In two years after these occurrences Darius the Mede died; and about
the same time died also Cambyses, the father of Cyrus, in Persia.
Cyrus, therefore, returned to Babylon, and took upon himself the
government of the empire.
The history of the lions’ den, with all the intrigues that led to it,
made Daniel thrice dear to the inhabitants of Babylon. His name
commanded reverence wherever it was mentioned, He was looked upon as an
angel of mercy, goodness, and wisdom, sent by the gods to bless the
race.
Cyrus, for a long time, had desired the opportunity of a prolonged
interview with Daniel, of whom he had heard so many wonderful things,
both as a minister to the king of Babylon and also while administering
the affairs of the kingdom under the reign of his Median uncle. The
Persian was already well versed in current history. Of the God of
Israel he had heard much of late, and he felt a strong inclination to
hear more. And of whom could he learn to better advantage than of the
famous Hebrew prophet? The celebrated Persian, from his infancy, had
been taught to worship and adore the imaginary gods of his own country;
but he had always felt doubtful in regard to the existence of these
gods; and many of the popular theories of Persia, in regard to their
various deities, were, to him, full of inconsistencies and
contradictions.
Not many days after his arrival in Babylon, the royal chariot was seen
to halt at the door of Daniel’s residence; and, moreover, the king
himself was seen to enter.
[Illustration: The royal chariot halted at the door of Daniel’s
residence]
“Thou wilt pardon this sudden intrusion,” said Cyrus; “I have long
desired an interview with the president, and for this purpose I have
entered his house; the king is happy to find that he is not absent.”
“My lord the king hath greatly honored his unworthy servant by entering
under his roof,” said the old Hebrew. “This condescension of the great
Persian conqueror is a favor of such a magnitude that it shall never be
forgotten.”
“Let not my aged friend Daniel speak thus,” said the king, in a
friendly manner. “Call it not condescension in Cyrus to seek the
society of one who has justly earned the reputation of being the most
profound statesman that ever moved among mortals. Let the king rather
consider himself honored in being permitted to listen to thy words of
wisdom and understanding.”
“Humility becometh well the potentates of earth. But yet, O king, thou
beholdest not the real grandeur of thy mission. Thou knowest not that
thou art the peculiarly anointed—not of the gods, but of the only God
of heaven, the Almighty Jehovah, the God of Israel, to pour his wrath
upon the nations, and to restore the children of Judah to their own
land.”
“Thou hast touched a theme on which, above all others, at this time,
the king would choose to dwell. Of the gods I have but an imperfect
knowledge. Conscious am I that under the particular direction of some
invisible power I have been led forward in all my movements, from my
youth up. I was taught to worship the gods in my juvenile days; but
ever since I arrived at years of thought and judgment, my mind has been
greatly perplexed by what seemeth to me to be glaring inconsistencies
in our theory of religion.”
“Praised be the name of Jehovah, under whose direction thou comest at
this time to seek knowledge! Happy is thy servant Daniel to know that
he is indeed able to impart unto the king that which he inquireth
after. Jehovah is the only God, and the signs which he hath in all ages
given of himself, O king, are abundant. We hear much of the exploits of
the gods of the heathen; but of these performances there are no proofs,
and they exist only in the imaginations of their worshipers. Not so
with _our_ God—the God that made the world. The history of our nation,
which history no one can gainsay, is an assemblage of miracles. Examine
the records of our historian Moses, who conversed with God face to
face. Our God brought us out from under the dominion of Pharaoh with a
strong hand and an outstretched arm. He gave evidence of his presence
by the infliction of twelve terrible plagues on the king of Egypt and
his people. He opened before the Hebrews a passage through the sea, and
brought them dry-shod to the opposite shore. For forty years were they
fed with manna from heaven, while water was called forth from the
flinty rock. And as the waves of the Red Sea were parted before them as
they left Egypt, so, in like manner, were the waters of Jordan parted
as they left the plains of Moab; and thus were they settled in the land
of Canaan. Since that day, nine hundred and fifteen years have passed
away; and during all this period, Jehovah hath given unto his people
abundant signs of his presence. Thus our God is not a being that dwells
only in the imagination of men, but his wonderful acts, O king, are
written on the pages of correct history.”
“If these things are so, surely the God of Israel is the only God. But,
Daniel, thou knowest that it is much harder for Cyrus the Persian to
believe these things than for thee, who art a native Hebrew, and a firm
believer in the God thou worshipest. Have not the Persians their
histories of their gods as well as ye?”
“They have, O king! But those histories are dark, indefinite, and
without date, which is a conclusive evidence that they are fiction, and
not history. If my lord the king hath aught to doubt in regard to the
correctness of our _ancient_ historians concerning our God, what
thinketh he of those miraculous displays of Divine power witnessed by
his servant and by thousands more, during the last threescore years and
ten?”
“Proceed, Daniel; the king is well pleased to hear thee!”
“Be it known to thee, O king, that all the calamities that of late have
befallen Babylon have come to pass in perfect accordance with the
predictions of God’s prophets, some of whom prophesied over two hundred
years before these events transpired. When thou comparest these
prophecies with the actual occurrences, there remaineth no longer a
place for doubt. Even the draining of the Euphrates, O king, was spoken
of by the prophet of Jehovah over one hundred and fifty years before
the wonderful thing was conceived in thy mind.”
“Enough, O Daniel! Enough!” cried Cyrus. “If thou art able to show me
this thing, I ask no more!”
The Hebrew sage, with a peculiar smile of satisfaction on his
countenance, rose from his seat, and took from a shelf what appeared to
be a scroll of ancient manuscript.
“Listen, O king, to the words of Jehovah’s prophets in regard to the
taking of Babylon:
“‘Make bright the arrows, gather the shields! The Lord hath raised up
the spirits of the _kings of the Medes_, for his device is against
Babylon to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the
vengeance of his temple. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
Shout against her round about! Behold, I will stir up the _Medes_
against them, who shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall
not delight in it. Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain! Exalt
the voice! shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the
nobles! Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! Therefore shall evil come upon
thee, and thou shalt not know from whence it cometh. Desolation shall
come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. I have laid a snare
for thee, and thou art also taken, and thou wast not aware. O thou that
dwellest upon many waters, _I will dry up her sea_, and make her
springs dry. A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be _dried
up_. In her heat I will make their _feasts_, and I will _make them
drunken_, that they may repose and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not
wake, saith the Lord. Arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield! Prepare
slaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their fathers, that
they do not rise and possess the land; for I will rise up against thee,
saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant,
and son and nephew, saith the Lord.’
“These, O king, are some of the predictions of Jehovah against Babylon,
by the mouths of his holy prophets. And has not my lord the king been
an eye witness to their fulfillment!”
“They have all come to pass to the letter, O Daniel! Surely the God of
Israel is the God of gods! Why should I any longer doubt? Thus it
appears that Cyrus the Persian has been under the directions of the God
of Israel, to bring about these wonderful events!”
“In this thou sayest truly, O king. And strange as it may sound in
thine ears, be assured that thy name was known in Israel for over one
hundred and fifty years before thy birth.”
Here the Persian gazed on the Hebrew for awhile in silent wonderment;
and it was evident from his countenance, that he had some doubt in
regard to the truth of the sentence.
“Did the king rightly understand thy meaning? Sayest thou that my
_name_ was known in Israel for one hundred and fifty years previous to
my birth?”
“The king rightly understandeth his servant. Thy name was carefully
written in a book by one of our prophets two hundred and twenty years
ago. Happily, I have now in my possession a copy taken from the
original, written by one of our scribes, and bearing date which maketh
it over one hundred and seventy years old. If the king desireth, thy
servant will read.”
“Read, Daniel,” said the king, with much feeling.
Daniel from the same scroll from which he had read before, which was
the Prophecies of Isaiah, read:
“‘Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I
have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins
of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates; _and the gates shall
not he shut_, I will go before thee, and make the crooked places
straight: I will break in pieces _the gates of brass_, and cut in
sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of
darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know
that I, the Lord which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For
Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee
by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.’”
The Persian was deeply moved. Indeed, tears were in the monarch’s eyes.
He rose, and in the deepest reverence, exclaimed:
“I acknowledge the God of Israel as the great ruling power of the
universe! Under his infinitely wise directions I stand ready to do his
pleasure, and accomplish his great designs.”
“One favor it is thine to grant, O king, according to the word of the
Lord. For their iniquity the children of Judah were carried captive
into Babylon, and Jerusalem was rendered desolate. According to the
word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, they were to remain in this
land of their captivity for seventy years. This period, O king, in a
few more months will be at an end. I pray thee, give permission to the
children of Judah to return to their own land, and build up the old
waste places, and raise again a temple to the God of Israel.”
“This thy request, O Daniel, shall be granted,” said the king, in a
firm voice. “The proclamation shall go forth from the king, and all
that is needful for the enterprise shall be supplied.”
“Praised be Jehovah!” said the aged Hebrew. “At last the days of
Judah’s captivity are numbered, and Jerusalem shall be restored. Thy
God, O king, whom from henceforth thou wilt serve, shall greatly
prosper thee in the affairs of thy kingdom.”
“I trust my faithful servant will consent to tarry with the king, to
whom, from time to time, he will deliver lessons of wisdom. I purpose
soon to remove my court from Babylon to Ecbatana, in Persia, whither I
hope my faithful servant Daniel will consent to remove.”
“Thy servant in this is willing to abide the pleasure of the king.”
The king left the presence of his aged minister with strange but yet
pleasurable emotions, hurried into his chariot, which was waiting, and
was soon on his way to the palace.
The next day the following proclamation was heralded through the
streets of Babylon, and sent to all the provinces:
“Thus saith Cyrus, King of Persia: The Lord God of heaven hath given me
all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an
house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all
his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which
is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (he is the
God), which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where
he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with
gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will offering
for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
This proclamation was received by the captive Jews with gladness and
great joy. Measures were immediately put forth for the accomplishment
of the enterprise; the king, in the meantime, continuing to give every
encouragement to these measures, in the firm conviction that he was
under peculiar guidance of the God of heaven.
A brighter day never dawned on the plains of Judah. The brilliant rays
of the morning sun were seen flashing upwards from behind Mount Zion,
like so many messengers in uniform, proclaiming the near approach of
their sovereign master. Presently, the great regent of day himself, in
slow and silent majesty, made his appearance, and once more smiled on
the City of the Great King. At an early hour, multitudes were seen
pouring into the city, from east, west, north, and south, and on each
countenance might have been read a degree of excitement and animation.
This was the twenty-fourth day of the second month, in the second year
after the return from Babylon; and on this day was to be laid the
foundation of the temple of the Lord. This was well understood
throughout the land; and we wonder not that from cities and villages,
from hill and valley, the emancipated Hebrews hastened by thousands to
witness a scene at the thought of which their hearts throbbed with
intense emotions. By the sixth hour the great multitudes had
congregated to witness the solemn and joyful ceremony. There stood the
priests, with their long, flowing robes, with trumpets in their hands.
There, also, stood the Levites, and the sons of Asaph, with cymbals to
praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David, king of Israel. The
builders had laid the foundation. Then the trumpets were blown, and the
sons of Asaph struck their cymbals. Songs of praise ascended on high,
and they gave thanks unto the Lord.
The ceremony was over. The concourse was dismissed, under the
benediction of the priests, and the masses moved homeward in all
directions.
Two chariots of magnificent appearance, drawn by beautiful steeds, were
seen leaving the ground. They drew much attention from the crowd, as
they leisurely drove through the winding streets of Jerusalem. At last
the chariots halted in front of a mansion, which had the appearance of
having of late undergone a thorough repair. From one of these chariots
alighted several venerable men, their hair whitened with age. Their
whole bearing gave the beholder to understand that they were persons of
distinction. From the other chariot alighted, first a man of middle
age, next a woman somewhat younger, then an aged man and woman, the
latter alighting with great elasticity of step. The countenance of this
lady gave evidence that it had once been the throne of rare beauty.
“Why looketh my brother so thoughtful and sad on this day of general
rejoicing in Judah?” asked the aged lady, directing her address to one
of those who had alighted from the first chariot.
“I am not sad, sister,” replied the brother, “but am thoughtful. And
what thinkest thou my mind dwelt upon?”
“Surely, I cannot tell. Some past scenes in Chaldea, peradventure.”
“Nay, sister. But I was thinking that seventy and two years ago this
very night, myself and my two brothers here, accompanied by our beloved
Jeremiah, entered this house, and revealed the sad story of our
captivity to our beloved Perreeza.”
“Ah, dear Hananiah! and a dark night of sorrow that proved to your
almost brokenhearted sister.”
“But I trust that Jehovah hath overruled the whole in the end to the
glory of his great name,” said Mishael.
“Surely he hath!” quickly answered Mathias. “Forever blessed be the
memory of that delightful night when these eyes, at the house of
Barzello, rested on the bright charms of the ‘Rose of Sharon.’”
“The rose no longer blooms, Mathias!” answered Perreeza. “It’s hues are
faded; and, under the pelting storms of life, its petals have well-nigh
withered.”
“The tint may fade, and the petals may wither, but sweeter than ever
shall its fragrance continue to perfume the surrounding air,” answered
the husband, his face glowing with pure affection. “In that better
country whither we are going, where flowers never fade, and where roses
forever bloom, the ‘Rose of Sharon’ shall yet flourish in immortal
beauty.”
Mathias, Perreeza and the latter’s three brothers had been made
almoners of an immense bequest provided in Joram’s will for advancing
the interests of Judah. It was stipulated that the fund should not be
employed until the expiration of seventy years of captivity. Joram
believed, with Daniel and the other distinguished Israelites, that the
captivity would come to an end in the specified seventy years. The
treasure was hidden where none but the almoners and their natural heirs
could disturb it.
It was Esrom’s purpose, as a final atonement, to bequeath one-half of
his vast fortune for the development of religious and educational
institutions in Jerusalem and to aid the poorer class of Hebrews to
acquire homes. The decision of Cyrus the king to assist in rebuilding
the Temple at Jerusalem enabled Mathias and his associates to use the
bequest in other channels. The fund at their disposal was large, and
they were enabled to give a new impetus to the cause of education in
Judah. Hundreds of the former captives were likewise assisted in the
purchase of land and cattle. Much had been accomplished in the past
year for the upbuilding of Jerusalem and the advancement of the race.
It was natural, therefore, that, at the close of the ceremonies
attending the laying of the foundation of the new temple, Esrom’s
friends should let their minds dwell on his generosity. Conversation
turned to this theme as the family entered their home.
“It was a gracious and noble thing for Joram to do,” exclaimed
Hananiah.
“My uncle frequently told me,” said Perreeza, “that it was his earnest
desire to have his native city and his beloved land of Judah take a
more advanced position in the affairs of the world. He believed that,
with higher educational advantages, the Israelites would rapidly gain
in statecraft. They are an industrious people, and many of them have
shown such marked administrative ability as to convince observing men
that the race will be potent in shaping the destiny of nations.
“Uncle Esrom became the wealthiest man in all Babylon because of his
sagacity in barter and exchange. He was wise in regard to what the
populace would buy most freely and where to obtain the merchandise to
the best advantage.”
“His discretion rather than his wealth gave him influence at the king’s
court,” exclaimed Mishael. “Joram was a credit to his people, and
methinks he was remarkable for his talent as a diplomat. He had great
influence in foreign countries, and his knowledge gained abroad was of
the highest importance to Nebuchadnezzar throughout his reign. Our
uncle never forgot his native land, and constantly exerted a powerful
influence in behalf of the people of Judah. That work was secret and
mysterious, however. Frequently we heard of unexpected concessions and
favors to our people from the king, and in time found out that they
were due to Joram’s promptings.”
“My great hope at present is,” returned Perreeza, “to be spared long
enough to see substantial fruit spring from Uncle Esrom’s bounty.”
“I second that hope,” said Hananiah. “I wish to see all the returned
captives well provided for. The children of all these families must
have doubled advantages as a measure of restitution. We can accomplish
much with the immense sum at our disposal.”
“We ought now, under such favorable circumstances,” said Mishael, “to
give Israel a new start in commerce and education. We have the benefit
of Daniel’s wisdom in this great undertaking; for, on several occasions
before we left Babylon, he outlined plans by which Joram’s wishes might
be carried out in a practical manner. With the present government of
Chaldea to protect our nation, the security of life and property is
assured. We can push our projects as hard as we please, and feel
confident that nothing but good is being accomplished.”
The melodious voice of young Rebekah was now heard in another
apartment, warbling one of her sweetest songs.
“Jehovah bless the child!” cried the grandmother. “How that voice of
melody cheers my heart!”
“Mother!” quickly replied Monroah. “Permit me to call her into this
apartment, where she may sing and play thy favorite ‘song of Judah.’”
“Thou art ever kind to thy mother, dear Monroah; do as thou desirest.”
Rebekah was called.
“Will my daughter sing and play for us her grandmother’s favorite ‘song
of Judah’?”
“With pleasure, mother,” cried Rebekah, as she quickly left the
apartment.
In a moment she returned, bearing in her arms a stringed instrument
with which the reader is somewhat familiar, and proceeded with the
following appropriate song:
“When we our weary limbs to rest
Sat down by proud Euphrates’ stream,
We wept, with doleful thoughts oppressed,
And Zion was our mournful theme.
“Our harps, that when with joy we sung
Were wont their tuneful parts to bear,
With silent strings neglected hung
On willow trees that withered there.
“Oh, Salem! once our happy seat,
When I of thee forgetful prove,
Then let my trembling hand forget
These speaking strings with art to move!
“Again we hail the sacred hall,
That echoed to our youthful lays!
And Amonober’s children all
Have reached their home to end their days.
“To thee, Almighty King of kings,
In new-made hymns my voice I’ll raise,
And instruments of many strings
Shall help me to adore and praise.
“How sweet to die in Judah’s dale,
And with the fathers calmly rest;
The thought of sleeping in yon vale,
How soothing to my throbbing breast!
“A few more days of grief and pain,
And then adieu to every gloom,
For soon we all shall meet again,
Beyond the portals of the tomb.”
The old harp of Judah has also returned from the captivity, and is once
more safely lodged in its own native Jerusalem, whence Esrom bore it to
the land of strangers a century before.
Time has left some impression on its aged frame, but its tones are
sweeter than ever. In that family it is held as a priceless treasure;
and its melody shall sweetly fall on ears yet unborn, when the hands
that now so skillfully sweep its well-tuned strings shall be palsied,
and the sweet voices that blend with its thrilling chords shall be
silent in the grave.