye will not make known to me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, 6 and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive from me gifts, and rewards, and great honor. Therefore show me the dream, and its interpretation! 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of 8 it. The king answered and said, I know of a certain, that ye seek to gain time, because ye see that the word 9 hath gone forth from me. For if ye do not make known to me the dream, this alone is your purpose, and ye have prepared lying and deceitful words to speak before me till the time be changed. Tell me therefore the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the 10 interpretation thereof. The Chaldæans answered before the king, and said: There is not a man upon the earth who can show what the king requireth; on which account no king, however great and powerful, hath asked such 11 things of any scribe, or magician, or Chaldæan. It is

12

a hard thing which the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with men.

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows, to slay 14 them. Then Daniel answered with understanding and wisdom to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who 15 was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon. He answered and said to Arioch, the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the

16 thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that 17 he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel

went to his house, and made the thing known to Hana18 niah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions; that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven, concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish, with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a night vis20 ion. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel spake and said: Blessed be the name of God for ever and 21 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 22 them that have understanding. He revealeth deep and

secret things; he knoweth what is in darkness, and light 23 dwelleth with him. I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known to me now what we desired of thee; for thou hast now made known to us the king's matter.

24

Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show to the 25 king the interpretation. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him: I have found a man of the captives of Judah that will make. 26 known to the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, 27 and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded, the wise men, the scribes, the magicians, 28 the astrologers cannot show to the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the days to come. Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy 29 bed were these. Thy thoughts, O king, came into thy mind, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come 30 to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me through any wisdom which I have more than all the liv