{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_2882/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_2882","id":"gutenberg_2882","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2882","summary":null,"tags":["Aggada -- Translations into English","Bible. Old Testament -- Legends","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jewish legends","Judaism","Midrash -- Translations into English"],"text":"The Legends of the Jews\n\nby Louis Ginzberg\n\n\nTRANSLATED PROM THE GERMAN MANUSCRIPT\n\n\nVOLUME IV\nBIBLE TIMES AND CHARACTERS\nFROM JOSHUA TO ESTHER\n\n\n\n\nContents\n\n I. JOSHUA\n The Servant of Moses\n Entering the Promised Land\n Conquest of the Land\n The Sun Obeys Joshua\n War with the Armenians\n Allotment of the Land\n\n II. THE JUDGES\n The First Judge\n Campaigns of Kenaz\n Othniel\n Boaz and Ruth\n Deborah\n Gideon\n Jephthah\n Samson\n The Crime of the Benjamites\n\n III. SAMUEL AND SAUL\n Elkanah and Hannah\n The Youth of Samuel\n Eli and His Sons\n The Activities of Samuel\n The Reign of Saul\n The Court of Saul\n\n IV. DAVID\n David's Birth and Descent\n Anointed King\n Encounter with Goliath\n Pursued by Saul\n Wars\n Ahithophel\n Joab\n David's Piety and His Sin\n Absalom's Rebellion\n David's Atonement\n Visitations\n The Death of David\n David in Paradise\n The Family of David\n His Tomb\n\n V. SOLOMON\n Solomon Punishes Joab\n The Marriage of Solomon\n His Wisdom\n The Queen of Sheba\n Solomon Master of the Demons\n The Building of the Temple\n The Throne of Solomon\n The Hippodrome\n Lessons in Humility\n Asmodeus\n Solomon as Beggar\n The Court of Solomon\n\n VI. JUDAH AND ISRAEL\n The Division of the Kingdom\n Jeroboam\n The Two Ahijabs\n Asa\n Jehoshaphat and Ahab\n Jezebel\n Joram of Israel\n\n VII. ELIJAH\n Elijah before His Translation\n After His Translation\n Censor and Avenger\n Intercourse with the Sages\n God's Justice Vindicated\n Elijah and the Angel of Death\n Teacher of the Kabbalah\n Forerunner of the Messiah\n\n VIII. ELISHA AND JONAH\n Elisha the Disciple of Elijah\n The Shunammite\n Gehazi\n The Flight of Jonah\n Jonah in the Whale\n The Repentance of Nineveh\n\n IX. THE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH\n Joash\n Three Great Prophets\n The Two Kingdoms Chastised\n Hezekjah\n Miracles Wrought for Hezekiah\n Manasseh\n Josiah and His Successors\n\n X. THE EXILE\n Zedekiah\n Jeremiah\n Nebuchadnezzar\n The Capture of Jerusalem\n The Great Lament\n Jeremiah's Journey to Babylon\n Transportation of the Captives\n The Sons of Moses\n Ebedmelech\n The Temple Vessels\n Baruch\n The Tombs of Baruch and Ezekie1\n Daniel\n The Three Men in the Furnace\n Ezekiel Revives the Dead\n Nebuchadnezzar a Beast\n Hiram\n The False Prophets\n Daniel's Piety\n\n XI. THE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVITY\n Belshazzar's Feast\n Daniel under the Persian Kings\n The Grave of Daniel\n Zerubbabel\n Ezra\n The Men of the Great Assembly\n\n XII. ESTHER\n The Feast for the Grandees\n The Festivities in Shushan\n Vashti's Banquet\n The Fate of Vashti\n The Follies of Ahasuerus\n Mordecai\n Esther's Beauty and Piety\n The Conspiracy\n Haman the Jew-baiter\n Mordecai's Pride\n Casting the Lots\n The Denunciation of the Jews\n The Decree of Annihilation\n Satan Indicts the Jews\n The Dream of Mordecai Fulfilled\n The Prayer of Esther\n Esther Intercedes\n The Disturbed Night\n The Fall of Haman\n The Edict of the King\n\n\n\n\nI.\nJOSHUA\n\nTHE SERVANT OF MOSES\n\nThe early history of the first Jewish conqueror (1) in some respects is\nlike the early history of the first Jewish legislator. Moses was\nrescued from a watery grave, and raised at the court of Egypt. Joshua,\nin infancy, was swallowed by a whale, and , wonderful to relate, did\nnot perish. At a distant point of the sea-coast the monster spewed him\nforth unharmed. He was found by compassionate passers-by, and grew up\nignorant of his descent. The government appointed him to the office of\nhangman. As luck would have it, he had to execute his own father. By\nthe law of the land the wife of the dead man fell to the share of his\nexecutioner, and Joshua was on the point of adding to parricide another\ncrime equally heinous. He was saved by a miraculous sign. When he\napproached his mother, milk flowed from her breasts. His suspicions\nwere aroused, and through the inquiries he set a foot regarding his\norigin, the truth was made manifest. (2)\n\nLater Joshua, who was so ignorant that he was called a fool, became the\nminister of Moses, and God rewarded his faithful service by making him\nthe successor to Moses. (3) He was designated as such to Moses when, at\nthe bidding of his master, he was carrying on war with the Amalekites.\n(4) In this campaign God's care of Joshua was plainly seen. Joshua had\ncondemned a portion of the Amalekites to death by lot, and the heavenly\nsword picked them out for extermination. (5) Yet there was as great a\ndifference between Moses and Joshua as between the sun and the moon.\n(6) God did not withdraw His help from Joshua, but He was by no means\nso close to him as to Moses. This appeared immediately after Moses had\npassed away. At the moment when the Israelitish leader was setting out\non his journey to the great beyond, he summoned his successor and bade\nhim put questions upon all points about which he felt uncertain.\nConscious of his own industry and devotion, Joshua replied that he had\nno questions to ask, seeing that he had carefully studied the teachings\nof Moses. Straightway he forgot three hundred Halakot, and doubts\nassailed him concerning seven hundred others. The people threatened\nJoshua's life, because he was not able to resolve their difficulties in\nthe law. It was vain to turn to God, for the Torah once revealed was\nsubject to human, not to heavenly, authority. (7) Directly after Moses'\ndeath, God commanded Joshua to go to war, so that the people might\nforget its grievance against him. (8) But it is false to think that the\ngreat conqueror was nothing more than a military hero. When God\nappeared to him, to give him instructions concerning the war, He found\nhim with the Book of Deuteronomy in his hand, whereupon God called to\nhim: \"Be strong and of good courage; the book of the law shall not\ndepart out of thy mouth.\" (9)\n\nENTERING THE PROMISED LAND\n\nThe first step in preparation for war was the selection of spies. To\nguard against a repetition of what had happened to Moses, Joshua chose\nas his messengers Caleb and Phinehas, on whom he could place dependence\nin all circumstances. (10) They were accompanied on their mission by\ntwo demons, the husbands of the she-devils Lilith and Mahlah. When\nJoshua was planning his campaign, these devils offered their services\nto him; they proposed that they be sent out to reconnoitre the land.\nJoshua refused the offer, but formed their appearance so frightfully\nthat the residents of Jericho were struck with fear of them. (11) In\nJericho the spies put up with Rahab. She had been leading an immoral\nlife for forty years, but at the approach of Israel, she paid homage to\nthe true God, lived the life of a pious convert, and, as the wife of\nJoshua, became the ancestress of eight prophets and of the prophetess\nHuldah. (12) She had opportunity in her own house of beholding the\nwonders of God. When the king's bailiffs came to make their\ninvestigations, and Rahab wanted to conceal the Israelitish spies,\nPhinehas calmed her with the words: \"I am a priest, and priests are\nlike angels, visible when they wish to be seen, invisible when they do\nnot wish to be seen.\" (13)\n\nAfter the return of the spies, Joshua decided to pass over the Jordan.\nThe crossing of the river was the occasion for wonders, the purpose of\nwhich was to clothe him with authority in the eyes of the people.\nScarcely had the priests, who at this solemn moment took the place of\nthe Levites as bearers of the Ark, set foot in the Jordan, when the\nwaters of the river were piled up to a height of three hundred miles.\nAll the peoples of the earth were witnesses of the wonder. (14) In the\nbed of the Jordan Joshua assembled the people around the Ark. A Divine\nmiracle caused the narrow space between its staves to contain the whole\nconcourse. Joshua then proclaimed the conditions under which God would\ngive Palestine to the Israelites, and he added, if these conditions\nwere not accepted, the waters of the Jordan would descend straight upon\nthem. Then they marched through the river. When the people arrived on\nthe further shore, the holy Ark, which had all the while been standing\nin the bed of the river, set forward of itself, and, dragging the\npriests after it, overtook the people.\n\nThe day continued eventful. Unassailed, the Israelites marched seventy\nmiles to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and there performed the ceremony\nbidden by Moses in Deuteronomy: six of the tribes ascended Mount\nGerizim, and six Mount Ebal. The priests and the Levites grouped\nthemselves about the holy Ark in the vale between the two peaks. With\ntheir faces turned toward Gerizim, the Levites uttered the words:\n\"Happy the man that maketh no idol, an abomination unto the Lord,\" and\nall the people answered Amen. After reciting twelve blessings similar\nto this in form, the Levites turned to Mount Ebal, and recited twelve\ncurses, counterparts of the blessings, to each of which the people\nresponded again with Amen. Thereupon an altar was erected on Mount Ebal\nwith the stones, each weighing forty seim, which the Israelites had\ntaken from the bed of the river while passing through the Jordan. The\naltar was plastered with lime, and the Torah written upon it in seventy\nlanguages, so that the heathen nations might have the opportunity of\nlearning the law. At the end it was said explicitly that the heathen\noutside of Palestine, if they would but abandon the worship of idols,\nwould be received kindly by the Jews.\n\nAll this happened on one day, on the same day on which the Jordan was\ncrossed, and the assembly was held on Gerizim and Ebal,   the day on\nwhich the people arrived at Gilgal, where they left the stones of which\nthe altar had been built. (15) At Gilgal Joshua performed the rite of\ncircumcision on those born in the desert, who had remained\nuncircumcised on account of the rough climate and for other reasons.\n(16) And here it was that the manna gave out. It had ceased to fall at\nthe death of Moses, but the supply that had been stored up had lasted\nsome time longer. (17) As soon as the people were under the necessity\nof providing for their daily wants, they grew negligent in the study of\nthe Torah. Therefore the angel admonished Joshua to loose his shoes\nfrom off his feet, for he was to mourn over the decline of the study of\nthe Torah, (18) and bare feet are a sign of mourning. The angel\nreproached Joshua in particular with having allowed the preparations\nfor war to interfere with the study of the Torah and with the ritual\nservice. Neglect of the latter might be a venial sin, but neglect of\nthe former is worthy of condign punishment. (19) At the same time the\nangel assured Joshua that he had come to aid him, and he entreated\nJoshua not to draw back from him, like Moses, who had refused the good\noffices of the angel. (20) He who spoke to Joshua was none other than\nthe archangel Michael. (21)\n\nCONQUEST OF THE LAND\n\nJoshua's first victory was the wonderful capture of Jericho. The whole\nof the city was declared anathema, because it had been conquered on the\nSabbath day. Joshua reasoned that as the Sabbath is holy, so also that\nwhich conquered on the Sabbath should be holy. (22) The brilliant\nvictory was followed by the luckless defeat at Ai. In this engagement\nperished Jair, the son of Manasseh, whose loss was as great as if the\nmajority of the Sanhedrin had been destroyed. (23) Presently Joshua\ndiscovered that the cause of the defeat was the sinfulness of Israel,\nbrought upon it by Achan, who had laid hands on some of the spoils of\nJericho. Achan was a hardened transgressor and criminal from of old.\nDuring the life of Moses he had several times appropriated to his own\nuse things that had been declared anathema, (24) and he had committed\nother crimes worthy of the death penalty. (25) Before the Israelites\ncrossed the Jordan, God had not visited Achan's sins upon the people as\na whole, because at that time it did not form a national unit yet. But\nwhen Achan abstracted an idol and all its appurtenances from Jericho,\n(26) the misfortune of Ai followed at once.\n\nJoshua inquired of God, why trouble had befallen Israel, but God\nrefused to reply. He was no tale-bearer; the evil-doer who had caused\nthe disaster would have to be singled out by lot. (27) Joshua first of\nall summoned the high priest from the assembly of the people. It\nappeared that, while the other jewels in his breastplate gleamed\nbright, the stone representing the tribe of Judah was dim. (28) By lot\nAchan was set apart from the members of his tribe. Achan, however,\nrefused to submit to the decision by lot. He said to Joshua: \"Among all\nliving men thou and Phinehas are the most pious. Yet, if lots were cast\nconcerning you two, one or other of you would be declared guilty. Thy\nteacher Moses has been dead scarcely one month, and thou has already\nbegun to go astray, for thou hast forgotten that a man's guilt can be\nproved only through two witnesses.\"\n\nEndued with the holy spirit, Joshua divined that the land was to be\nassigned to the tribes and families of Israel by lot, and he realized\nthat nothing ought to be done to bring this method of deciding into\ndisrepute. He, therefore, tried to persuade Achan to make a clean\nbreast of his transgression. (29) Meantime, the Judeans, the tribesmen\nof Achan, rallied about him, and throwing themselves upon the other\ntribes, they wrought fearful havoc and bloodshed. This determined Achan\nto confess his sins. (30) The confession cost him his life, but it\nsaved him from losing his share in the world to come. (31)\n\nIn spite of the reverses at Ai, (32) the terror inspired by the\nIsraelites grew among the Canaanitish peoples. The Gibeonites planned\nto circumvent the invaders, and form an alliance with them. Now, before\nJoshua set out on his campaign, he had issued three proclamations: the\nnation that would leave Canaan might depart unhindered; the nation that\nwould conclude peace with the Israelites, should do it at once; and the\nnation that would choose war, should make its preparations. If the\nGibeonites had sued for the friendship of the Jews when the\nproclamation came to their ears, there would have been no need for\nsubterfuges later. But the Canaanites had to see with their own eyes\nwhat manner of enemy awaited them, and all the nations prepared for\nwar. The result was that the thirty-one kings of Palestine perished, as\nwell as the satraps of many foreign kings, who were proud to own\npossessions in the Holy Land. (33) Only the Girgashites departed out of\nPalestine, and as a reward for their docility God gave them Africa as\nan inheritance. (34)\n\nThe Gibeonites deserved no better fate than all the rest, for the\ncovenant made with them rested upon a misapprehension, yet Joshua kept\nhis promise to them, in order to sanctify the name of God, by showing\nthe world how sacred an oath is to the Israelites. (35) In the course\nof events it became obvious that the Gibeonites were by no means worthy\nof being received into the Jewish communion, and David, following\nJoshua's example, excluded them forever, a sentence that will remain in\nforce even in the Messianic time. (36)\n\nTHE SUN OBEYS JOSHUA\n\nThe task of protecting the Gibeonites involved in the offensive and\ndefensive alliance made with them, Joshua fulfilled scrupulously. He\nhad hesitated for a moment whether to aid the Gibeonites in their\ndistress, but the words of God sufficed to recall him to his duty. God\nsaid to him: \"If thou dost not bring near them that are far off, thou\nwilt remove them that are near by.\" (37) God granted Joshua peculiar\nfavor in his conflict with the assailants of the Gibeonites. The hot\nhailstones which, at Moses' intercession, had remained suspended in the\nair when they were about to fall upon the Egyptians, were now cast down\nupon the Canaanites. (38) Then happened the great wonder of the sun's\nstanding still, the sixth (39) of the great wonders since the creation\nof the world.\n\nThe battle took place on a Friday. Joshua knew it would pain the people\ndeeply to be compelled to desecrate the holy Sabbath day. Besides, he\nnoticed that the heathen were using sorcery to make the heavenly hosts\nintercede for them in the fight against the Israelites. He, therefore,\npronounced the Name of the Lord, and the sun, moon and stars stood\nstill. (40) The sun at first refused to obey Joshua's behest, seeing\nthat he was older than man by two days. Joshua replied that there was\nno reason why a free-born youth should refrain from enjoining silence\nupon an old slave whom he owns, and had not God given heaven and earth\nto our father Abraham? (41) Nay, more than this, had not the sun\nhimself bowed down like a slave before Joseph? \"But,\" said the sun,\n\"who will praise God if I am silent?\" (42) Whereupon Joshua: \"Be thou\nsilent, and I will intone a song of praise.\" (43) And he sang thus:\n\n1. Thou hast done mighty things, O Lord, Thou has performed great\ndeeds. Who is like unto Thee? My lips shall sing unto Thy name.\n\n2. My goodness and my fortress, my refuge, I will sing a new song unto\nThee, with thanksgiving I will sing unto Thee, Thou art the strength of\nmy salvation.\n\n3. All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, the princes of the\nworld shall sing unto Thee, the children of Israel shall rejoice in Thy\nsalvation, they shall sing and praise Thy power.\n\n4. In Thee, O God, did we trust; we said, Thou art our God, for Thou\nwast our shelter and our strong tower against our enemies.\n\n5. To Thee we cried, and we were not ashamed; in Thee we trusted, and\nwe were delivered; when we cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear our voice,\nThou didst deliver our souls from the sword.\n\n6. Thou hast shown unto us Thy mercy, Thou didst give unto us Thy\nsalvation, Thou didst rejoice our hearts with Thy strength.\n\n7. Thou wentest forth for our salvation; with the strength of Thy arm\nThou didst redeem Thy people; Thou did console us from the heavens of\nThy holiness, Thou didst save us from tens of thousands.\n\n8. Sun and moon stood still in heaven, and Thou didst stand in Thy\nwrath against our oppressors, and Thou didst execute Thy judgements\nupon them.\n\n9. All the princes of the earth stood up, the kings of the nations had\ngathered themselves together, they were not moved at Thy presence, they\ndesired Thy battles.\n\n10. Thou didst rise against them in Thine anger, and Thou didst bring\ndown Thy wrath upon them, Thou didst destroy them in Thy fury, and Thou\ndidst ruin them in Thy rage.\n\n11. Nations raged from fear of Thee, kingdoms tottered because of Thy\nwrath, Thou didst wound kings in the day of Thine anger.\n\n12. Thou didst pour out Thy fury upon them, Thy wrathful anger took\nhold of them, Thou didst turn their iniquity upon them, and Thou didst\ncut them off in their wickedness.\n\n13. They spread a trap, they fell therein, in the net they hid their\nfoot was caught.\n\n14. Thine hand found all Thine enemies, who said, through their sword\nthey possessed the land, through their arm thy dwelt in the city.\n\n15. Thou didst fill their faces with shame, Thou didst bring their\nhorns down to the ground.\n\n16. Thou didst terrify them in Thy wrath, and thou didst destroy them\nfrom before Thee.\n\n17. The earth quaked and trembled from the noise of Thy thunder against\nthem; Thou didst not withhold their souls from earth, and Thou didst\nbring down their lives to the grave.\n\n18. Thou didst pursue them in Thy storm, Thou didst consume them in the\nwhirlwind, Thou didst turn their rain into hail, they fell in floods,\nso that they could not rise.\n\n19. Their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the\nstreets.\n\n20. They were consumed, and they perished before Thee, Thou hast\ndelivered Thy people in Thy might.\n\n21. Therefore our hearts rejoice in Thee, our souls exult in Thy\nsalvation.\n\n22. Our tongues shall relate Thy might, we will sing and praise Thy\nwondrous works.\n\n23. For Thou didst save us from our enemies, Thou didst deliver us from\nthose who rose up against us, Thou didst destroy them from before us,\nand depress them beneath our feet.\n\n24. Thus shall all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, and the wicked shall\nbe like chaff driven by the wind, and Thy beloved shall be like trees\nplanted by the waters. (44)\n\nWAR WITH THE ARMENIANS\n\nJoshua's victorious course did not end with the conquest of the land.\nHis war with the Armenians, after Palestine was subdued, marked the\nclimax of his heroic deeds. Among the thirty-one kings whom Joshua had\nslain, there was one whose son, Shobach by name, was king of Armenia.\nWith the purpose of waging war with Joshua, he united the forty-five\nkings of Persia and Media, and they were joined by the renowned hero\nJapheth. The allied kings in a letter informed Joshua of their design\nagainst him as follow: \"The noble, distinguished council of the kings\nof Persia and Media to Joshua, peace! Thou wolf of the desert, we well\nknow what thou didst to our kinsmen. Thou didst destroy our palaces;\nwithout pity thou didst slay young and old; our fathers thou didst mow\ndown with the sword; and their cities thou didst turn into desert.\nKnow, then, that in the space of thirty days, we shall come to thee,\nwe, the forty-five kings, each having sixty thousand warriors under\nhim, all them armed with bows and arrows, girt about with swords, all\nof us skilled in the ways of war, and with us the hero Japheth. Prepare\nnow for the combat, and say not afterward that we took thee at\nunawares.\"\n\nThe messenger bearing the letter arrived on the day before the Feast of\nWeeks. Although Joshua was greatly wrought up by the contents of the\nletter, he kept his counsel until after the feast, in order not to\ndisturb the rejoicing of the people. Then, at the conclusion of the\nfeast, he told the people of the message that had reached him, so\nterrifying that even he, the veteran warrior, trembled at the heralded\napproach of the enemy. Nevertheless Joshua determined to accept the\nchallenge. From the first words his reply was framed to show the\nheathen how little their fear possessed him whose trust was set in God.\nThe introduction to his epistle reads as follows: \"In the Name of the\nLord, the God of Israel, who saps the strength of the iniquitous\nwarrior, and slays the rebellious sinner. He breaks up the assemblies\nof marauding transgressors, and He gathers together in council the\npious and the just scattered abroad, He the God of all gods, the Lord\nof all lords, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is the Lord of\nwar! From me, Joshua, the servant of God, and from the holy and chosen\ncongregation to the impious nations, who pay worship to images, and\nprostrate themselves before idols: No peace unto you, saith my God!\nKnow that ye acted foolishly to awaken the slumbering lion, to rouse up\nthe lion's whelp, to excite his wrath. I am ready to pay you your\nrecompense. Be ye prepared to meet me, for within a week I shall be\nwith you to slay your warriors to a man.\"\n\nJoshua goes on to recite all the wonders God had done for Israel, who\nneed fear no power on earth; and he ends his missive with the words:\n\"If the hero Japheth is with you, we have in the midst of us the Hero\nof heroes, the Highest above all the high.\"\n\nThe heathen were not a little alarmed at the tone of Joshua's letter.\nTheir terror grew when the messenger told of the exemplary discipline\nmaintained in the Isrealitish army, of the gigantic stature of Joshua,\nwho stood five ells high, of his royal apparel, of his crown graven\nwith the Name of God. At the end of seven days Joshua appeared with\ntwelve thousand troops. When the mother of King Shobach, who was a\npowerful witch, espied the host, she exercised her magic art, and\nenclosed the Isrealitish army in seven walls. Joshua thereupon sent\nforth a carrier pigeon to communicate his plight to Nabiah, the king of\nthe trans-Jordanic tribes. He urged him to hasten to his help and bring\nthe priest Phinehas and the sacred trumpets with him. Nabiah did not\ntarry. Before the relief detachment arrived, his mother reported to\nShobach that she beheld a star arise out of the East against which her\nmachinations were vain. Shobach threw his mother from the wall, and he\nhimself was soon afterward killed by Nabiah. Meantime Phinehas arrived,\nand, at the sound of his trumpets, the wall toppled down. A pitched\nbattle ensued, and the heathen were annihilated. (45)\n\nALLOTMENT OF THE LAND\n\nAt the end of seven years of warfare, (46) Joshua could at last venture\nto parcel out the conquered land among the tribes. This was the way he\ndid it. The high priest Eleazar, attended by Joshua and all the people,\nand arrayed in the Urim and Thummim, stood before two urns. One of the\nurns contained the names of the tribes, the other the names of the\ndistricts into which the land was divided. The holy spirit caused him\nto exclaims \"Zebulon.\" When he put his hand into the first urn, lo, he\ndrew forth the word Zebulon, and from the other came the word Accho,\nmeaning the district of Accho. Thus it happened with each tribe in\nsuccession. (47) In order that the boundaries might remain fixed,\nJoshua had had the Hazubah (48) planted between the districts. The\nrootstock of this plant once established in a spot, it can be\nextirpated only with the greatest difficulty. The plough may draw deep\nfurrows over it, yet it puts forth new shoots, and grows up again amid\nthe grain, still marking the old division lines. (49)\n\nIn connection with the allotment of the land Joshua issued ten\nordinances intended, in a measure, to restrict the rights in private\nproperty: Pasturage in the woods was to be free to the public at large.\nAny one was permitted to gather up bits of wood in the field. The same\npermission to gather up all grasses, wherever they might grow, unless\nthey were in a field that had been sown with fenugreek, which needs\ngrass for protection. For grafting purposes twigs could be cut from any\nplant except the olive-trees. Water springs belonged to the whole town.\nIt was lawful for any one to catch fish in the Sea of Tiberias,\nprovided navigation was not impeded. The area adjacent to the outer\nside of a fence about a field might be used by any passer-by to ease\nnature. From the close of the harvest until the seventeenth day of\nMarheshwan fields could be crossed. A traveler who lost his way among\nvineyards could not be held responsible for the damage done in the\neffort to recover the right path. A dead body found in a field was to\nbe buried on the spot where it was found. (50)\n\nThe allotment of the land to the tribes and subdividing each district\namong the tribesmen took as much time as the conquest of the land. (51)\n\nWhen the two tribes and a half from the land beyond Jordan returned\nhome after an absence of fourteen years, they were not a little\nastonished to hear that the boys who had been too young to go to the\nwars with them had in the meantime shown themselves worthy of the\nfathers. They had been successful in repulsing the Ishmaelitish tribes\nwho had taken advantage of the absence of the men capable of bearing\narms to assault their wives and children. (52)\n\nAfter a leadership of twenty-eight years (53), marked with success (54)\nin war and in peace, Joshua departed this life. His followers laid the\nknives he had used in circumcising the Israelites (55) into his grave,\nand over it they erected a pillar as a memorial of the great wonder of\nthe sun's standing still over Ajalon. (56) However, the mourning for\nJoshua was not so great as might justly have been expected. The\ncultivation of the recently conquered land so occupied the attention of\nthe tribes that they came nigh forgetting the man to whom chiefly they\nowed their possession of it. As a punishment for their ingratitude,\nGod, soon after Joshua's death, brought also the life of the high\npriest Eleazar and of the other elders to a close, and the mount on\nwhich Joshua's body was interred began to tremble, and threatened to\nengulf the Jews. (57)\n\n\n\n\nII.\nTHE JUDGES\n\nTHE FIRST JUDGE\n\nAfter the death of Joshua the Israelites inquired to God whether they\nwere to go up against the Canaanites in war. They were given the\nanswer: \"If ye are pure of heart, go forth unto the combat; but if your\nhearts are sullied with sin, then refrain.\" They inquired furthermore\nhow to test the heart of the people. God ordered them to cast lots and\nset apart those designated by lot, for they would be the sinful among\nthem. Again, when the people besought God to give it a guide and\nleader, an angel answered: \"Cast lots in the tribe of Caleb.\" The lot\ndesignated Kenaz, and he was made prince over Israel. (1)\n\nHis first act was to determine by lot who were the sinners in Israel,\nand what their inward thought. He declared before the people: \"If I and\nmy house be set apart by lot, deal with us as we deserve, burn us with\nfire.\" The people assenting, lots were cast, and 345 of the tribe of\nJudah were singled out, 560 of Reuben, 775 of Simon, 150 of Levi, 665\nof Issachar, 545 of Zebulon, 380 of Gad, and 665 of Asher, 480 of\nManasseh, 448 of Ephraim, and 267 of Benhamin. (2) So 6110 (3) persons\nwere confined in prison, until God should let it be know what was to be\ndone with them. The united prayers of Kenaz, Eleazar the high priest,\nand the elders of the congregation, were answered thus: \"Ask these men\nnow to confess their iniquity, and they shall be burnt with fire.\"\nKenaz thereupon exhorted them: \"Ye know that Achan, the son of Zabdi,\ncommitted the trespass of taking the anathema, but the lot fell upon\nhim, and he confessed his sin. Do ye likewise confess your sins, that\nye may come to life with those whom God will revive on the day of the\nresurrection.\" (4)\n\nOne of the sinful, a man by the name of Elah, (5) said in reply\nthereto: \"If thou desirest to bring forth the truth, address thyself to\neach of the tribes separately.\" (6) Kenaz began with his own, the tribe\nof Judah. The wicked of Judah confessed to the sin of worshipping the\ngolden calf, like unto their forefathers in the desert. The Reubenites\nhad burnt sacrifices to idols. The Levites said: \"We desired to prove\nwhether the Tabernacle is holy.\" Those of the tribe of Issachar\nreplied: \"We consulted idols to know what will become of us.\" (7) The\nsinners of Zebulon: \"We desired to eat the flesh of our sons and\ndaughters, to know whether the Lord loves them.\" The Danites admitted,\nthey had taught their children out of the books of the Amorites, which\nthey had hidden then under Mount Abarim, (8) where Kenaz actually found\nthem. The Naphtalites confessed to the same transgression, only they\nhad concealed the books in the tent of Elah, and there they were found\nby Kenaz. The Gadites acknowledged having led an immoral life, and the\nsinners of Asher, that they had found, and had hidden under Mount\nShechem, the seven golden idols called by the Amorites the holy nymphs \n the same seven idols which had been made in a miraculous way after the\ndeluge by the seven sinners, Canaan, Put, Shelah, Nimrod, Elath, Diul,\nand Shuah. (9) They were of precious stones from Havilah, which\nradiated light, making night bright as day. Besides, they possessed a\nrare virtue: if a blind Amorite kissed one of the idols, and at the\nsame time touched its eyes, his sight was restored. (10) After the\nsinners of Asher, those of Manasseh made their confession   they had\ndesecrated the Sabbath. The Ephraimites owned to having sacrificed\ntheir children to Moloch. Finally, the Benjamites said: \"We desired to\nprove whether the law emanated from God or from Moses.\"\n\nAt the command of God these sinners and all their possessions were\nburnt with fire at the brook of Pishon. Only the Amorite books and the\nidols of precious stones remained unscathed. Neither fire nor water\ncould do them harm. Kenaz decided to consecrate the idols to God, but a\nrevelation came to him, saying: \"If God were to accept what has been\ndeclared anathema, why should not man?\" He was assured that God would\ndestroy the things over which human hands had no power. Kenaz, acting\nunder Divine instruction, bore them to the summit of a mountain, where\nan altar was erected. The books and the idols were placed upon it, and\nthe people offered many sacrifices and celebrated the whole day as a\nfestival. During the night following, Kenaz saw dew rise from the ice\nin Paradise and descend upon the books. The letters of their writing\nwere obliterated by it, and then an angel came and annihilated what was\nleft. (11) During the same night an angel carried off the seven gems,\nand threw them to the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile a second angel\nbrought twelve other gems, engraving the names of the twelve sons of\nJacob upon them, one name upon each. No two of these gems were alike:\n(12) the first, to bear the name of Reuben, was like sardius; the\nsecond, for Simon, like topaz; the third, Levi, like emerald; the\nfourth, Judah, like carbuncle; the fifth, Issachar, like sapphire; the\nsixth, Zebulon, like jasper; the seventh, Dan, like ligure; the eighth,\nNaphtali, like amethyst; the ninth, Gad, like agate; the tenth, Asher,\nlike chrysolite; the eleventh, Joseph, like beryl; and the twelfth,\nBenjamin, like onyx.\n\nNow God commanded Kenaz to deposit twelve stones in the holy Ark, and\nthere they were to remain until such time as Solomon should build the\nTemple, and attach them to the Cherubim. (13) Furthermore, this Divine\ncommunication was made to Kenaz: \"And it shall come to pass, when the\nsin of the children of men shall have been completed by defiling My\nTemple, the Temple they themselves shall build, that I will take these\nstones, together with the tables of the law, and put them in the place\nwhence they were removed of old, and there they shall remain until the\nend of all time, when I will visit the inhabitants of the earth. Then I\nwill take them up, and they shall be an everlasting light to those who\nlove me and keep my commandments.\" (14)\n\nWhen Kenaz bore the stones to the sanctuary, they illumined the earth\nlike unto the sun at midday.\n\nCAMPAIGNS OF KENAZ\n\nAfter these preparations Kenaz took the field against the enemy, with\nthree hundred thousand men. (15) The first day he slew eight thousand\nof the foe, and the second day five thousand. But not all the people\nwere devoted to Kenaz. Some murmured against him, and calumniating him,\nsaid: \"Kenaz stays at home, while we expose ourselves on the field.\"\nThe servants of Kenaz reported these words to him. He ordered the\nthirty-seven (16) men who had railed against him to be incarcerated,\nand he swore to kill them, if God would but grant him assistance for\nthe sake of His people.\n\nThereupon he assembled three hundred men of his attendants, supplied\nthem with horses, and bade them be prepared to make a sudden attack\nduring the night, but to tell none of the plans he harbored in his\nmind. The scouts sent ahead to reconnoitre reported that the Amorites\nwere too powerful for him to risk an engagement. Kenaz, however,\nrefused to be turned away from his intention. At midnight he and his\nthree hundred trusty attendants advanced upon the Amorite camp. Close\nupon it, he commanded his men to halt, but to resume their march and\nfollow him when they should hear the notes of the trumpet. If the\ntrumpet was not sounded, they were to return home.\n\nAlone Kenaz ventured into the very camp of the enemy. Praying to God\nfervently, he asked that a sign be given him: \"Let this be the sign of\nthe salvation Thou wilt accomplish for me this day: I shall draw my\nsword from its sheath, and brandish it so that it glitters in the camp\nof the Amorites. If the enemy recognize it as the sword of Kenaz, then\nI shall know Thou wilt deliver them into my hand; if not, I shall\nunderstand Thou hast not granted my prayer, but dost purpose to deliver\nme into the hand of the enemy for my sins.\"\n\nHe heard the Amorites say: \"Let us proceed to give battle to the\nIsraelites, for our sacred gods, the nymphs, are in their hands, and\nwill cause their defeat.\" When he heard these words, the spirit of God\ncame over Kenaz. He arose and swung his sword above his head. Scarce\nhad the Amorites seen it gleam in the air when they exclaimed: \"Verily,\nthis is the sword of Kenaz, who has come to inflict wounds and pain.\nBut we know that our gods, who are held by the Israelites, will deliver\nthem into our hands. Up, then, to battle!\" Knowing that God had heard\nhis petition, Kenaz threw himself upon the Amorites, and mowed down\nforty-five thousand of them, and as many perished at the hands of their\nown brethren, for God had sent the angel Gabriel (17) to his aid, and\nhe had struck the Amorites blind, so that they fell upon one another.\nOn account of the vigorous blows dealt by Kenaz on all sides, his sword\nstuck to his hand. A fleeing Amorite, whom he stopped, to ask him how\nto loose it, advised him to slay a Hebrew, and let his warm blood flow\nover his hand. Kenaz accepted his advice, but only in part: instead of\na Hebrew, he slew the Amorite himself, and his blood freed his hand\nfrom the sword. (18)\n\nWhen Kenaz came back to his men, he found them sunk in profound sleep,\nwhich had overtaken them that they might not see the wonders done for\ntheir leader. They were not a little astonished, on awakening, to\nbehold the whole plain strewn with the dead bodies of the Amorites.\nThen Kenaz said to them: \"Are the ways of God like unto the ways of\nman? Through me the Lord hath sent deliverance to this people. Arise\nnow and go back to your tents.\" The people recognized that a great\nmiracle had happened, and they said: \"Now we know that God hath wrought\nsalvation for His people; He hath no need of numbers, but only of\nholiness.\"\n\nOn his return from the campaign, Kenaz was received with great\nrejoicing. The whole people now gave thanks to God for having put him\nover them as their leader. They desired to know how he had won the\ngreat victory. Kenaz only answered: \"Ask those who were with me about\nmy deeds.\" His men were thus forced to confess that they knew nothing,\nonly, on awakening, they had seen the plain full of dead bodies,\nwithout being able to account for their being there. Then Kenaz turned\nto the thirty-seven men imprisoned, before he left for the war, for\nhaving cast aspersions upon him. \"Well,\" he said, \"what charge have you\nto make against me?\" Seeing that death was inevitable, they confessed\nthey were of the sort of sinners whom Kenaz and the people had\nexecuted, and God had now surrendered them to him on account of their\nmisdeeds. They, too, were burnt with fire.\n\nKenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years. When he felt his end\ndraw nigh, he summoned the two prophets, Phinehas and Jabez, (19)\ntogether with the priest Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. To these he\nspake: \"I know the heart of this people, it will turn from following\nafter the Lord. Therefore do I testify against it.\" Phinehas, the son\nof Eleazar, replied: \"As Moses and Joshua testified, so do I testify\nagainst it; for Moses and Joshua prophesied concerning the vineyard,\nthe beautiful planting of the Lord, which knew not who had planted it,\nand did not recognize Him who cultivated it, so that the vineyard was\ndestroyed, and brought forth no fruit. These are the words my father\ncommanded me to say unto this people.\"\n\nKenaz broke out into loud wailing, and with him the elders and the\npeople, and they wept until eventide, saying: \"Is it for the iniquity\nof the sheep that the shepherd must perish? May the Lord have\ncompassion upon His inheritance that it may not work in vain.\"\n\nThe spirit of God descended upon Kenaz, and he beheld a vision. He\nprophesied that this world would continue to exist only seven thousand\nyears, to be followed then by the Kingdom of Heaven. These words\nspoken, the prophetical spirit departed from him, and he straightway\nforgot what he had uttered during his vision. Before he passed away, he\nspoke once more, saying: \"If such be the rest which the righteous\nobtain after their death, it were better for them to die than live in\nthis corrupt world and see its iniquities.\" (20)\n\nAs Kenaz left no male heirs, Zebul was appointed his successor. Mindful\nof the great service Kenaz had performed for the nation, Zebul acted a\nfather's part toward the three unmarried daughters of his predecessor.\nAt his instance, the people assigned a rich marriage portion to each of\nthem; they were given great domains as their property. The oldest of\nthe three, Ethema by name, he married to Elizaphan; the second, Pheila,\nto Odihel; and the youngest, Zilpah, to Doel.\n\nZebul, the judge, instituted a treasury at Shiloh. He bade the people\nbring contributions, whether of gold or of silver. They were only to\ntake heed not to carry anything thither that had originally belonged to\nan idol. His efforts were crowned with success. The free-will offerings\nto the temple treasure amounted to twenty talents of gold and two\nhundred and fifty talents of silver.\n\nZebul's reign lasted twenty-five years. Before his death he admonished\nthe people solemnly to be God-fearing and observant of the law. (21)\n\nOTHNIEL\n\nOthniel was a judge of a very different type. His contemporaries said,\nthat before the sun of Joshua went down, the sun of Othniel, his\nsuccessor in the leadership of the people , appeared on the horizon.\nThe new leader's real name was Judah; Othniel was one of his epithets,\nas Jabez was another. (22)\n\nAmong the judges, Othniel represents the class of scholars. His acumen\nwas so great that he was able, by dint of dialect reasoning, to restore\nthe seventeen hundred traditions (23) which Moses had taught the\npeople, and which had been forgotten in the time of mourning for Moses.\nNor was his zeal for the promotion of the study of the Torah inferior\nto his learning. The descendants of Jethro left Jericho, the district\nassigned to them, and journeyed to Arad, only that thy might sit at the\nfeed to Othniel. (24) His wife, the daughter of his half-brother Caleb,\nwas not so well pleased with him. She complained to her father that her\nhusband's house was bare of all earthly goods, and his only possession\nwas knowledge of the Torah. (25)\n\nThe first event to be noted in Othniel's forty years' reign (26) is his\nvictory over Adoni-bezek. This chief did not occupy a prominent\nposition among the Canaanitish rulers. He was not even accounted a\nking, nevertheless he had conquered seventy foreign kings. (27) The\nnext event was the capture of Luz by the Israelites. The only way to\ngain entrance into Luz was by a cave, and the road to the cave lay\nthrough a hollow almond tree. If the secret approach to the city had\nnot been betrayed by one of its residents, it would have been\nimpossible for the Israelites to reach it. God rewarded the informer\nwho put the Israelites in the way of capturing Luz. The city he founded\nwas left unmolested both by Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, and not\nevent the Angel of Death has power over its inhabitants. They never\ndie, unless, weary of life, they leave the city. (28)\n\nThe same good fortune did not mark Othniel's reign throughout. For\neight years Israel suffered oppression at the hands of Cushan, the\nevil-doer who in former days had threatened to destroy the patriarch\nJacob, as he was now endeavoring to destroy the descendants of Jacob,\nfor Cushan is only another name for Laban. (29)\n\nOthniel, however, was held so little answerable for the causes that had\nbrought on the punishment of the people, that God granted him eternal\nlife; he is one of the few who reached Paradise alive. (30)\n\nBOAZ AND RUTH\n\nThe story of Ruth came to pass a hundred (31) years after Othniel's\nreign. Conditions in Palestine were of such a nature that if a judge\nsaid to a man, \"Remove the mote from thine eye,\" his reply was, \"Do\nthou remove the beam from thine own.\" (32) To chastise the Israelites\nGod sent down them one of the ten seasons of famine which He had\nordained, as disciplinary measures for mankind, from the creation of\nthe world until the advent of Messiah. (33) Elimelech (34) and his\nsons, (35) who belonged to the aristocracy of the land, attempted\nneither to improve (36) the sinful generation whose transgressions had\ncalled forth the famine, nor alleviated the distress that prevailed\nabout them. They left Palestine, and thus withdrew themselves from the\nneedy who had counted upon their help. They turned their faced to Moab.\n(37) There, on account of their wealth and high descent, they were made\nofficers in the army. (38) Mahlon and Chilion, the sons of Elimelech,\nrose to still higher distinction, they married the daughters of the\nMoabite king Eglon (39) But this did not happen until after the death\nof Elimelech, who was opposed to intermarriage with the heathen. (40)\nNeither the wealth nor the family connections of the two men helped\nthem before God. First they sank into poverty, and, as they continued\nin their sinful ways, God took their life. (41)\n\nNaomi, their mother, resolved to return to her home. Her two\ndaughters-in-law were very dear to her on account of the love they had\nborne her sons, a love strong even in death, for they refused to marry\nagain. (42) Yet she would not take them with her to Palestine, because\nshe foresaw contemptuous treatment in store for them as Moabitish\nwomen. (43) Orpah was easily persuaded to remain behind. She\naccompanied her mother-in-law a distance of four miles, and then she\ntook leave of her, shedding only four tears as she bade her farewell.\nSubsequent events showed that she had not been worthy of entering into\nthe Jewish communion, for scarcely had she separated from Naomi when\nshe abandoned herself to an immoral life. But with God nothing goes\nunrewarded. For the four miles which Orpah travelled with Naomi, she\nwas recompensed by bringing forth four giants, Goliath and his three\nbrothers. (44)\n\nRuth's bearing and history were far different. She was determined to\nbecome a Jewess, and her decision could not be shaken by what Naomi, in\ncompliance with the Jewish injunction, told her of the difficulties of\nthe Jewish law. Naomi warned her that the Israelites had been enjoined\nto keep Sabbaths and feast days, (45) and that the daughters of Israel\nwere not in the habit of frequenting the threatres and circuses of the\nheathen. Ruth only affirmed her readiness to follow Jewish customs.\n(46) And when Naomi said: \"We have one Torah, one law, one command; the\nEternal our God is one, there is none beside Him,\" Ruth answered: \"Thy\npeople shall be my people, thy God my God.\" (47) So the two women\njourneyed together to Bethlehem. They arrived there on the very day on\nwhich the wife of Boaz was buried, and the concourse assembled for the\nfuneral saw Naomi as she returned to her home. (48)\n\nRuth supported herself and her mother-in-law sparsely with the ears of\ngrain which she gathered in the fields. Association with so pious a\nwoman as Naomi (49) had already exercised great influence upon her life\nand ways. Boaz was astonished to notice that if the reapers let more\nthan two ears fall, in spite of her need she did not pick them up, for\nthe gleaning assigned to the poor by law does not refer to quantities\nof more than two ears inadvertently dropped at one time. (50) Boaz also\nadmired her grace, her decorous conduct, her modest demeanor. (51) When\nhe learned who she was, he commended her for her attachment to Judaism.\nTo his praise she returned: \"Thy ancestors found no delight even in\nTimna, (52) the daughter of a royal house. As for me, I am a member of\na low people, abominated by thy God, and excluded from the assembly of\nIsrael.\" For the moment Boaz failed to recollect the Halakah bearing on\nthe Moabites and Ammonites. A voice from heaven reminded him that only\ntheir males were affected by the command of exclusion. (53) This he\ntold to Ruth, and he also told her of a vision he had had concerning\nher descendants. For the sake of the good she had done to her\nmother-in-law, kings and prophets would spring from her womb. (54)\n\nBoaz showed kindness not only to Ruth and Naomi, but also to their\ndead. He took upon himself the decent burial of the remains of\nElimelech and his two sons. (55) All this begot in Naomi the thought\nthat Boaz harbored the intention of marrying Ruth. She sought to coax\nthe secret, if such there was, from Ruth. (56) When she found that\nnothing could be elicited from her daughter-in-law, she made Ruth her\npartner in a plan to force Boaz into a decisive step. Ruth adhered to\nNaomi's directions in every particular, except that she did not wash\nand anoint herself and put on fine raiment, until after she had reached\nher destination. She feared to attract the attention of the lustful, if\nshe walked along the road decked out in unusual finery. (57)\n\nThe moral conditions in those days were very reprehensible. Though Boaz\nwas high-born and a man of substance, yet he slept on the\nthreshing-floor, so that his presence might act as a check upon\nprofligacy. In the midst of his sleep, Boaz was startled to find some\none next to him. At first he thought it was a demon. Ruth calmed his\ndisquietude (58) with these words: \"Thou art the head of the court, thy\nancestors were princes, thou art thyself an honorable man, and a\nkinsman of my dead husband. As for me, who am in the flower of my\nyears, since I left the home of my parents where homage is rendered\nunto idols, I have been constantly menaced by the dissolute young men\naround. (59) So I have come hither that thou, who art the redeemer,\nmayest spread out thy skirt over me.\" (60) Boaz gave her the assurance\nthat if his older brother Tob (61) failed her, he would assume the\nduties of a redeemer. The next day he came before the tribunal of the\nSanhedrin (62) to have the matter adjusted. Tob soon made his\nappearance, for an angel led him to the place where he was wanted, (63)\nthat Boaz and Ruth might not have long to wait. Tob, who was not\nlearned in the Torah, did not know that the prohibition against the\nMoabites had reference only to males. Therefore, he declined to marry\nRuth. (64) So she was taken to wife (65) by the octogenarian (66) Boaz.\nRuth herself was forty years old (67) at the time of her second\nmarriage, and it was against all expectations that her union with Boaz\nshould be blessed with offspring, a son Obed the pious. (68) Ruth lived\nto see the glory of Solomon, but Boaz died on the day after the\nwedding. (69)\n\nDEBORAH\n\nNot long after Ruth, another ideal woman arose in Israel, the\nprophetess Deborah.\n\nWhen Ehud died, there was none to take his place as judge, and the\npeople fell off from God and His law. God, therefore, sent an angel to\nthem with the following message: \"Out of all the nations on earth, I\nchose a people for Myself, and I thought, so long as the world stands,\nMy glory will rest upon them. I sent Moses unto them, My servant, to\nteach them goodness and righteousness. But they strayed from My ways.\nAnd now I will arouse their enemies against them, to rule over them,\nand they will cry out: 'Because we forsook the ways of our fathers,\nhath this come over us.' Then I will send a woman unto them, and she\nwill shine for them as a light for forty years.\" (70)\n\nThe enemy whom God raised up against Israel was Jabin, (71) the king of\nHazor, who oppressed him sorely. But worse than the king himself was\nhis general Sisera, one of the greatest heroes know to history. When he\nwas thirty years old, he had conquered the whole world. At the sound of\nhis voice the strongest of walls fell in a heap, and the wild animals\nin the woods were chained to the spot by fear. The proportions of his\nbody were vast beyond description. If he took a bath in the river, and\ndived beneath the surface, enough fish were caught in his beard to feed\na multitude, and it required no less than nine hundred horses to draw\nthe chariot in which he rode. (72)\n\nTo rid Israel of this tyrant, God appointed Deborah and her husband\nBarak. Barak was an ignoramus, like most of his contemporaries. It was\na time singularly deficient to scholars. (73) In order to do something\nmeritorious in connection with the Divine service, he carried candles,\nat his wife's instance, to the sanctuary, wherefrom he was called\nLipidoth, \"Flames.\" Deborah was in the habit of making the wicks on the\ncandles very thick, so that they might burn a long time. Therefore God\ndistinguished her. He said: \"Thou takest pains to shed light in My\nhouse, and I will let thy light, thy flame, shine abroad in the whole\nland.\" Thus it happened that Deborah became a prophetess and a judge.\nShe dispensed judgement in the open air, for it was not becoming that\nmen should visit a woman in her house. (74)\n\nProphetess though she was, she was yet subject to the frailties of her\nsex. Her self-consciousness was inordinate. She sent for Barak (75) to\ncome to her instead of going to him, (76) and in her song she spoke\nmore of herself than was seemly. The result was that the prophetical\nspirit departed from her for a time while she was composing her song.\n(77)\n\nThe salvation of Israel was effected only after the people, assembled\non the Mount of Judah, had confessed their sins publicly before God and\nbesought His help. A seven days' fast was proclaimed for men and women,\nfor young and old. Then God resolved to help the Israelites, not for\ntheir sakes, but for the sake of keeping the oath he had sworn to their\nforefathers, never to abandon their seed. Therefore He sent Deborah\nunto them. (78)\n\nThe task allotted to Deborah and Barak, to lead the attack upon Sisera,\nwas by no means slight. It is comparable with nothing less than\nJoshua's undertaking to conquer Canaan. Joshua had triumphed over only\nthirty-one of the sixty-two kings of Palestine, leaving at large as\nmany as he had subdued. Under the leadership of Sisera these thirty-one\nunconquered kings opposed Israel. (79) No less than forty thousand\narmies, each counting a hundred thousand warriors, were arrayed against\nDeborah and Barak. (80) God aided Israel with water and fire. The river\nKishon and all the fiery hosts of heaven (81) except the star Meros\n(82) fought against Sisera. The Kishon had long before been pledged to\nplay its part in Sisera's overthrow. When the Egyptians were drowned in\nthe Red Sea, God commanded the Angel of the Sea to cast their corpses\non the land, that the Israelites might convince themselves of the\ndestruction of their foes, and those of little faith might not say\nafterward that the Egyptians like the Israelites had reached dry land.\nThe Angel of the Sea complained of the impropriety of withdrawing a\ngift. God mollified him with the promise of future compensation. The\nKishon was offered as security that he would received half as many\nbodies again as he was now giving up. When Sisera's troops sought\nrelief from the scorching fire of the heavenly bodies in the coolness\nof the waters of the Kishon, God commanded the river to redeem its\npledge. And so the heathen were swept down into the Sea by the waves of\nthe river Kishon, whereat the fishes in the Sea exclaimed: \"And the\ntruth of the Lord endureth forever.\" (83)\n\nSisera's lot was no better than the lot of the men. He fled from the\nbattle on horseback (84) after witnessing the annihilation of his vast\narmy. When Jael saw him approach, she went to meet him arrayed in rich\ngarments and jewels. She was unusually beautiful, and her voice was the\nmost seductive ever a woman possessed. (85) These are the words she\naddressed to him: \"Enter and refresh thyself with food, and sleep until\nevening, and then I will send my attendants with thee to accompany\nthee, for I know thou wilt not forget me, and thy recompense will not\nfail.\" When Sisera, on stepping into her tent, saw the bed strewn with\nroses which Jael had prepared for him, he resolved to take her home to\nhis mother as his wife, as soon as his safety should be assured.\n\nHe asked her for milk to drink, saying: \"My soul burns with the flame\nwhich I saw in the stars contending for Israel.\" Jael went forth to\nmilk her goat, meantime supplicating God to grant her His help: \"I pray\nto Thee, O Lord, to strengthen Thy maid-servant against the enemy. By\nthis token shall I know that Thou wilt aid me   if, when I enter the\nhouse, Sisera will awaken and ask for water to drink.\" Scarcely had\nJael crossed the threshold when Sisera awakened and begged for water to\nquench his burning thirst. Jael gave him wine mixed with water, which\ncaused him to drop into a sound sleep again. The woman then took a\nwooden spike in her left hand, approached the sleeping warrior, and\nsaid: \"This shall be the sign that Thou wilt deliver him into my hand  \nif I draw him from the bed down on the ground without awaking him.\" She\ntugged at Sisera, and in very truth he did not awaken even when he\ndropped from the bed to the floor. Then Jael prayed: \"O God, strengthen\nthe arm of Thy maid-servant this day, for Thy sake, for the sake of Thy\npeople, and for the sake of those that hope in Thee.\" With a hammer she\ndrove the spike into the temple of Sisera, who cried out as he was\nexpiring: \"O that I should lose my life by the hand of a woman!\" Jael's\nmocking retort was: \"Descend to hell and join thy fathers, and tell\nthem that thou didst fall by the hand of a woman.\" (86)\n\nBarak took charge of the body of the dead warrior, and he sent it to\nSisera's mother, Themac, (87) with the message: \"Here is thy son, whom\nthou didst expect to see returning laden with booty.\" He had in mind\nthe vision of Themac and her women-in-waiting. When Sisera went forth\nto battle, their conjuring tricks had shown him to them as he lay on\nthe bed of a Jewish woman. This they had interpreted to mean that he\nwould return with Jewish captives. \"One damsel, two damsels for ever\nman.\" (88) they had said. Great, therefore, was the disappointment of\nSisera's mother. No less than a hundred cries did she utter over him.\n(89)\n\nDeborah and Barak thereupon intoned a song of praise, thanking God for\nthe deliverance of Israel out of the power of Sisera, and reviewing the\nhistory of the people since the time of Abraham. (90)\n\nAfter laboring for the weal of her nation for forty years, Deborah\ndeparted this life. Her last words to the weeping people were an\nexhortation not to depend upon the dead. They can do nothing for the\nliving. So long as a man is alive, his prayers are efficacious for\nhimself and for others. They avail naught once he is dead.\n\nThe whole nation kept a seventy days' period of mourning in honor of\nDeborah, and the land was at peace for seven years. (91)\n\nGIDEON\n\nElated by the victory over Sisera, Israel sang a hymn of praise, the\nsong of Deborah, and God, to reward them for their pious sentiments,\npardoned the transgression of the people. (92) But they soon slipped\nback into the old ways, and the old troubles harassed them. Their\nbacksliding was due to the witchcraft of a Midianite priest named Aud.\nHe made the sun shine at midnight, and so convinced the Israelites that\nthe idols of Midian were mightier than God, and God chastised them by\ndelivering them into the hands of the Midianties. (93) They worshipped\ntheir own images reflected in the water, (94) and they were stricken\nwith dire poverty. They could not bring so much as a meal offering, the\noffering of the poor. (95) On the eve of one Passover, Gideon uttered\nthe complaint: \"Where are all the wondrous works which God did for our\nfathers in this night, when he slew the first-born of the Egyptians,\nand Israel went forth from slavery with joyous hearts?\" God appeared\nunto him, and said: \"Thou who art courageous enough to champion Israel,\nthou art worthy that Israel should be saved for thy sake.\" (96)\n\nAn angel appeared, and Gideon begged him for a sign, that he would\nachieve the deliverance of Israel. He excused his petition with the\nprecedent of Moses, the first prophet, who likewise has asked for a\nsign. The angel bade him pour water on the rock, and then gave him the\nchoice of how he would have the water transformed. Gideon desired to\nsee one-half changed into blood, and one-half into fire. Thus it\nhappened. The blood and the fire mingled with each other, yet the blood\ndid not quench the fire, nor did the fire dry out the blood. Encouraged\nby this and other signs, (97) Gideon undertook to carry on the war\nagainst the Midianites with a band of three hundred God-fearing men,\nand he was successful. Of the enemy one hundred and twenty thousand\ncorpses covered the field, and all the rest fled precipitately. (98)\n\nGideon enjoyed the privilege of bringing salvation to Israel because he\nwas a good son. His old father feared to thresh his grain on account of\nthe Midianites, and Gideon once went out to him in the field and said:\n\"Father, thou art too old to do this work; go thou home, and I shall\nfinish thy task for thee. If the Midianites should surprise me out\nhere, I can run away, which thou canst not do, on account of thy age.\"\n(99)\n\nThe day on which Gideon gained his great victory was during the\nPassover, and the cake of barley bread that turned the camp of the\nenemy upside down, of which the Midianite dreamed, was a sign that God\nwould espouse the cause of His people to reward them for bringing a\ncake of barley bread as an 'Omer offering. (100)\n\nAfter God had favored Israel with great help through him, Gideon had an\nephod made. In the high priest's breastplate, Joseph was represented\namong the twelve tribes by Ephraim alone, not by Manasseh, too. To wipe\nout this slight upon his own tribe, Gideon made an ephod bearing the\nname of Manasseh. He consecrated it to God, but after his death homage\nwas paid to it as an idol. (101) In those days the Israelites were so\naddicted to the worship of Beelzebub that they constantly carried small\nimages of this god with them in their pockets, and every now and then\nthey were in the habit of bringing the image forth and kissing it\nfervently. (102) Of such idolaters were the vain and light fellows who\nhelped Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine from Shechem, to\nassassinate the other sons of his father. But God is just. As Abimelech\nmurdered his brothers upon a stone, so Abimelech himself met his death\nthrough a millstone. It was proper, then, that Jotham, in his parable,\nshould compare Abimelech to a thorn-bush, while he characterized his\npredecessors, Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon, as an olive-tree, or a\nfig-tree, or a vine. This Jotham, the youngest of the sons of Gideon,\nwas more than a teller of parables. He knew then that long afterward\nthe Samaritans would claim sanctity for Mount Gerizim, on account of\nthe blessing pronounced from it upon the tribe. For this reason he\nchose Gerizim from which to hurl his curse upon Shechem and it\ninhabitants. (103)\n\nThe successor to Abimelech equalled, if he did not surpass, him in\nwickedness. Jair erected an altar unto Baal, and on penalty of death he\nforced the people to prostrate themselves before it. Only seven men\nremained firm in the true faith, and refused to the last to commit\nidolatry. Their names were Deuel, Abit Yisreel, Jekuthiel, Shalom,\nAshur, Jehonadab, and Shemiel. (104) They said to Jair: \"We are mindful\nof the lessons given us by our teachers and our mother Deborah. 'Take\nye heed,' they said, 'that your heart lead you not astray to the right\nor to the left. Day and night ye shall devote yourselves to the study\nof the Torah.' Why, then, dost thou seek to corrupt the people of the\nLord, saying, 'Baal is God, let us worship him'? If he really is what\nthou sayest, then let him speak like a god, and we will pay him\nworship.\" For the blasphemy they had uttered against Baal, Jair\ncommanded that the seven men be burnt. When his servants were about to\ncarry out his order, God sent the angel Nathaniel, the lord over the\nfire, and he extinguished the fire though not before the servants of\nJair were consumed by it. Not only did the seven men escape the danger\nof suffering death by fire, but the angel enabled them to flee\nunnoticed, by striking all the people present with blindness. Then the\nangel approached Jair, and said to him: \"Hear the words of the Lord ere\nthou diest. I appointed thee as prince over my people, and thou didst\nbreak My covenant, seduce My people, and seek to burn My servants with\nfire, but they were animated and freed by the living, the heavenly\nfire. As for thee, thou wilt die, and die by fire, a fire in which thou\nwilt abide forever.\"\n\nThereupon the angel burnt him with a thousand men, whom he had taken in\nthe act of paying homage to Baal. (105)\n\nJEPHTHAH\n\nThe first judge of any importance after Gideon was Jephthah. He, too,\nfell short of being the ideal Jewish ruler. His father had married a\nwoman of another tribe, an unusual occurrence in a time when a woman\nwho left her tribe was held in contempt.(106) Jephthah, the offspring\nof this union, had to bear the consequences of his mother's irregular\nconduct. So many annoyances were put upon him that he was forced to\nleave his home and settle in a heathen district. (107)\n\nAt first Jephthah refused to accept the rulership which the people\noffered him in an assembly at Mizpah, for he had not forgotten the\nwrongs to which he had been subjected. In the end, however, he yielded,\nand placed himself at the head of the people in the war against Getal,\nthe king of the Ammonites. At his departure, he vowed before God to\nsacrifice to Him whatsoever came forth out of the doors of his house to\nmeet him when he returned a victor from the war.\n\nGod was angry and said: \"So Jephthah has vowed to offer unto me the\nfirst thing that shall meet him! If a dog were the first to meet him,\nwould a dog be sacrificed to me? Now shall the vow of Jephthah be\nvisited on his first-born, on his own offspring, yea, his prayer shall\nbe visited on his only daughter. But I assuredly shall deliver my\npeople, not for Jephthah's sake, but for the sake of the prayers of\nIsrael.\"\n\nThe first to meet him after his successful campaign was his daughter\nSheilah. Overwhelmed by anguish, the father cried out: \"Rightly was the\nname Sheilah, the one who is demanded, given to thee, that thou\nshouldst be offered up as a sacrifice. Who shall set my heart in the\nbalance and my soul as the weight, that I may stand and see whether\nthat which happened to me is joy or sorrow? But because I opened my\nmouth to the Lord, and uttered a vow, I cannot take it back.\" Then\nSheilah spoke, saying: \"Why dost thou grieve for my death, since the\npeople was delivered? Dost thou not remember what happened in the day\nof our forefathers, when the father offered his son as a burnt\noffering, and the son did not refuse, but consented gladly, and the\nofferer and the offered were both full of joy? Therefore, do as thou\nhast spoken. But before I die I will ask a favor of thee. Grant me that\nI may go with my companions upon the mountains, sojourn among the\nhills, and tread upon the rocks to shed my tears and deposit there the\ngrief for my lost youth. The trees of the field shall weep for me, and\nthe beasts of the field mourn for me. I do not grieve for my death, nor\nbecause I have to yield up my life, but because when my father vowed\nhis heedless vow, he did not have me in mind. I fear, therefore, that I\nmay not be an acceptable sacrifice, and that my death shall be for\nnothing.\" Sheilah and her companions went forth and told her case to\nthe sages of the people, but none of them could give her any help. Then\nshe went up to Mount Telag, where the Lord appeared to her at night,\nsaying unto her: \"I have closed the mouth of the sages of my people in\nthis generation, that they cannot answer the daughter of Jephthah a\nword; that my vow be fulfilled and nothing of what I have thought\nremain undone. I know her to be wiser than her father, and all the wise\nmen, and now her soul shall be accepted at her request, and her death\nshall be very precious before My face all the time.\" Sheilah began to\nbewail her fate in these words: \"Hearken, ye mountains, to my\nlamentations, and ye hills, to the tears of my eyes, and ye rocks,\ntestify to the weeping of my soul. My words will go up to heaven, and\nmy tears will be written in the firmament. I have not been granted the\njoy of wedding, nor was the wreath of my betrothal completed. I have\nnot been decked with ornaments, nor have I been scented with myrrh and\nwith aromatic perfumes. I have not been anointed with the oil that was\nprepared for me. Alas, O mother, it was in vain thou didst give birth\nto me, the grave was destined to be my bridal chamber. The oil thou\ndidst prepare for me will be spilled, and the white garments my mother\nsewed for me, the moth will eat them; the bridal wreath my nurse wound\nfor me will wither, and my garments in blue and purple, the worms will\ndestroy them, and my companions will all their days lament over me. And\nnow, ye trees, incline your branches and weep over my youth; ye beasts\nof the forest, come and trample upon my virginity, for my years are cut\noff, and the days of my life grow old in darkness.\" (108)\n\nHer lamentations were of as little avail as her arguments with her\nfather. In vain she sought to prove to him from the Torah that the law\nspeaks only of animal sacrifices, never of human sacrifices. In vain\nshe cited the example of Jacob, who had vowed to give God a tenth of\nall the possessions he owned, and yet did not attempt later to\nsacrifice one of his sons. Jephthah was inexorable. All he would yield\nwas a respite during which his daughter might visit various scholars,\nwho were to decide whether he was bound by his vow. According to the\nTorah his vow was entirely invalid. He was not even obliged to pay his\ndaughter's value in money. But the scholars of his time had forgotten\nthis Halakah, and they decided that he must keep his vow. The\nforgetfulness of the scholars was of God, ordained as a punishment upon\nJephthah for having slaughtered thousands of Ephraim.\n\nOne man there was living at the time who, if he had been questioned\nabout the case, would have been able to give a decision. This was the\nhigh priest Phinehas. But he said proudly: \"What! I, a high priest, the\nson of a high priest, should humiliate myself and go to an ignoramus!\"\nJephthah on the other hand said: \"What! I, the chief of the tribes of\nIsrael, the first prince of the land, should humiliate myself and go to\none of the rank and file!\" So only the rivalry between Jephthah and\nPhinehas caused the loss of a young life. Their punishment did not miss\nthem. Jephthah dies a horrible death. Limb by limb his body was\ndismembered. As for the high priest, the holy spirit departed from him,\nand he had to give up his priestly dignity. (109)\n\nAs it had been Jephthah's task to ward off the Ammonites, so his\nsuccessor Abdon was occupied with protecting Israel against the\nMoabites. The king of Moab sent messengers to Abdon, and they spoke\nthus: \"Thou well knowest that Israel took possession of cities that\nbelonged to me. Return them.\" Abdon's reply was: \"Know ye not how the\nAmmonites fared? The measure of Moab's sins, it seems, out against the\nenemy, slew forty-five thousand of their number, and routed the rest.\n(110)\n\nSAMSON\n\nThe last judge but one, Samson, was not the most important of the\njudges, but he was the greatest hero of the period and, except Goliath,\nthe greatest hero of all times. He was the son of Manoah of the tribe\nof Dan, and his wife Zelalponit (111) of the tribe of Judah, (112) and\nhe was born to them at a time when they had given up all hope of having\nchildren. Samson's birth is a striking illustration of the\nshortsightedness of human beings. The judge Ibzan had not invited\nManoah and Zelalponit to any of the one hundred and twenty feasts in\nhonor of the marriage of his sixty children, which were celebrated at\nhis house and at the house of their parents-in-law, because he thought\nthat \"the sterile she-mule\" would never be in a position to repay his\ncourtesy. It turned out that Samson's parents were blessed with an\nextraordinary son, while Ibzan saw his sixty children die during his\nlifetime. (113)\n\nSamson's strength was superhuman, (114) and the dimensions of his body\nwere gigantic   he measured sixty ells between the shoulders. Yet he\nhad one imperfection, he was maimed in both feet. (115) The first\nevidence of his gigantic strength he gave when he uprooted two great\nmountains, and rubbed them against each other. Such feats he was able\nto perform as often as the spirit of God was poured out over him.\nWhenever this happened, it was indicated by his hair. In began to move\nand emit a bell-like sound, which could be heard far off. Besides,\nwhile the spirit rested upon him, he was able with one stride to cover\na distance equal to that between Zorah and Eshtaol. (116) It was\nSamson's supernatural strength that made Jacob think that he would be\nthe Messiah. When God showed him Samson's latter end, then he realized\nthat the new era would not be ushered in by the hero-judge. (117)\n\nSamson won his first victory over the Philistines by means of the\njawbone of the ass on which Abraham had made his way to Mount Moriah.\nIt had been preserved miraculously. (118) After this victory a great\nwonder befell. Samson was at the point of perishing from thirst, when\nwater began to flow from his own mouth as from a spring. (119)\n\nBesides physical prowess, Samson possessed also spiritual distinctions.\nHe was unselfish to the last degree. He had been of exceeding great\nhelp to the Israelites, but he never asked the smallest service for\nhimself. (120) When Samson told Delilah that he was a \"Nazarite unto\nGod,\" she was certain that he had divulged the true secret of his\nstrength. She knew his character too well to entertain the idea that he\nwould couple the name of God with an untruth. There was a weak side to\nhis character, too. He allowed sensual pleasures to dominate him. The\nconsequences was that \"he who went astray after his eyes, lost his\neyes.\" Even this severe punishment produced no change of heart. He\ncontinued to lead his old life of profligacy in prison, and he was\nencouraged thereto by the Philistines, who set aside all considerations\nof family purity in the hope of descendants who should be the equals of\nSamson in giant strength and stature. (121)\n\nAs throughout life Samson had given proofs of superhuman power, so in\nthe moment of death. He entreated God to realize in him the blessing of\nJacob, (122) and endow him with Divine strength. (123) He expired with\nthese words upon his lips: \"O Master of the world! Vouchsafe unto me in\nthis life a recompense for the loss of one of my eyes. For the loss of\nthe other I will wait to be rewarded in the world to come.\" Even after\nhis death Samson was a shield unto the Israelites. Fear of him had so\ncowed the Philistines that for twenty years they did not dare attack\nthe Israelites. (124)\n\nTHE CRIME OF THE BENJAMITES\n\nA part of the money which Delilah received from the Philistine lords as\nthe price of Samson's secret, she gave to her son Micah, and he used it\nto make an idol for himself. (125) This sin was the more unpardonable\nas Micah owed his life to a miracle performed by Moses. During the\ntimes of the Egyptian oppression, if the prescribed number of bricks\nwas not furnished by the Israelites, their children were used as\nbuilding material. Such would have been Micah's fate, if he had not\nbeen saved in a miraculous way. Moses wrote down the Name of God, and\nput the words on Micah's body. The dead boy came to life, and Moses\ndrew him out of the wall of which he made a part. (126) Micah did not\nshow himself worthy of the wonder done for him. Even before the\nIsraelites left Egypt, he made his idol, (127) and it was he who\nfashioned the golden calf. At the time of Othniel the judge, (128) he\ntook up his abode at a distance of not more than three miles from the\nsanctuary at Shiloh, (129) and won over the grandson of Moses (130) to\nofficiate as priest before his idol.\n\nThe sanctuary which Micah erected harbored various idols. He had three\nimages of boys, and three of calves, one lion, an eagle, a dragon, and\na dove. When a man came who wanted a wife, he was directed to appeal to\nthe dove. If riches were his desire, he worshipped the eagle. For\ndaughters both, to the calves; to the lion for strength, and to the\ndragon for long life. Sacrifices and incense alike were offered to\nthese idols, and both had to be purchased with cash money from Micah,\neven didrachms for a sacrifice, and one for incense. (131)\n\nThe rapid degeneration in the family of Moses may be accounted for by\nthe fact that Moses had married the daughter of a priest who ministered\nto idols. Yet, the grandson of Moses was not an idolater of ordinary\ncalibre. His sinful conduct was not without a semblance of morality.\nFrom his grandfather he had heard the rule that a man should do \"Abodah\nZarah\" for hire rather than be dependent upon his fellow-creatures. The\nmeaning of \"Abodah Zarah\" here naturally is \"strange,\" in the sense of\n\"unusual\" work, but he took the term in its ordinary acceptation of\n\"service of strange gods.\" (132) So far from being a whole-souled\nidolater, he adopted methods calculated to harm the cause of idol\nworship. Whenever any one came leading an animal with the intention of\nsacrificing it, he would say: \"What good can the idol do thee? It can\nneither see nor hear nor speak.\" But as he was concerned about his won\nlivelihood, and did not want to offend the idolaters too grossly, he\nwould continue: \"If thou bringest a dish of flour and a few eggs, it\nwill suffice.\" This offering he would himself eat.\n\nUnder David he filled the position of treasurer. David appointed him\nbecause he thought that a man who was willing to become priest to an\nidol only in order to earn his bread, must be worthy of confidence.\nHowever sincere his repentance may have been, he relapsed into his\nformer life when he was removed from his office by Solomon, who filled\nall position with new incumbents at his accession to the throne.\nFinally he abandoned his idolatrous ways wholly, and became so pure a\nman that the was favored by God with the gift of prophecy. This\nhappened on the day on which the man of God out of Judah came to\nJeroboam, for the grandson of Moses is none other than the old prophet\nat Beth-el who invited the man of God out of Judah to come to his\nhouse. (133)\n\nThe mischief done by Micah spread further and further. Especially the\nBenjamites distinguished themselves for their zeal in paying homage to\nhis idols. God therefore resolved to visit the sins of Israel and\nBenjamin upon them. The opportunity did not delay to come. It was not\nlong before the Benjamites committed the outrage of Gibeah. Before the\nhouse of Bethac, a venerable old man, they imitated the disgraceful\nconduct of the Sodomites before the house of Lot. When the other tribes\nexacted amends from the Benjamites, and were denied satisfaction,\nbloody combats ensued. At first the Benjamites prevailed, in spit of\nthe fact that the Urim and Thummim questioned by Phinehas had\nencouraged the Israelites to take up the conflict, with the words: \"Up\nto war, I shall deliver them into your hands.\" After the tribes had\nagain and again suffered defeat, they recognized the intention of God,\nto betray them as a punishment for their sins. They therefore ordained\na day of fasting and convocation before the holy Ark, and Phinehas the\nson of Eleazar entreated God in their behalf: \"What means this, that\nThou leadest us astray? Is the deed of the Benjamites right in Thine\neyes? Then why didst Thou not command us to desist from the combat? But\nif what our brethren have done is evil in Thy sight, then why dost Thou\ncause us to fall before them in battle? O God of our fathers, hearken\nunto my voice. Make it known this day unto Thy servant whether the war\nwaged with Benjamin is pleasing in Thine eyes, or whether thou desirest\nto punish Thy people for its sins. Then the sinners among us will amend\ntheir ways. I am mindful of what happened in the days of my youth, at\nthe time of Moses. In the zeal of my soul I slew two for the sin of\nZimri, and when his well-wishers sought to kill me, Thou didst send an\nangel, who cut off twenty-four thousand of them and delivered me. But\nnow eleven of Thy tribes have gone forth to do Thy bidding, to avenge\nand slay, and, lo, they have themselves been slain, so that they are\nmade to believe that Thy revelations are lying and deceitful. O Lord,\nGod of our forefathers, naught is hidden before Thee. Make it manifest\nwhy this misfortune has overtaken us.\"\n\nGod replied to Phinehas at great length, setting forth why eleven\ntribes had suffered so heavily. The Lord had wanted to punished them\nfor having permitted Micah and his mother Delilah to pursue their evil\nways undisturbed, though they were zealous beyond measure in avenging\nthe wrong done to the woman at Gibeah. As soon as all those had\nperished who were guilty of having aided and abetted Micah in his\nidolatrous practices, whether directly or indirectly, God was willing\nto help them in their conflicts with the Benjamites.\n\nSo it came. In the battle fought soon after, seventy-five thousand\nBenjamites fell slain. Only six hundred of the tribe survived. (134)\nFearing to remain in Palestine, the small band emigrated to Italy and\nGermany. (135)\n\nAt the same time the punishment promised them by God overtook the two\nchief sinners. Micah lost his life by fire, and his mother rotted\nalive; worms crawled from her body. (136)\n\nIn spite of the great mischief caused by Micah, he had one good\nquality, and God permitted it to plead for him when the angel stood up\nagainst him as his accusers. He was extremely hospitable. His house\nalways stood wide open to the wanderer, and to his hospitality he owed\nit that he was granted a share in the future world. (137) In hell Micah\nis the first in the sixth division, which is under the guidance of the\nangel Hadriel, and he is the only one in the division who is spared\nhell tortures. (138) Micah's sons was Jeroboam, whose golden calves\nwere sinful far beyond anything his father had done. (139)\n\nIn those days God spake to Phinehas: \"Thou art one hundred and twenty\nyears old, thou hast reached the natural term of man's life. Go now,\nbetake thyself to the mountain Danaben, and remain there many years. I\nwill command the eagles to sustain thee with food, so that thou\nreturnest not to men until the time when thou lockest fast the clouds\nand openest them again. Then I will carry thee to the place where those\nare who were before thee, and there thou wilt tarry until I visit the\nworld, and bring thee thither to taste of death.\" (140)\n\n\n\n\nIII.\nSAMUEL AND SAUL\n\nELKANAH AND HANNAH\n\nThe period of the Judges is linked to the period of the Kingdom by the\nprophet Samuel, who anointed both Saul and David as kings. Not only was\nSamuel himself a prophet, but his forebears also has been prophets, (1)\nand both his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, were endowed with the gift of\nprophecy. (2) Aside from this gift, Elkanah possessed extraordinary\nvirtue. He was a second Abraham, the only pious man of his generation,\nwho saved the world from destruction when God, made wroth by the\nidolatry of Micah, was on the point of annihilating it utterly. (3) His\nchief merit was that he stimulated the people by his example to go on\npilgrimages to Shiloh, the spiritual centre of the nation. Accompanied\nby his whole household, including kinsmen, he was in the habit of\nmaking the three prescribed pilgrimages annually, and though he was a\nman of only moderate means, (4) his retinue was equipped with great\nmagnificence. In all the towns through which it passed, the procession\ncaused commotion. The lookers-on invariably inquired into the reason of\nthe rare spectacle, and Elkanah told them: \"We are going to the house\nof the Lord at Shiloh, for thence come forth the law. Why should you\nnot join us?\" Such gentle, persuasive words did not fail of taking\neffect. In the first year five households undertook the pilgrimage, the\nnext year ten, and so on until the whole town followed his example.\nElkanah chose a new route every year. Thus he touched at many towns,\nand their inhabitants were led to do a pious deed. (5)\n\nIn spite of his God-fearing ways, Elkanah's domestic life was not\nperfectly happy. He had been married ten years, and his union with\nHannah had not been blessed with offspring. (6) The love he bore his\nwife compensated him for his childlessness, but Hannah herself insisted\nupon his taking a second wife. Peninnah embraced every opportunity of\nvexing Hannah. In the morning her derisive greeting to Hannah would be:\n\"Dost thou not mean to rise and wash thy children, and send them to\nschool?\" (7) Such jeers were to keep Hannah mindful of her\nchildlessness. Perhaps Peninnah's intentions were laudable: she may\nhave wanted to bring Hannah to the point of praying to God for\nchildren. (8) However it may have been forced from her, Hannah's\npetition for a son was fervent and devout. She entreats God: \"Lord of\nthe world! Hast Thou created aught in vain? Our eyes Thou hast destined\nfor sight, our ears for hearing, our mouth for speech, our nose to\nsmell therewith, our hands for work. Didst Thou not create these\nbreasts above my heart to give suck to a babe? (9) O grant me a son,\nthat he may draw nourishment therefrom. Lord, Thou reignest over all\nbeings, the mortal and the heavenly beings. The heavenly beings neither\neat nor drink, they do not propagate themselves, nor do they die, but\nthey live forever. Mortal man eats, drinks, propagates his kind and\ndies. If, now, I am of the heavenly beings, let me live forever. But if\nI belong to mortal mankind, let me do my part in establishing the\nrace.\" (10)\n\nEli the high priest, who at first misinterpreted Hannah's long prayer,\ndismissed her with the blessing: \"May the son to be born unto thee\nacquire great knowledge in the law.\" (11) Hannah left the sanctuary,\nand at once her grief-furrowed countenance changes. She felt beyond a\ndoubt that the blessing of Eli would be fulfilled. (12)\n\nTHE YOUTH OF SAMUEL\n\nHannah's prayer was heard. At the end of six months and a few days (13)\nSamuel was born to her, in the nineteenth year of her married life,\n(14) and the one hundred and thirtieth of her age. (15) Samuel was of a\nfrail constitution, (16) and required tender care and nurture. For this\nreason he and his mother could not accompany Elkanah on his\npilgrimages. Hannah withheld her boy from the sanctuary for some years.\nBefore Samuel's birth a voice from heaven had proclaimed that in a\nshort time a great man would be born, whose name would be Samuel. All\nmen children of that time were accordingly named Samuel. As they grew\nup, the mothers were in the habit of getting together and telling of\ntheir children's doings, in order to determine which of them satisfied\nthe expectations the prophecy had aroused. When the true Samuel was\nborn, and by his wonderful deed excelled all his companions, it became\nplain to whom the word of God applied. (17) His preeminence now being\nundisputed, Hannah was willing to part with him.\n\nThe following incident is an illustration of Samuel's unusual qualities\nmanifested even in infancy. He was two years old when his mother\nbrought him to Shiloh to leave him there permanently. An occasion at\nonce presented itself for the display of his learning and acumen, which\nwere so great as to arouse the astonishment of the high priest Eli\nhimself. On entering the sanctuary Samuel noticed that they were\nseeking a priest to kill the sacrificial animal. Samuel instructed the\nattendants that a non-priest was permitted to kill the sacrifice. The\nhigh priest Eli appeared at the moment when, by Samuel's directions,\nthe sacrifice was being killed by a non-priest. Angered by the child's\nboldness, he was about to have him executed, regardless of Hannah's\nprayer for his life. \"Let him die,\" (18) he said, \"I shall pray for\nanother in his place.\" Hannah replied: \"I lent him to the Lord.\nWhatever betide, he belongs neither to thee nor to me, but to God.\"\n(19) Only then, after Samuel's life was secure, Hannah offered up her\nprayer of thanksgiving. Beside the expression of her gratitude, it\ncontains also many prophecies regarding Samuel's future achievements,\nand it recited the history of Israel from the beginning until the\nadvent of Messiah. (20) Her prayer incidentally brought relief to the\nSons of Korah. Since the earth had swallowed them, they had been\nconstantly sinking lower and lower. When Hannah uttered the words, \"God\nbringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up,\" (21) they came to a\nstandstill in their downward course.\n\nHannah was spared to witness, not only the greatness of her son, but\nalso the undoing of her rival. Every time Hannah bore a child, Peninnah\nlost two of hers, until eight of her ten children had died, and she\nwould have had to surrender all, had not Hannah interceded for her with\nprayer. (22)\n\nELI AND HIS SONS\n\nShortly (23) before Samuel entered upon his novitiate in the sanctuary,\nEli succeeded to the three highest offices in the land: he was made\nhigh priest, president of the Sanhedrin, and ruler over the political\naffairs of Israel. Eli was a pious man, and devoted to the study of the\nTorah, wherefore he attained to a good old age and to high honors. (24)\nIn his office as high priest he was successor to no less a personage\nthan Phinehas, who had lost his high-priestly dignity on account of his\nhaughty bearing toward Jephthah. With Eli the line of Ithamar rose to\npower instead of the line of Eleazar. (25) However, the iniquitous deed\nof his two sons brought dire misfortune upon Eli and upon his family,\nthough the Scriptural account of their conduct may not be taken\nliterally. The sons of Eli transgressed only in that they sometimes\nkept the women waiting who came to the sanctuary to bring the\npurification offerings, and so they retarded their return to their\nfamilies. (26) This was bad enough for priest of God. Their misdeeds\nrecoiled upon their father, who was not strict enough in rebuking them.\nEli's punishment was that he aged prematurely, and, besides, he had to\ngive up his various offices.\n\nDuring his lifetime, his youngest son Phinehas, the worthier of the\ntwo, (27) officiated as high priest. The only reproach to which\nPhinehas laid himself open was that he made no attempt to mend his\nbrother's ways.\n\nThe worst of God's decree against Eli he learned from Elkanah, (28) the\nman of God who came unto Eli, and who announced that the high-priestly\ndignity would be wrested from his house, and once more conferred upon\nthe family of Eleazar, and, furthermore, his descendant would all die\nin their prime. The latter doom can be averted by good deeds, devotion\nin prayer, and zealous study of the Torah. These means were often\nemployed successfully. (29) But against the loss of the high priest's\noffice there is no specific. The house of Eli forfeited it irrevocably.\nAbiathar, the great-grandson of Eli's son Phinehas, (30) the last of\nthe high priest of the line of Ithamar, had to submit to the fate of\nseeing David transfer his dignity to Zadok, in whose family it remained\nforever.\n\nThe sons of Eli brought misfortune also upon the whole of Israel. To\ntheir sins and the ease with which the people condoned them was\nattributed the unhappy issue of the war with the Philistines. The holy\nArk, the receptacle for the broken table of the law, which accompanied\nthe people to the camp, (31) did not have the expected effect of\ncompelling victory for the Israelites. What Eli feared happened. He\nenjoined upon his sons not to appear before him if they should survive\nthe capture of the Ark. (32) But they did not survive it; they died\nupon the battlefield on which their nation had suffered bitter defeat.\nThe Philistines, to be sure, had to pay dearly for their victory,\nespecially those who had spoken contemptuous words when the holy Ark\nhad appeared in the Israelitish camp: \"The God of the Israelites had\nten plagues, and those he expended upon the Egyptians. He no longer has\nit in His power to do harm.\" But God said: \"Do ye but wait to see. I\nshall bring plague down upon you like of which hath never been.\" (33)\nThis new plague consisted in mice crawling forth out of the earth, and\njerking the entrails out of the bodies of the Philistines while they\neased nature. If the Philistines sought to protect themselves by using\nbrass vessels, the vessels burst at the touch of the mice, and, as\nbefore, the Philistines were at their mercy. (34) After some months of\nsuffering, when they realized that their god Dagon was the victim\ninstead of the victor, they resolved to send the Ark back to the\nIsraelites. Many of the Philistines, (35) however, were not yet\nconvinced of God's power. The experiment with the milch kine on which\nthere had come no yoke was to establish the matter for them. The result\nwas conclusive. Scarcely had the cows begun to draw the cart containing\nthe Ark when they raised their voices in song:\n\nArise thou, O Acacia! Soar aloft in the fulness of thy splendor,\n\nThou who art adorned with gold embroidery,\n\nThou who art reverenced within the Holiest of the palace,\n\nThou who art covered by the two Cherubim! (36)\n\nWhen the holy Ark was thus brought into the Israelitish domain, there\nwas exceeding great rejoicing. Yet the people were lacking in due\nreverence. They unloaded the holy vessel while doing their usual work.\nGod punished them severely. (37) The seventy members of the Sanhedrin\nperished, and with them fifty thousand of the people. (38) The\npunishment was meet for another reason. At first sight of the Ark some\nof the people had exclaimed: \"Who vexed these that thou didst feel\noffended, and what had mollified thee now?\" (39)\n\nTHE ACTIVITIES OF SAMUEL\n\nIn the midst of the defeats and other calamities that overwhelmed the\nIsraelites, Samuel's authority grew, and the respect for him increased,\nuntil he was acknowledged the helper of his people. His first efforts\nwere directed toward counteracting the spiritual decay in Israel. When\nhe assembled the people at Mizpah for prayer, he sought to distinguish\nbetween the faithful and the idolatrous, in order to mete out\npunishment to the disloyal. He had all the people drink water, whose\neffect was to prevent idolaters from opening their lips. (40) The\nmajority of the people repented of their sins, and Samuel turned to God\nin their behalf: \"Lord of the world! Thou requirest naught of man but\nthat he should repent of his sins. Israel is penitent, do Thou pardon\nhim.\" (41) The prayer was granted, and when, after his sacrifice,\nSamuel led an attack upon the Philistines, victory was not withheld\nfrom the Israelites. God terrified the enemy first by an earthquake,\nand then by thunder and lightning. Many were scattered and wandered\nabout aimlessly; many were precipitated into the rents torn in the\nearth, the rest had their faces scorched, and in their terror and pain\ntheir weapons dropped from their hands. (42)\n\nIn peace as in war Samuel was the type of a disinterested,\nincorruptible judge, who even refused compensation for the time,\ntrouble, and pecuniary sacrifices entailed upon him by his office. (43)\nHis sons fell far short of resembling their father in these respects.\nInstead of continuing Samuel's plan of journeying from place to place\nto dispense judgment, they had the people come to them, and they\nsurrounded themselves with a crew of officials who preyed upon the\npeople for their maintenance. (44) In a sense, therefore, the curse\nwith which Eli threatened Samuel in his youth was accomplished: both he\nand Samuel had sons unworthy of their fathers. (45) Samuel at least had\nthe satisfaction of seeing his sons mend their ways. One of them is the\nprophet Joel, whose prophecy forms a book of the Bible. (46)\n\nThough, according to this account, the sons of Samuel were by no means\nso iniquitous as might be inferred from the severe expressions of the\nScripture, still the demand for a king made by the leaders of the\npeople was not unwarranted. All they desired was a king in the place of\na judge. What enkindled the wrath of God and caused Samuel vexation,\nwas the way in which the common people formulated the demand. \"We want\na king,\" they said, \"that we may be like the other nations.\" (47)\n\nTHE REIGN OF SAUL\n\nThere were several reasons for the choice of Saul as king. He had\ndistinguished himself as a military hero in the unfortunate engagement\nof the Philistines with Israel under the leadership of the sons of Eli.\nGoliath captured the tables of the law. When Saul heard of this in\nShiloh, he marched sixty miles to the camp, wrested the tables from the\ngiant, and returned to Shiloh on the same day, bringing Eli the report\nof the Israelitish misfortune. (48) Besides, Saul possessed unusual\nbeauty, (49) which explains why the maidens whom he asked about the\nseer in their city sought to engage him in a lengthy conversation. (50)\nAt the same time he was exceedingly modest. When he and his servant\nfailed to find the asses they were looking for, he said, \"My father\nwill take thought of us,\" putting his servants on a level with himself,\n(51) and when he was anointed king, he refused to accept the royal\ndignity until the Urim and Thummin were consulted. (52) His chief\nvirtue, however, was his innocence. He was as free from sin as \"a one\nyear old child.\" (53) No wonder, then, he was held worthy of the\nprophetic gift. The prophecies he uttered concerned themselves with the\nwar of Gog and Magog, the meting out of reward and punishment at the\nlast judgment. (54) Finally, his choice as king was due also to the\nmerits of his ancestors, especially his grandfather Abiel, a man\ninterested in the public welfare, who would have the streets lighted so\nthat people might go to the houses of study after dark. (55)\n\nSaul's first act as king was his successful attack upon Nahash, king of\nthe Ammonites, who had ordered the Gileadites to remove the injunction\nfrom the Torah barring the Ammonites from the congregation of Israel.\n(56) In his next undertaking, the campaign against the Philistines, he\ndisplayed his piety. His son Jonathan had fallen under the severe ban\npronounced by Saul against all who tasted food on a certain day, and\nSaul did not hesitate to deliver him up to death. Jonathan's trespass\nwas made know by the stones in the breastplate of the high priest. All\nthe stones were bright, only the one bearing the name Benjamin had lost\nits brilliancy. By lot it was determined that its dimmed lustre was due\nto the Benjamite Jonathan. Saul desisted from his purpose of executing\nJonathan only when it appeared that he had transgressed his father's\ncommand by mistake. A burnt offering and his weight in gold paid to the\nsanctuary were considered an atonement for him. (57) In the same war\nSaul had occasion to show his zeal for the scrupulous observance of the\nsacrificial ordinances. He reproached his warriors with eating the meat\nof the sacrifices before the blood was sprinkled on the altar, (58) and\nhe made it his task to see to it that the slaughtering knife was kept\nin the prescribed condition. As recompense, an angel brought him a\nsword, there being none beside Saul in the whole army to bear one. (59)\n\nSaul manifested a different spirit in the next campaign, the war with\nthe Amalekites, whom, at the bidding of God, he was to exterminate.\nWhen the message of God's displeasure was conveyed to Saul by the\nprophet Samuel, he said: \"If the Torah ordains that a heifer of the\nherd shall be beheaded in the valley as an atonement for the death of a\nsingle man, how great must be the atonement required for the slaughter\nof so many men? And granted they are sinners, what wrong have their\ncattle done to deserve annihilation? And granted that the adults are\nworthy of their fate, what have the children done?\" Then a voice\nproclaimed from heaven, \"Be not overjust.\" Later on, when Saul\ncommissioned Doeg to cut down the priests at Nob, the same voice was\nheard to say, \"Be not overwicked.\" (60) It was this very Doeg, destined\nto play so baleful a part in his life, who induced Saul to spare Agag,\nthe king of Amalekites. His argument was the law prohibits the slaying\nof an animal and its young on the same day. How much less permissible\nis it to destroy at one time old and young, men and children. (61) As\nSaul had undertaken the war of extermination against Amalek only\nbecause forced into it, he was easily persuaded to let the people keep\na part of the cattle alive. As far as he himself was concerned, he\ncould have had no personal interest in the booty, for he was so\naffluent that he took a census of the army by giving a sheep to every\none of his soldiers, distributing not less than two hundred thousand\nsheep. (62)\n\nCompared with David's sins, Saul's were not sufficiently grievous to\naccount for the withdrawal of the royal dignity from him and his\nfamily. The real reason was Saul's too great mildness, a drawback in a\nruler. Moreover, his family was of such immaculate nobility that his\ndescendants might have become too haughty. (63) When Saul disregarded\nthe Divine command about the Amalekites, Samuel announced to him that\nhis office would be bestowed upon another. The name of his successor\nwas not mentioned on that occasion, but Samuel gave him a sign by which\nto recognize the future king: he who would cut off the corner of Saul's\nmantle, would reign in his stead. Later on, when David met Saul in the\ncave and cut off a piece of the king's skirt, Saul knew him for a\ncertainty to be his destined successor. (64)\n\nSo Saul lost his crown on account of Agag, and yet did not accomplish\nhis purpose of saving the life of the Amalekite king, for Samuel\ninflicted a most cruel death upon Agag, and that not in accordance with\nJewish, but with heathen, forms of justice. No witnesses of Agag's\ncrime could be summoned before the court, nor could it be proved that\nAgag, as the law requires, had been warned when about to commit the\ncrime. (65) Though due punishment was meted out to Agag, in a sense it\ncame too late. Had he been killed by Saul in the course of the battle,\nthe Jews would have been spared the persecution devised by Haman, for,\nin the short span of time that elapsed between war and his execution,\nAgag became the ancestor of Haman. (66)\n\nThe Amalekite war was the last of Saul's notable achievements. Shortly\nafterward he was seized by the evil spirit, and the rest of his days\nwere passed mainly in persecuting David and his followers. Saul would\nhave died immediately after the Amalekite war, if Samuel had not\ninterceded for him. The prophet prayed to God that the life of the\ndisobedient king be spared, at least so long as his own years had not\ncome to their destined close: \"Thou regardest me equal to Moses and\nAaron. (67) As Moses and Aaron did not have their handiwork destroyed\nbefore their eyes during their life, so may my handiwork not cease\nduring my life.\" God said: \"What shall I do? Samuel will not let me put\nan end to Saul's days, and if I let Samuel die in his prime, people\nwill speak ill of him (68) Meanwhile David's time is approaching, and\none reign may not overlap the time assigned to another by his\nhairbreadth.\" God determined to let Samuel age suddenly, and when he\ndied at fifty-two, (69) the people were under the impression the days\nof an old man had come to an end. So long as he lived, Saul was secure.\n(70) Scarcely was he dead, when the Philistines began to menace the\nIsraelites and their king. Soon it appeared how well justified had been\nthe mourning services for the departed prophet in all the Israelitish\ntowns. (71) It was not remarkable that the mourning for Samuel should\nhave been universal. During his active administration as judge, he had\nbeen in the habit of journeying through every part of the country, and\nso he was known personally to all the people. This practice of his\ntestifies not only to the zeal with which he devoted himself to his\noffice, but also to his wealth, for the expenses entailed by these\njourneys were defrayed from his own purse. Only one person in all the\nland took no part in the demonstrations of grief. During the very week\nof mourning Nabal held feasts. \"What!\" God exclaimed, \"all weep and\nlament over the death of the pious, and this reprobate engages in\nrevelry!\" Punishment was not withheld. Three days after the week of\nmourning for Samuel Nabal dies. (72)\n\nThere was none that felt the death of Samuel more keenly than Saul.\nLeft alone and isolated, he did not shrink from extreme measures to\nenter into communication with the departed prophet. With his two\nadjutants, (73) Abner and Amasa, he betook himself to Abner's mother,\nthe witch of En-dor. (74) The king did not reveal his identity, but the\nwitch had no difficulty in recognizing her visitor. In necromancy the\npeculiar rule holds good that, unless it is summoned by a king, a\nspirit raised from the dead appears head downward and feet in the air.\n(75) Accordingly, when the figure of Samuel stood upright before them,\nthe witch knew that the king was with her. Though the witch saw Samuel,\nshe could not hear what he said, while Saul heard his words, but could\nnot see his person another peculiar phenomenon in necromancy: the\nconjuror sees the spirit, and he for whom the spirit had been raised\nonly hears it. Any other person present neither sees nor hears it.\n\nThe witch's excitement grew when she perceived a number of spirits\narise by the side of Samuel. The dead prophet, when he was summoned\nback to earth, thought that the judgement day had arrived. He requested\nMoses to accompany him and testify to his always having executed the\nordinances of the Torah as Moses had established them. With these two\ngreat leaders a number of the pious arose, all believing that the day\nof judgment was at hand. Samuel was apparelled in the \"upper garment\"\nhis mother had made for him when she surrendered him to the sanctuary.\nThis he had worn throughout his life, and in it he was buried. At the\nresurrection all the dead wear their grave clothes, and so it came\nabout that Samuel stood before Saul in his well-known \"upper garment.\"\n\nOnly fragments of the conversation between Samuel and Saul have been\npreserved in the Scriptures. Samuel reproached Saul with having\ndisturbed him. \"Was it not enough,\" he said, \"for thee to enkindle the\nwrath of thy Creator by calling up the spirits of the dead, must thou\nneed change me into an idol? For is it not said that like unto the\nworshippers so shall the worshipped be punished?\" Samuel then consented\nto tell the king God's decree, that he had resolved to rend the kingdom\nout of his hand, and invest David with the royal dignity. Whereupon\nSaul: \"These are not the words thou spakest to me before.\" (76) \"When\nwe dwelt together,\" rejoined Samuel, \"I was in the world of lies. Now I\nabide in the world of truth, and thou heardest lying words from me, for\nI feared thy wrath and thy revenge. Now I abide in the world of truth,\nand thou hearest words of truth from me. As to the thing the Lord hath\ndone unto thee, thou hast deserved it, for thou didst not obey the\nvoice of the Lord, nor execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek.\" Saul\nasked: \"Can I still save myself by flight?\" \"Yes,\" replied Samuel, \"if\nthou fleest, thou art safe. But if thou acceptest God's judgment, by\nto-morrow thou wilt be united with me in Paradise.\"\n\nWhen Abner and Amasa questioned Saul about his interview with Samuel,\nhe replied: \"Samuel told me I should go into battle to-morrow, and come\nforth victorious. More than that, my sons will be given exalted\npositions in return for their military prowess.\" The next day his three\nsons went with him to the war, and all were stricken down. God summoned\nthe angels and said to them: \"Behold the being I have created in my\nworld. A father as a rule refrains from taking his sons even to a\nbanquet, lest he expose them to the evil eye. Saul goes to war knowing\nthat he will lose his life, yet he takes his sons with him, and\ncheerfully accepts the punishment I ordain.\" (77)\n\nSo perished the first Jewish king, as a hero and a saint. His latter\ndays were occupied with regrets on account of the execution of the\npriest of Nob, (78) and his remorse secured pardon for him. (79)\nIndeed, in all respects his piety was so great that not even David was\nhis equal: David had many wives and concubines; Saul had but on wife.\nDavid remained behind, fearing to lose his life in battle with his son\nAbsalom; Saul went into the combat knowing he should not return alive.\nMild and generous, Saul led the life of a saint in his own house,\nobserving even the priestly laws of purity. Therefore God reproached\nDavid with having pronounced a curse upon Saul in his prayer. (80)\nAlso, David in his old age was punished for having cut off the corner\nof Saul's mantle, for no amount of clothing would keep him warm. (81)\nFinally, when a great famine fell upon the land during the reign of\nDavid, God told him it had been inflicted upon him because Saul's\nremains had not been buried with the honor due to him, and at that\nmoment a heavenly voice resounded calling Saul \"the elect of God.\" (82)\n\nTHE COURT OF SAUL\n\nThe most important figure at the court of Saul was his cousin Abner,\nthe son of the witch of En-dor. (83) He was a giant of extraordinary\nsize. A wall measuring six ells in thickness could be moved more easily\nthan one of Abner's feet. (84) David once chanced to get between the\nfeet of Abner as he lay asleep, and he was almost crushed to death,\nwhen fortunately Abner moved them, and David made his escape. (85)\nConscious of his vast strength he once cried out: \"If only I could\nseize the earth at some point, I should be able to shake it.\" Even in\nthe hour of death, wounded mortally by Joab, he grasped his murderer\nlike a worsted ball. He was about to kill him, but the people crowded\nround them, and said to Abner: \"If thou killest Joab, we shall be\norphaned, and our wives and children will be prey to the Philistines.\"\nAbner replied: \"What can I do? He was about to extinguish my light.\"\nThe people consoled him: \"Commit thy cause to the true Judge.\" Abner\nthereupon loosed his hold upon Joab, who remained unharmed, while Abner\nfell dead instantly. God had decided against him. (86) The reason was\nthat Joab was in a measure justified in seeking to avenge the death of\nhis brother Asahel. Asahel, the supernaturally swift runner, (87)   so\nswift that he ran through a field without snapping the ears of wheat\n(88)   had been the attacking party. He had sough to take Abner's life,\nand Abner contended, that in killing Asahel he had but acted in\nself-defense. Before inflicting the fatal wound, Joab held a formal\ncourt of justice over Abner. He asked: \"Why didst thou no render Asahel\nharmless by wounding him rather than kill him?\" Abner replied that he\ncould not have done it. \"What,\" said Joab, incredulous, \"if thou wast\nable to strike him under the fifth rib, dost thou mean to say thou\ncouldst not have made him innocuous by a wound, and saved him alive?\"\n(89)\n\nAlthough Abner was a saint, (90) even a \"lion in the law,\" (91) he\nperpetrated many a deed that made his violent death appear just. It was\nin his favor that he had refused to obey Saul's command to do away with\nthe priests of Nob. (92) Yet a man of his stamp should not have rested\ncontent with passive resistance. He should have interposed actively,\nand kept Saul from executing his blood design. And granted that Abner\ncould not have influenced the king's mind in this matter, (93) at all\nevents he is censurable for having frustrated a reconciliation between\nSaul and David. When David, holding in his hand the corner of the\nking's mantle which he had cut off, sought to convince Saul of his\ninnocence, it was Abner who turned the king against the suppliant\nfugitive. \"Concern not thyself about it,\" he said to Saul. \"David found\nthe rag on a thornbush in which thou didst catch the skirt of thy\nmantle as thou didst pass it.\" (94) On the other hand, no blame\nattaches to Abner for having espoused the cause of Saul's son against\nDavid for two years and a half. He knew that God had designated David\nfor the royal office, but, according to an old tradition, God had\npromised two kings to the tribe of Benjamin, and Abner considered it\nhis duty to transmit his father's honor to the son of Saul the\nBenjamite. (95)\n\nAnother figure of importance during Saul's reign, but a man of\nradically different character, was Doeg. Doeg, the friend of Saul from\nthe days of his youth, (96) died when he was thirty-four years old,\n(97) yet at that early age he had been president of the Sanhedrin and\nthe greatest scholar of his time. He was called Edomi, which means, not\nEdomite, but \"he who causes the blush of shame,\" because by his keen\nmind and his learning he put to shame all who entered into argument\nwith him. (98) But his scholarship lay only on his lips, his heart was\nnot concerned in it, and his one aim was to elicit admiration. (99)\nSmall wonder, then, that his end was disastrous. At the time of his\ndeath he had sunk so low that he forfeited all share in the life to\ncome. (100) Wounded vanity caused his hostility to David, who had got\nthe better of him in a learned discussion. (101) From that moment he\nbent all his energies to the task of ruining David. He tried to poison\nSaul's mind against David, by praising the latter inordinately, and so\narousing Saul's jealousy. (102) Again, he would harp on David's Moabite\ndescent, and maintain that on account of it he could not be admitted\ninto the congregation of Israel. Samuel and other prominent men had to\nbring to bear all the weight of their authority to shield David against\nthe consequences of Doeg's sophistry. (103)\n\nDoeg's most grievous transgression, however, was his informing against\nthe priests of Nob, whom he accused of high treason and executed as\ntraitors. For all his iniquitous deeds he pressed the law into his\nservice, and derived justification of his conduct from it. Abimelech,\nthe high priest at Nob, admitted that he had consulted the Urim and\nThummim for David. This served Doeg as the basis for the charge of\ntreason, and he stated it as an unalterable Halakah that the Urim and\nThummim may be consulted only for a king. In vain Abner and Amasa and\nall the other members of the Sanhedrin demonstrated that the Urim and\nThummim may be consulted for any on whose undertaking concerns the\ngeneral welfare. Doeg would not yield, and as no one could be found to\nexecute the judgement, he himself officiated as hangman. (104) When the\nmotive of revenge actuated him, he held cheap alike the life and honor\nof his fellow-man. He succeeded in convincing Saul that David's\nmarriage with the king's daughter Michal had lost its validity from the\nmoment David was declared a rebel. As such, he said, David was as good\nas dead, since a rebel was outlawed. Hence his wife was no longer bound\nto him. (105) Doeg's punishment accorded with his misdeeds. He who had\nmade impious use of his knowledge of the law, completely forgot the\nlaw, and even his disciples rose up against him, and drove him from the\nhouse of study. In the end he died a leper.\n\nDreadful as this death was, it was not accounted an atonement for his\nsins. One angel burned his soul, and another scattered his ashes in all\nthe house of study and prayer. (106) The son of Doeg was Saul's\narmor-bearer, who was killed by David for daring to slay the king even\nthough he longed for death. (107)\n\nAlong with Abner and Doeg, Jonathan distinguished himself in the reign\nof his father. His military capacity was joined to deep scholarship. To\nthe latter he owed his position as Ab Bet Din. (108) Nevertheless he\nwas one of the most modest men known in history. (109) Abinadab was\nanother one of Saul's sons who was worthy of his father, wherefore he\nwas sometimes called Ishvi. (110) As for Saul's grandson Mephibosheth.\nHe, too, was reputed a great man. David himself did not scorn to sit at\nhis feet, and he revered Mephibosheth as his teacher. (111) The wrong\ndone him by David in granting one-half his possessions to Ziba, the\nslave of Mephibosheth, did not go unavenged. When David ordered the\ndivision of the estate of Mephibosheth, a voice from heaven prophesied:\n\"Jeroboam and Rehoboam shall divide the kingdom between themselves.\"\n(112)\n\n\n\n\nIV.\nDAVID\n\nDAVID'S BIRTH AND DESCENT\n\nDavid, the \"elect of God,\" (1) was descended from a family which itself\nbelonged to the elect of Israel. Those ancestors of his who are\nenumerated in the Bible by name are all of them men of distinguished\nexcellence. Besides, David was a descendant of Miriam, (2) the sister\nof Moses, and so the strain of royal aristocracy was reinforced by the\npriestly aristocracy. Nor was David the first of his family to occupy\nthe throne of a ruler. His great-grandfather Boaz was one and the same\nperson with Ibzan, the judge of Bethlehem. (3) Othniel, too, the first\njudge in Israel after the death of Joshua, and Caleb, (4) the brother\nof Othniel, were connected with David's family. As examples of piety\nand virtue, David had his grandfather and more particularly his father\nbefore him. His grandfather's whole life was a continuous service of\nGod, (5) whence his name Obed, \"the servant,\" and his father Jesse was\none of the greatest scholars of his time, (6) and one of the four who\ndied wholly untainted by sin. (7) If God had not ordained death for all\nthe descendants of our first parents after their fall, Jesse would have\ncontinued to live forever. As it was, he died at the age of four\nhundred, (8) and then a violent death, by the hand of the Moabite king,\n(9) in whose care David, trusting in the ties of kinship between the\nMoabites and the seed of Ruth, left his family when he was fleeing\nbefore Saul. Jesse's piety will not go unrewarded. In the Messianic\ntime he will be one of the eight princes to rule over the world. (10)\n\nIn spite of his piety, Jesse was not always proof against temptation.\nOne of his slaves caught his fancy, and he would have entered into\nillicit relations with her, had his wife, Nazbat, the daughter of\nAdiel, not frustrated the plan. She disguised herself as the slave, and\nJesse, deceived by the ruse, met his own wife. The child borne by\nNazbat was given out as the son of the freed slave, so that the father\nmight not discover the deception practiced upon him. This child was\nDavid. (11)\n\nIn a measure David was indebted for his life to Adam. At first only\nthree hours of existence had been allotted to him. When God caused all\nfuture generations to pass in review before Adam, he besought God to\ngive David seventy of the thousand years destined for him. A deed of\ngift, signed by God and the angel Metatron, was drawn up. Seventy years\nwere legally conveyed from Adam to David, and in accordance with Adam's\nwishes, beauty, dominion, and poetical gift (12) went with them.\n\nANOINTED KING\n\nBeauty and talent, Adam's gifts to David, did not shield their\npossessor against hardship. As the supposed son of a slave, he was\nbanished from association with his brothers, and his days were passed\nin the desert tending his father's sheep. (13) It was his shepherd life\nthat prepared him for his later exalted position. With gentle\nconsideration he led the flocks entrusted to him. The young lambs he\nguided to pastures of tender grass; the patches of less juicy herbs he\nreserved for the sheep; and the full-grown sturdy rams were given the\ntough weeds for food. Then God said: \"David knows how to tend sheep,\ntherefore he shall be the shepherd of my flock Israel.\" (14)\n\nIn the solitude of the desert David had opportunities of displaying his\nextraordinary physical strength. One day he slew four lions and three\nbears, (15) though he had no weapons. His most serious adventure was\nwith the reem. David encountered the mammoth beast asleep, and taking\nit for a mountain, he began to ascend it. Suddenly the reem awoke, and\nDavid found himself high up in the air on its horns. He vowed, if he\nwere rescued, to build a temple to God one hundred ells in height, as\nhigh as the horns of the reem. Thereupon God sent a lion. The king of\nbeasts (16) inspired even the reem with awe. The reem prostrated\nhimself, and David could easily descend from his perch. At that moment\na deer appeared. The lion pursued after him, and David was saved from\nthe lion as well as the reem. (17)\n\nHe continued to lead the life of a shepherd until, at the age of\ntwenty-eight, (18) he was anointed king by Samuel, who was taught by a\nspecial revelation that the despised youngest son of Jesse was to be\nking. Samuel's first charge had been to anoint one of the sons of\nJesse, but he was not told which one. When he saw the oldest, Eliab, he\nthought him the king of God's choice. God had allowed him to be\ndeceived, in order to punish Samuel for his excessive\nself-consciousness in calling himself the seer. It was thus proved to\nhim that he could not foresee all things. (19) However, Samuel's error\nwas pardonable. God's first choice had rested upon Eliab. Only on\naccount of his violent nature, his swiftness to anger against David,\nthe position destined for him was transferred to his youngest brother.\n(20) Eliab was in a sense compensated by seeing his daughter become the\nwife of Rehoboam. Thus he, too, enjoys the distinction of being among\nthe ancestors of the Judaic kings, and Samuel's vision of Eliab as king\nwas not wholly false. (21)\n\nThe election of David was obvious from what happened with the holy oil\nwith which he was anointed. (22) When Samuel had tried to pour the oil\non David's brothers, it had remained in the horn, but at David's\napproach it flowed of its own accord, and poured itself out over him.\nThe drops on his garments changed into diamonds and pearls, and after\nthe act of anointing him, the horn was as full as before.\n\nThe amazement was great that the son of a slave should be made king.\nThen the wife of Jesse revealed her secret, and declared herself the\nmother of David. (23)\n\nThe anointing of David was for a time kept a secret, but its effect\nappeared in the gift of prophecy which manifested itself in David, (24)\nand in his extraordinary spiritual development. His new accomplishments\nnaturally earned envy for him. None was more bitterly jealous than\nDoeg, the greatest scholar of his time. When he heard that Saul was\nabout to have David come to court as his attendant, Doeg began to\npraise David excessively, with the purpose of arousing the king's\njealousy and making David hateful in his eyes. He succeeded, (25) yet\nSaul did not relinquish his plan of having David at court. David had\nbecome known to Saul in his youth, and at that time the king had\nconceived great admiration for him. The occasion was one on which David\nhad shown cleverness as well as love of justice. A rich woman had had\nto leave her home temporarily. She could not carry her fortune with\nher, nor did she wish to entrust it to any one. She adopted the device\nof hiding her gold in honey jars, and these she deposited with a\nneighbor. Accidentally he discovered what was in the jars, and he\nabstracted the gold. On her return the woman received her vessels, but\nthe gold concealed in them was gone. She had no evidence to bring up\nagainst her faithless neighbor, and the court dismissed her complaint.\nShe appealed to the king, but he was equally powerless to help. When\nthe woman came out of the palace of the king, David was playing with\nhis companions. Seeing her dejection, he demanded an audience of the\nking, that truth might prevail. The king authorized him to do as he saw\nfit. David ordered the honey jars to be broken, and two coins were\nfound to adhere to the inner side of the vessels. The thief had\noverlooked them, and they proved his dishonesty. (26)\n\nENCOUNTER WITH GOLIATH\n\nDavid was not long permitted to enjoy the ease of life at court. The\naggressive manner assumed by Goliath drove him to the front. It was a\ncurious chance that designated David to be the slayer of Goliath, who\nwas allied with him by the ties of blood. Goliath, it will be\nremembered, was the son of the Moabitess Orpah, (27) the sister-in-law\nof David's ancestress Ruth, and her sister as well, both having been\nthe daughters of the Moabite king Eglon. (28) David and Goliath\ndiffered as widely as their grandams, for in contrast to Ruth, the\npious, religious Jewess, Orpah had led a life of unspeakable infamy.\nHer son Goliath was jeered at as \"the son of a hundred fathers and one\nmother.\" (29) But God lets naught go unrewarded, even in the wicked. In\nreturn for the forty steps Orpah had accompanied her mother-in-law\nNaomi, (30) Goliath the Philistine, her son, was permitted to display\nhis strength and skill for forty days, and in return for the four tears\nOrpah had shed on parting from her mother-in-law, she was privileged to\ngive birth to four giant sons. (31)\n\nOf the four, Goliath was the strongest and greatest. What the\nScriptures tell about him is but a small fraction of what might have\nbeen told. The Scriptures refrain intentionally from expatiating upon\nthe prowess of the miscreant. Nor do they tell how Goliath, impious as\nhe was, dared challenge the God of Israel to combat with him, and how\nhe tried by every means in his power to hinder the Israelites in their\nDivine worship. Morning and evening he would appear in the camp at the\nvery time when the Israelites were preparing to say the Shema. (32)\n\nAll the more cause, then, for David to hate Goliath and determine to\nannihilate him. His father encouraged him to oppose Goliath, for he\nconsidered it David's duty to protect Saul the Benjamite against the\ngiant, as Judah, his ancestor, had in ancient days pledged himself for\nthe safety of Benjamin, the ancestor of Saul. (33) For Goliath was\nintent upon doing away with Saul. His grievance against him was that\nonce, when, in a skirmish between the Philistines and the Israelites,\nGoliath had succeeded in capturing the holy tables of the law, Saul had\nwrested them from the giant. (34) In consequence of his malady, Saul\ncould not venture to cross swords with Goliath, and he accepted David's\noffer to enter into combat in his place. David put on Saul's armor, and\nwhen it appeared that the armor of the powerfully-built king fitted the\nerstwhile slender youth, Saul recognized that David had been\npredestined for the serious task he was about to undertake, but at the\nsame time David's miraculous transformation did not fail to arouse his\njealousy. (35) David, for this reason, declined to array himself as a\nwarrior for his contest with Goliath. He wanted to meet him as a simple\nshepherd. Five pebbles came to David of their own accord, (36) and when\nhe touched them, they all turned into one pebble. (37) The five pebbles\nstood for God, the three Patriarchs, and Aaron. Hophni and Phinehas,\nthe descendants of the last, had only a short time before been killed\nby Goliath. (38)\n\nScarcely did David begin to move toward Goliath, when the giant became\nconscious of the magic power of the youth. The evil eye David cast on\nhis opponent sufficed to afflict him with leprosy, (39) and in the very\nsame instant he was rooted to the ground, unable to move. (40) Goliath\nwas so confused by his impotence that he scarcely knew what he was\nsaying, and he uttered the foolish threat that he would give David's\nflesh to the cattle of the field, as though cattle ate flesh. One can\nsee, David said to himself, that he is crazy, and there can be no doubt\nhe is doomed. (41) Sure of victory, David retorted that he would cast\nthe carcass of the Philistine to the fowls of the air. At the mention\nof fowls, Goliath raised his eyes skyward, to see whether there were\nany birds about. The upward motion of his head pushed his visor\nslightly away from his forehead, and in that instant the pebble aimed\nby David struck him on the exposed spot. (42) An angel descended and\ncast him to the ground face downward, so that the mouth that had\nblasphemed God might be choked with earth. He fell in such wise that\nthe image of Dagon which he wore on his breast touched the ground, and\nhis head came to lie between the feet of David, who now had no\ndifficulty in dispatching him. (43)\n\nGoliath was encased, from top to toe, in several suits of armor, and\nDavid did not know how to remove them and cut off the head of the\ngiant. At this juncture Uriah the Hittite offered him his services, but\nunder the condition that David secure him an Israelitish wife. David\naccepted the condition, and Uriah in turn showed him how the various\nsuits of armor were fastened together at the heels of the giant's feet.\n\nDavid's victory naturally added fuel to the fire of Saul's jealousy.\nSaul sent Abner, his general, to make inquiry whether David, who, he\nknew, was of the tribe of Judah, belonged to the clan of the Perez or\nto the clan of the Zerah. In the former case his suspicion that David\nwas destined for kingship would be confirmed. Doeg, David's enemy from\nof old, observed that David, being the descendant of the Moabitess\nRuth, did not even belong to the Jewish communion, and Saul need\nentertain no fears from that quarter. A lively discussion arose between\nAbner and Doeg, as to whether the law in Deuteronomy regarding Moabites\naffected women as well as men. Doeg, an expert dialectician,\nbrilliantly refuted all of Abner's arguments in favor of the admission\nof Moabitish women. Samuel's authority had to be appealed to in order\nto establish for all times the correctness of Abner's view. (44)\nIndeed, the dispute could be settled only by recourse to threats of\nviolence. Ithra, the father of Amasa, in Arab fashion, for which reason\nhe was sometimes called the Ishmaelite, threatened to hew down any one\nwith his sword who refused to accept Samuel's interpretation of the\nlaw, that male Moabites and male Ammonites are forever excluded from\nthe congregation of Israel, but not Moabite and Ammonite women. (45)\n\nPURSUED BY SAUL\n\nAs God stood by David in his duel with Goliath, so he stood by him in\nmany other of his difficulties. Often when he thought all hope lost,\nthe arm of God suddenly succored him, and in unexpected ways, not only\nbringing relief, but also conveying instruction on God's wise and just\nguidance of the world.\n\nDavid once said to God: \"The world is entirely beautiful and good, with\nthe one exception of insanity. What use does the world derive from a\nlunatic, who runs hither and thither, tears his clothes, and is pursued\nby a mob of hooting children?\" \"Verily, a time will come,\" said God in\nreply, \"when thou wilt supplicate me to afflict thee with madness.\"\nNow, it happened when David, on his flight before Saul, came to Achish,\nthe king of the Philistines, who lived in Gath, that the brothers of\nGoliath formed the heathen king's body-guard, and they demanded that\ntheir brother's murderer be executed. Achish, though a heathen, was\npious, for which reason he is called Abimelech in the Psalms, after the\nking of Gerar, who also was noted for piety. He therefore sought to\npacify David's enemies. He called their attention to the fact that\nGoliath had been the one to challenge the Jews to combat, and it was\nmeet, therefore, that he should be left to bear the consequences. The\nbrothers rejoined, if that view prevailed, then Achish would have to\ngive up his throne to David, for, according to the conditions of the\ncombat, the victor was to have dominion over the vanquished as his\nservants. In his distress, David besought God to let him appear a\nmadman in the eyes of Achish and his court. God granted his prayer. As\nthe wife and daughter of the Philistine king were both bereft of\nreason, we can understand his exclamation: \"Do I lack madmen, that ye\nhave brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?\" Thus it\nwas that David was rescued. Thereupon he composed the Psalm beginning\nwith the words, \"I will bless the Lord at all times,\" which includes\neven the time of lunacy. (46)\n\nOn another occasion David expressed his doubt of God's wisdom in having\nformed such apparently useless creatures as spiders are. They do\nnothing but spin a web that has no value. He was to have striking proof\nthat even a spider's web may serve an important purpose. On one\noccasion he had taken refuge in a cave, and Saul and his attendants, in\npursuit of him, were about to enter and seek him there. But God sent a\nspider to weave its web across the opening, and Saul told his men to\ndesist from fruitless search in the cave, for the spider's web was\nundeniable proof that no one had passed through its entrance. (47)\n\nSimilarly, when David became indebted to one of them for his life, he\nwas cured of his scorn for wasps. He had thought them good for nothing\nbut to breed maggots. David once surprised Saul and his attendants\nwhile they were fast asleep in their camp, and he resolved to carry\noff, as proof of his magnanimity, the cruse that stood between the feet\nof the giant Abner, who like the rest was sleeping. Fortunately his\nknees were drawn up, so that David could carry out his intention\nunhindered. But as David was retiring with the cruse, Abner stretched\nout his feet, and pinned David down as with two solid pillars. His life\nwould have been forfeit, if a wasp had not stung Abner, who\nmechanically, in his sleep, moved his feet, and released David. (48)\n\nThere were still other miracles that happened to David in his flight.\nOnce, when Saul and his men compassed David round about, an angel\nappeared and summoned him home, to repulse the raid of the Philistines\nupon the land. Saul gave up the pursuit of David, but only after a\nmajority had so decided, for some had been of the opinion that the\nseizure of David was quite as important as the repulse of the\nPhilistines. (49) Again, in his battle with the Amalekites, David\nenjoyed direct intervention from above. Lightning in flashes and sheets\nillumined the dark night, so enabling him to carry on the struggle.\n(50)\n\nWARS\n\nDavid's first thought after ascending the throne was to wrest\nJerusalem, sacred since the days of Adam, Noah, and Abraham, from the\ngrasp of the heathen. The plan was not easy of execution for various\nreasons. The Jebusites, the possessors of Jerusalem, were the posterity\nof those sons of Heth who had ceded the Cave of Machpelah to Abraham\nonly on condition that their descendants should never be forcibly\ndispossessed of their capital city Jerusalem. In perpetuation of this\nagreement between Abraham and the sons of Heth, monuments of brass were\nerected, and when David approached Jerusalem with hostile intent, the\nJebusites pointed to Abraham's promise engraven upon them and still\nplainly to be read. (51) They maintained that before David could take\nthe city, which they had surrounded with a high wall, he would have to\ndestroy the monuments. Joab devised a plan of getting into Jerusalem.\nHe set up a tall cypress tree near the wall, bent it downward, and\nstanding on David's head, he grasped the very tip of the tree. When the\ntree rebounded, Joab sat high above the wall, and could jump down upon\nit. Once in the city, he destroyed the monuments, and possessed himself\nof Jerusalem. (52) For David a miracle had happened; the wall had\nlowered itself before him so that he could walk into the city without\ndifficulty. David, however, was not desirous of using forcible means.\nHe therefore offered the Jebusites six hundred shekels, fifty shekels\nfor each Israelitish tribe. The Jebusites accepted the money, and gave\nDavid a bill of sale. (53)\n\nJerusalem having been acquired, David had to prepare for war with the\nPhilistines, in which the king gave proof at once of his heroic courage\nand his unshakable trust in God. The latter quality he displayed\nsignally in the battle that took place in the Valley of the Giants. God\nhad commanded David not to attack the host of the Philistines until he\nheard \"the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees.\" God\ndesired to pass judgment upon the tutelary angels of the heathen,\nbefore surrendering the heathen themselves to the pious, (54) and the\nmotion of the tops of the trees was to indicate that the battle could\nproceed. The enemy advanced until there were but four ells between them\nand the Israelites. The latter were about to throw themselves against\nthe Philistines, but David restrained them, saying: \"God forbade me to\nattack the Philistines before the tops of the trees begin to move. If\nwe transgress God's command, we shall certainly die. If we delay, it is\nprobable that we shall be killed by the Philistines, but, at least, we\nshall die as pious men that keep God's command. Above all, let us have\nconfidence in God.\" Scarcely had he ended his speech when the tops of\nthe trees rustled, and David made a successful assault upon the\nPhilistines. Whereupon God said to the angels, who were constantly\nquestioning him as to why he had taken the royal dignity from Saul and\ngiven it to David: \"See the difference between Saul and David.\" (55)\n\nOf David's other campaigns, the most notable is his war with Shobach\nthe Aramean, whom he conquered in spite of his gigantic size and\nstrength. Shobach was very tall, as tall as a dove-cote, and one look\nat him sufficed to strike terror to the heart of the beholder. (56) The\nAramean general indulged in the belief that David would treat the\nSyrians gently on account of the monument, still in existence at that\ntime, which Jacob and Laban had erected on the frontier between\nPalestine and Aram as a sign of their covenant that neither they nor\ntheir descendants should wage war with each other. But David destroyed\nthe monument. (57) Similarly, the Philistines had placed trust in a\nrelic from Isaac, the bridle of a mule which the Patriarch had given to\nAbimelech, the king of the Philistines, as a pledge of the covenant\nbetween Israel and his people. David took it from them by force. (58)\n\nHowever, David was as just as he was bold. Disregard of the covenants\nmade by the Patriarchs was far removed from his thoughts. Indeed,\nbefore departing for the wars with the Arameans and the Philistines, he\nhad charged the Sanhedrin to investigate carefully the claims of the\ntwo nations. The claims of the Philistines were shown to be utterly\nunfounded. In no sense were they the descendants of those Philistines\nwho had concluded a treaty with Isaac; they had immigrated from Cyprus\nat a much later date. The Arameans, on the other hand, had forfeited\ntheir claims upon considerate treatment, because under the \"Aramean\"\nBalaam, and later again, in the time of Othniel, under their king\nCushan-rishathaim, they had attacked and made war upon the Israelites.\n(59)\n\nAHITHOPHEL\n\nAmong David's courtiers and attendants, a prominent place is occupied\nby his counsellor Ahithophel, (60) with whom the king was connected by\nfamily ties, Bath-sheba being his granddaughter. (61) Ahithophel's\nwisdom was supernatural, for his counsels always coincided with the\noracles rendered by the Urim and Thummim, and great as was his wisdom,\nit was equalled by his scholarship. Therefore David did not hesitate to\nsubmit himself to his instruction, (62) even though Ahithophel was a\nvery young man, at the time of his death not more than thirty-three\nyears old. (63) The one thing lacking in him was sincere piety, (64)\nand this it was that proved his undoing in the end, for it induced him\nto take part in Absalom's rebellion against David. Thus he forfeited\neven his share in the world to come. (65)\n\nTo this dire course of action he was misled by astrologic and other\nsigns, which he interpreted as prophecies of his own kingship, when in\nreality they pointed to the royal destiny of his granddaughter\nBath-sheba. (66) Possessed by his erroneous belief, he cunningly urged\nAbsalom to commit an unheard-of crime. Thus Absalom would profit\nnothing by his rebellion, for, though he accomplished his father's\nruin, he would yet be held to account and condemned to death for his\nviolation of family purity, and the way to the throne would be clear\nfor Ahithophel, the great sage in Israel. (67)\n\nThe relation between David and Ahithophel had been somewhat strained\neven before Absalom's rebellion. Ahithophel's feelings had been hurt by\nhis being passed over at the time when David, shortly after ascending\nthe throne, invested, on a single day, no less than ninety thousand\nfunctionaries with positions.\n\nOn that day a remarkable incident occurred. When the Ark was to be\nbrought up from Geba to Jerusalem, the priests who attempted to take\nhold of it were raised up in the air and thrown violently to the\nground. In his despair the king turned for advice to Ahithophel, who\nretorted mockingly: \"Ask thy wise men whom thou hast but now installed\nin office.\" It was only when David uttered a curse on him who knows a\nremedy and withholds it from the sufferer, that Ahithophel advised that\na sacrifice should be offered at every step taken by the priests.\nAlthough the measure proved efficacious, and no further disaster\noccurred in connection with the Ark, yet Ahithophel's words had been\ninsincere. He knew the real reason of the misadventure, and concealed\nit from the king. Instead of following the law of having the Ark\ncarried on the shoulders of priests, David had had it put on a wagon,\nand so incurred the wrath of God. (68)\n\nAhithophel's hostility toward David showed itself also on the following\noccasion. When David was digging the foundations of the Temple, a shard\nwas found at a depth of fifteen hundred cubits. David was about to lift\nit, when the shard exclaimed: \"Thou canst not do it.\" \"Why not?\" asked\nDavid. \"Because I rest upon the abyss.\" \"Since when?\" \"Since the hour\nin which the voice of God was heard to utter the words from Sinai, 'I\nam the Lord thy God,' causing the earth to quake and sink into the\nabyss. I lie here to cover up the abyss.\" Nevertheless David lifted the\nshard, and the waters of the abyss rose and threatened to flood the\nearth. Ahithophel was standing by, and he thought to himself: \"Now\nDavid will meet with his death, and I shall be king.\" Just then David\nsaid: \"Whoever knows how to stem the tide of waters, and fails to do\nit, will one day throttle himself.\" (69) Thereupon Ahithophel had the\nName of God inscribed upon the shard, and the shard thrown into the\nabyss. The waters at once commenced to subside, but they sank to so\ngreat a depth that David feared the earth might lose her moisture, and\nhe began to sing the fifteen \"Songs of Ascents,\" to bring the waters up\nagain. (70)\n\nNevertheless David's curse was realized. Ahithophel ended his days by\nhanging himself. His last will contained the following three rules of\nconduct: (71) 1. Refrain from doing aught against a favorite of\nfortune. 2. Take heed not to rise up against the royal house of David.\n3. If the Feast of Pentecost falls on a sunny day, then sow wheat. (72)\n\nPosterity has been favored with the knowledge of but a small part of\nAhithophel's wisdom, and that little through two widely different\nsources, through Socrates, (73) who was his disciple, and through a\nfortune-book written by him. (74)\n\nJOAB\n\nJoab, the warrior, was a contrast to Ahithophel in every essential. He\nwas David's right hand. It was said, if Joab had not been there to\nconduct his wars, David would not have had leisure to devote himself to\nthe study of the Torah. He was the model of a true Jewish hero,\ndistinguished at the same time for his learning, piety, and goodness.\nHis house stood wide open for all comers, and the campaigns which he\nundertook redounded invariably to the benefit of the people. They were\nindebted to him for luxuries even, (75) and more than that, he took\nthought for the welfare of scholars, he himself being the president of\nthe Sanhedrin. (76)\n\nIt interested Joab to analyze the character of men and their opinions.\nWhen he heard King David's words: \"Like as a father pitieth his\nchildren, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him,\" he expressed his\nastonishment that the comparison should be made with the love of a\nfather for a child, and not with the love of a mother; mother love as a\nrule is considered the stronger and the more self-sacrificing. He made\nup his mind to keep his eyes open, and observe whether David's idea was\nborne out by facts. On one of his journeys he happened into the house\nof a poor old man who had twelve children, all of whom the father\nsupported, however meagrely, with the toil of his own hands. Joab\nproposed that he sell him one of the twelve children; he would thus be\nrelieved of the care of one, and the selling-price could be applied to\nthe better support of the rest. The good father rejected the\nproposition brusquely. Then Joab approached the mother, offering her a\nhundred gold denarii for one of the children. At first she resisted the\ntemptation, but finally she yielded. When the father returned in the\nevening, he cut the bread, as was his wont, into fourteen pieces, for\nhimself, his wife, and his twelve children. In allotting the portions\nhe missed a child, and insisted upon being told its fate. The mother\nconfessed what had happened during his absence. He neither ate nor\ndrank, and next morning he set out, firmly resolved to return the money\nto Joab and to slay him if he should refuse to surrender the child.\nAfter much parleying, and after the father had threatened him with\ndeath, Joab yielded the child to the old man, with the exclamation:\n\"Yes, David was right when he compared God's love for men to a father's\nlove for his child. This poor fellow who has twelve children to support\nwas prepared to fight me to the death for one of them, which the\nmother, who calmly stayed at home, had sold to me for a price.\"\n\nAmong all the heroic achievements of Joab, the most remarkable is the\ntaking of the Amalekite capital. For six months the flower of the\nIsraelitish army, twelve thousand in number, under the leadership of\nJoab, had been besieging the capital city of the Amalekites without\nresult. The soldiers made representations to their general, that it\nwould be well for them to return home to their wives and children. Joab\nurged that this not only would earn for them contempt and derision, but\nalso would invite new danger. The heathen would be encouraged to unite\nagainst the Israelites. He proposed that they hurl him into the city by\nmeans of a sling, and then wait forty days. If at the end of this\nperiod they saw blood flow from the gates of the fortress, it should be\na sign to them that he was still alive.\n\nHis plan was executed. Joab took with him one thousand pieces of money\nand his sword. When he was cast from the sling, he fell into the\ncourtyard of a widow, whose daughter caught him up. In a little while\nhe regained consciousness. He pretended to be an Amalekite taken\nprisoner by the Israelites, and thrown into the city by his captors,\nwho thus wished to inflict death. As he was provided with money, which\nhe dispensed lavishly among his entertainers, he was received kindly,\nand was given the Amalekite garb. So apparelled, he ventured, after ten\ndays, on a tour of inspection through the city, which he found to be of\nenormous size.\n\nHis first errand was to an armorer, to have him mend his sword, which\nhad been broken by his fall. When the artisan scanned Joab's weapon, he\nstarted back\u2014he had never seen a sword like it. He forged a new one,\nwhich snapped in two almost at once when Joab grasped it firmly. So it\nhappened with a second sword, and with a third. Finally he succeeded in\nfashioning one that was acceptable. Joab asked the smith whom he would\nlike him to slay with the sword, and the reply was, \"Joab, the general\nof the Israelitish king.\" \"I am he,\" said Joab, and when the smith in\nastonishment turned to look at him, Joab ran him through so skillfully\nthat the victim had no realization of what was happening. Thereupon he\nhewed down five hundred Amalekite warriors whom he met on his way, and\nnot one escaped to betray him. The rumor arose that Asmodeus, the king\nof demons, was raging among the inhabitants of the city, and slaying\nthem in large numbers.\n\nAfter another period of ten days, which he spent in retirement with his\nhosts, Joab sallied forth a second time, and caused such bloodshed\namong the Amalekites that his gory weapon clave to his hand, and his\nright hand lost all power of independent motion, it could be made to\nmove only in a piece with his arm. He hastened to his lodging place to\napply hot water to his hand and free it from the sword. On his way\nthither the woman who had caught him up when he fell into the city\ncalled to him: \"Thou eatest and drinkest with us, yet thou slayest our\nwarriors.\" Seeing himself betrayed, he could not but kill the woman.\nScarcely had his sword touched her, when it was separated from his\nhand, and his hand could move freely, for the dead woman had been with\nchild, and the blood of the unborn babe loosed the sword.\n\nAfter Joab had slain thousands, the Israelites without, at the very\nmoment when they were beginning to mourn their general as dead, saw\nblood issue from the city, and joyfully they cried out with one accord:\n\"Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.\" Joab mounted a\nhigh tower, and in stentorian tones shouted: \"The Lord will not forsake\nhis people.\" Inspired with high and daring courage, the Israelites\ndemanded permission to assault the city and capture it. As Joab turned\nto descend from the tower, he noticed that six verses of a Psalm were\ninscribed on his foot, the first verse running thus: \"The Lord answers\nthee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob is thy\ndefense.\" Later David added three verses and completed the Psalm.\nThereupon the Israelites took the Amalekite capital, destroyed the\nheathen temples in the city, and slew all its inhabitants, except the\nking, whom, with his crown of pure gold on his head, they brought\nbefore David. (77)\n\nDAVID'S PIETY AND HIS SIN\n\nNeither his great achievements in war nor his remarkable good fortune\nmoved David from his pious ways, or in aught changed his mode of life.\nEven after he became king he sat at the feet of his teachers, Ira the\nJairite (78) and Mephibosheth. To the latter he always submitted his\ndecisions on religious questions, to make sure that they were in\naccordance with law. (79) Whatever leisure time his royal duties\nafforded him, he spent in study and prayer. He contented himself with\n\"sixty breaths\" of sleep. (80) At midnight the strings of his harp,\n(81) which were made of the gut of the ram sacrificed by Abraham on\nMount Moriah, (82) began to vibrate. The sound they emitted awakened\nDavid, and he would arise at once to devote himself to the study of the\nTorah. (83)\n\nBesides study, the composition of psalms naturally claimed a goodly\nportion of his time. Pride filled his heart when he had completed the\nPsalter, and he exclaimed: \"O Lord of the world, is there another\ncreature in the universe who like me proclaims thy praise?\" A frog came\nup to the king, and said: \"Be not so proud; I have composed more psalms\nthan thou, and, besides, every psalm my mouth has uttered I have\naccompanied with three thousand parables.\" (84) And, truly, if David\nindulged in conceit, it was only for a moment. As a rule he was the\nexemplar of modesty. The coins which were stamped by him bore a\nshepherd's crook and pouch on the obverse, and on the reverse the Tower\nof David. (85) In other respects, too, his bearing was humble, as\nthough he were still the shepherd and not the king. (86)\n\nHis great piety invested his prayer with such efficacy that he could\nbring things in heaven down to earth. (87) It is natural that so godly\na king should have used the first respite granted by his wars to carry\nout his design of erecting a house of worship to God. But in the very\nnight in which David conceived the plan of building the Temple, God\nsaid to Nathan the prophet: \"Hasten to David. I know him to be a man\nwith whom execution follows fast upon the heels of thought, and I\nshould not like him to hire laborers for the Temple work, and then,\ndisappointed, complain of me. I furthermore know him to be a man who\nobligates himself by vows to do good deeds, and I desire to spare him\nthe embarrassment of having to apply to the Sanhedrin for absolution\nfrom his vow.\" (88)\n\nWhen David heard Nathan's message for him, he began to tremble, and he\nsaid: \"Ah, verily, God hath found me unworthy to erect His sanctuary.\"\nBut God replied with these words: \"Nay, the blood shed by thee I\nconsider as sacrificial blood, but I do not care to have thee build the\nTemple, because then it would be eternal and indestructible.\" \"But that\nwould be excellent,\" said David. Whereupon the reply was vouchsafed\nhim: \"I foresee that Israel will commit sins. I shall wreak My wrath\nupon the Temple, and Israel will be saved from annihilation. However,\nthy good intentions shall receive their due reward. The Temple, though\nit be built by Solomon, shall be called thine.\" (89)\n\nDavid's thinking and planning were wholly given to what is good and\nnoble. He is one of the few pious men over whom the evil inclination\nhad no power. (90) By nature he was not disposed to commit such\nevil-doing as his relation to Bath-sheba involved. God Himself brought\nhim to his crime, that He might say to other sinners: \"Go to David and\nlearn how to repent.\" (91) Nor, indeed, may David be charged with gross\nmurder and adultery. There were extenuating circumstances. In those\ndays it was customary for warriors to give their wives bills of\ndivorce, which were to have validity only if the soldier husbands did\nnot return at the end of the campaign. Uriah having fallen in battle,\nBath-sheba was a regularly divorced woman. As for the death of her\nhusband, it cannot be laid entirely at David's door, for Uriah had\nincurred the death penalty by his refusal to take his ease in his own\nhouse, according to the king's bidding. (92) Moreover, from the first,\nBath-sheba had been destined by God for David, but by way of punishment\nfor having lightly promised Uriah the Hittite an Israelitish woman to\nwife, in return for his aid in unfastening the armor of the prostrate\nGoliath, the king had to undergo bitter trials before he won her. (93)\n\nFurthermore, the Bath-sheba episode was a punishment for David's\nexcessive self-consciousness. He had fairly besought God to lead him\ninto temptation, that he might give proof of his constancy. It came\nabout thus: He once complained to God: \"O Lord of the world, why do\npeople say God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, and why not God\nof David?\" The answer came: \"Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were tried by\nme, but thou hast not yet been proved.\" David entreated: \"Then examine\nme, O Lord, and try me.\" And God said: \"I shall prove thee, and I shall\neven grant thee what I did not grant the Patriarchs. I shall tell thee\nbeforehand that thou wilt fall into temptation through a woman.\"\n\nOnce Satan appeared to him in the shape of a bird. David threw a dart\nat him. Instead of striking Satan, it glanced off and broke a wicker\nscreen which hid Bath-sheba combing her hair. The sight of her aroused\npassion in the king. (94) David realized his transgression, and for\ntwenty-two years he was a penitent. Daily he wept a whole hour and ate\nhis \"bread with ashes.\" (95) But he had to undergo still heavier\npenance. For a half-year he suffered with leprosy, and even the\nSanhedrin, which usually was in close personal attendance upon him, had\nto leave him. He lived not only in physical, but also in spiritual\nisolation, for the Shekinah departed from him during that time. (96)\n\nABSALOM'S REBELLION\n\nOf all the punishments, however, inflicted upon David, none was so\nsevere as the rebellion of his own son.\n\nAbsalom was of such gigantic proportions that a man who was himself of\nextraordinary size, standing in the eye-socket of his skull, sank in\ndown to his nose. (97) As for his marvellous hair, the account of it in\nthe Bible does not convey a notion of its abundance. Absalom had taken\nthe vow of a Nazarite. As his vow was for life, and because the growth\nof his hair was particularly heavy, the law permitted him to clip it\nslightly every week. (98) It was of this small quantity that the weight\namounted to two hundred shekels.\n\nAbsalom arranged for his audacious rebellion with great cunning. He\nsecured a letter from his royal father empowering him to select two\nelders for his suite in every town he visited. With this document he\ntravelled through the whole of Palestine. In each town he went to the\ntwo most distinguished men, and invited them to accompany him, at the\nsame time showing them what his father had written, and assuring them\nthat they had been chosen by him because he had a particular affection\nfor them. So he succeeded in gathering the presidents of two hundred\ncourts about him. This having been accomplished, he arranged a large\nbanquet, at which he seated one of his emissaries between every two of\nhis guests, for the purpose of winning them over to his cause. The plan\ndid not succeed wholly, for, though the elders of the towns stood by\nAbsalom, in their hearts they hoped for David's victory. (99)\n\nThe knowledge that a part of Absalom's following sided with him in\nsecret,\u2014that, though he was pursued by his son, his friends remained\ntrue to him,\u2014somewhat consoled David in his distress. He thought that\nin these circumstances, if the worst came to the worst, Absalom would\nat least feel pity for him. (100) At first, however, the despair of\nDavid knew no bounds. He was on the point of worshipping an idol, when\nhis friend Hushai the Archite approached him, saying: \"The people will\nwonder that such a king should serve idols.\" David replied: \"Should a\nking such as I am be killed by his own son? It is better for me to\nserve idols than that God should be held responsible for my misfortune,\nand His Name thus be desecrated.\" Hushai reproached him: \"Why didst\nthou marry a captive?\" \"There is no wrong in that,\" replied David, \"it\nis permitted according to the law.\" Thereupon Hushai: \"But thou didst\ndisregard the connection between the passage permitting it and the one\nthat follows almost immediately after it in the Scriptures, dealing\nwith the disobedient and rebellious son, the natural issue of such a\nmarriage.\" (101)\n\nHushai was not the only faithful friend and adherent David had. Some\ncame to his rescue unexpectedly, as, for instance, Shobi, the son of\nNahash, who is identical with the Ammonite king Hanun, the enemy of\nDavid at first, and later his ally. (102) Barzillai, another one of his\nfriends in need, also surprised him by his loyalty, for on the whole\nhis moral attitude was not the highest conceivable. (103)\n\nAbsalom's end was beset with terrors. When he was caught in the\nbranches of the oak-tree, he was about to sever his hair with a sword\nstroke, but suddenly he saw hell yawning beneath him, and he preferred\nto hang in the tree to throwing himself into the abyss alive. (104)\nAbsalom's crime was, indeed, of a nature to deserve the supreme\ntorture, for which reason he is one of the few Jews who have no portion\nin the world to come. (105) His abode is in hell, where he is charged\nwith the control of ten heathen nations in the second division.\nWhenever the avenging angels sit in judgment on the nations, they\ndesire to visit punishment on Absalom, too, but each time a heavenly\nvoice is heard to call out: \"Do not chastise him, do not burn him. He\nis an Israelite, the son of My servant David.\" Whereupon Absalom is set\nupon his throne, and is accorded the treatment due to a king. (106)\nThat the extreme penalties of hell were thus averted from him, was on\naccount of David's eightfold repetition of his son's name in his lament\nover him. Besides, David's intercession had the effect of re-attaching\nAbsalom's severed head to his body. (107)\n\nAt his death Absalom was childless, for all his children, his three\nsons and his daughter, died before him, as a punishment for his having\nset fire to a field of grain belonging to Joab. (108)\n\nDAVID'S ATONEMENT\n\nAll these sufferings did not suffice to atone for David's sin. God once\nsaid to him: \"How much longer shall this sin be hidden in thy hand and\nremain unatoned? On thy account the priestly city of Nob was destroyed,\n(109) on thy account Doeg the Edomite was cast out of the communion of\nthe pious, and on thy account Saul and his three sons were slain. What\ndost thou desire now\u2014that thy house should perish, or that thou thyself\nshouldst be delivered into the hands of thine enemies?\" David chose the\nlatter doom.\n\nIt happened one day when he was hunting, Satan, in the guise of a deer,\nenticed him further and further, into the very territory of the\nPhilistines, where he was recognized by Ishbi the giant, the brother of\nGoliath, his adversary. Desirous of avenging his brother, he seized\nDavid, and cast him into a winepress, where the king would have\nsuffered a torturous end, if by a miracle the earth beneath him had not\nbegun to sink, and so saved him from instantaneous death. His plight,\nhowever, remained desperate, and it required a second miracle to rescue\nhim.\n\nIn that hour Abishai, the cousin of David, was preparing for the advent\nof the Sabbath, for the king's misfortune happened on Friday as the\nSabbath was about to come in. When Abishai poured out water to wash\nhimself, he suddenly caught sight of drops of blood in it. Then he was\nstartled by a dove that came to him plucking out her plumes, and\nmoaning and wailing. Abishai exclaimed: \"The dove is the symbol of the\npeople of Israel. It cannot be but that David, the king of Israel, is\nin distress.\" Not finding the king at home, he was confirmed in his\nfears, and he determined to go on a search for David on the swiftest\nanimal at his command, the king's own saddle-beast. But first he had to\nobtain the permission of the sages to mount the animal ridden by the\nking, for the law forbids a subject to avail himself of things set\naside for the personal use of a king. Only the impending danger could\njustify the exception made in this case.\n\nScarcely had Abishai mounted the king's animal, when he found himself\nin the land of the Philistines, for the earth had contracted\nmiraculously. He met Orpah, the mother of the four giant sons. She was\nabout to kill him, but he anticipated the blow and slew her. Ishbi,\nseeing that he now had two opponents, stuck his lance into the ground,\nand hurled David up in the air, in the expectation that when he fell he\nwould be transfixed by the lance. At that moment Abishai appeared, and\nby pronouncing the Name of God he kept David suspended 'twixt heaven\nand earth.\n\nAbishai questioned David how such evil plight had overtaken him, and\nDavid told him of his conversation with God, and how he himself had\nchosen to fall into the hands of the enemy, rather than permit the ruin\nof his house. Abishai replied: \"Reverse thy prayer, plead for thyself,\nand not for thy descendants. Let thy children sell wax, and do thou not\nafflict thyself about their destiny.\" The two men joined their prayers,\nand pleaded with God to avert David's threatening doom. Abishai again\nuttered the Name of God, and David dropped to earth uninjured. Now both\nof them ran away swiftly, pursued by Ishbi. When the giant heard of his\nmother's death, his strength forsook him, and he was slain by David and\nAbishai. (110)\n\nVISITATIONS\n\nAmong the sorrows of David are the visitations that came upon Palestine\nduring his reign, and he felt them all the more as he had incurred them\nthrough his own fault. There was first the famine, which was so\ndesolating that it is counted among the ten severest that are to happen\nfrom the time of Adam to the time of the Messiah. (111) During the\nfirst year that it prevailed, David had an investigation set on foot to\ndiscover whether idolatry was practiced in the land, and was keeping\nback the rain. His suspicion proved groundless. The second year he\nlooked into the moral conditions of his realm, for lewdness can bring\nabout the same punishment as idolatry. Again he was proved wrong. The\nthird year, he turned his attention to the administration of charity.\nPerhaps the people had incurred guilt in this respect, for abuses in\nthis department also were visited with the punishment of famine. (112)\nAgain his search was fruitless, and he turned to God to inquire of Him\nthe cause of the public distress. God's reply was: \"Was not Saul a king\nanointed with holy oil, did he not abolish idolatry, is he not the\ncompanion of Samuel in Paradise? Yet, while you all dwell in the land\nof Israel, he is 'outside of the land.'\" David, accompanied by the\nscholars and the nobles of his kingdom, at once repaired to\nJabesh-gilead, disinterred the remains of Saul and Jonathan, and in\nsolemn procession bore them through the whole land of Israel to the\ninheritance of the tribe of Benjamin. There they were buried. The\ntributes of affection paid by the people of Israel to its dead king\naroused the compassion of God, and the famine came to an end. (113)\n\nThe sin against Saul was now absolved, but there still remained Saul's\nown guilt in his dealings with the Gibeonites, who charged him with\nhaving killed seven of their number. David asked God why He had\npunished His people on account of proselytes. God's answer to him was:\n\"If thou dost not bring near them that are far off, thou wilt remove\nthem that are near by.\" To satisfy their vengeful feelings, the\nGibeonites demanded the life of seven members of Saul's family. David\nsought to mollify them, representing to them that they would derive no\nbenefit from the death of their victims, and offering them silver and\ngold instead. But though David treated with each one of them\nindividually, the Gibeonites were relentless. When he realized their\nhardness of heart, he cried out: \"Three qualities God gave unto Israel;\nthey are compassionate, chaste, and gracious in the service of their\nfellow-men. The first of these qualities the Gibeonites do not possess,\nand therefore they must be excluded from communion with Israel.\" (114)\n\nThe seven descendants of Saul to be surrendered to the Gibeonites were\ndetermined by letting all his posterity pass by the Ark of the law.\nThose who were arrested before it were the designated victims.\nMephibosheth would have been one of the unfortunates, had he not been\npermitted to pass by unchecked in answer to the prayer of David, (115)\nto whom he was dear, not only as the son of his friend Jonathan, but\nalso as the teacher who instructed him in the Torah. (116)\n\nThe cruel fate that befell the descendants of Saul had a wholesome\neffect. All the heathen who saw and heard exclaimed: \"There is no God\nlike unto the God of Israel, there is no nation like unto the nation of\nIsrael; the wrong inflicted upon wretched proselytes has been expiated\nby the sons of kings.\" So great was the enthusiasm among the heathen\nover this manifestation of the Jewish sense of justice that one hundred\nand fifty thousand of them were converted to Judaism. (117)\n\nAs for David, his wrong in connection with the famine lay in his not\nhaving applied his private wealth to the amelioration of the people's\nsuffering. When David returned victorious from the combat with Goliath,\nthe women of Israel gave him their gold and silver ornaments. He put\nthem aside for use in building the Temple, and even during the three\nyears' famine this fund was not touched. God said: \"Thou didst refrain\nfrom rescuing human beings from death, in order to save thy money for\nthe Temple. Verily, the Temple shall not be built by thee, but by\nSolomon.\" (118)\n\nDavid is still more blameworthy on account of the census which he took\nof the Israelites in defiance of the law in the Pentateuch. When he was\ncharged by the king with the task of numbering the people, Joab used\nevery effort to turn him away from his intention. But in vain.\nIncensed, David said: \"Either thou art king and I am the general, or I\nam king and thou art the general.\" Joab had no choice but to obey. He\nselected the tribe of Gad as the first to be counted, because he\nthought that the Gadites, independent and self-willed, would hinder the\nexecution of the royal order, and David would be forced to give up his\nplan of taking a census. The Gadites disappointed the expectations of\nJoab, and he betook himself to the tribe of Dan, hoping that if God's\npunishment descended, it would strike the idolatrous Danites. Disliking\nhis mission as he did, Joab spent nine months in executing it, though\nhe might have dispatched it in a much shorter time. Nor did he carry\nout the king's orders to the letter. He himself warned the people of\nthe census. If he saw the father of a family of five sons, he would bid\nhim conceal a few of them. Following the example set by Moses, he\nomitted the Levites from the enumeration, likewise the tribe of\nBenjamin, because he entertained particularly grave apprehensions in\nbehalf of this greatly decimated tribe. (119) In the end, David was not\ninformed of the actual number obtained. Joab made two lists, intending\nto give the king a partial list if he found that he had no suspicion of\nthe ruse. (120)\n\nThe prophet Gad came to David and gave him the choice of famine,\noppression by enemies, or the plague, as the penalty for the heavy\ncrime of popular census-taking. David was in the position of a sick man\nwho is asked whether he prefers to be buried next to his father or next\nto his mother. The king considered: \"If I choose the calamities of war,\nthe people will say, 'He cares little, he has his warriors to look to.'\nIf I choose famine, they will say, 'He cares little, he has his riches\nto look to.' I shall choose the plague, whose scourge strikes all\nalike.\" (121) Although the plague raged but a very short time, (122) it\nclaimed a large number of victims. The most serious loss was the death\nof Abishai, whose piety and learning made him the counterpoise of a\nhost of seventy-five thousand. (123)\n\nDavid raised his eyes on high, and he saw the sins of Israel heaped up\nfrom earth to heaven. In the same moment an angel descended, and slew\nhis four sons, the prophet Gad, and the elders who accompanied him.\nDavid's terror at this sight, which was but increased when the angel\nwiped his dripping sword on the king's garments, settled in his limbs,\nand from that day on they never ceased to tremble. (124)\n\nTHE DEATH OF DAVID\n\nDavid once besought God to tell him when he would die. His petition was\nnot granted, for God has ordained that no man shall foreknow his end.\nOne thing, however, was revealed to David, that his death would occur\nat the age of seventy on the Sabbath day. David desired that he might\nbe permitted to die on Friday. This wish, too, was denied him, because\nGod said that He delighted more in one day passed by David in the study\nof the Torah, than in a thousand holocausts offered by Solomon in the\nTemple. Then David petitioned that life might be vouchsafed him until\nSunday; this, too, was refused, because God said it would be an\ninfringement of the rights of Solomon, for one reign may not overlap by\na hairbreadth the time assigned to another. Thereafter David spent\nevery Sabbath exclusively in the study of the Torah, in order to secure\nhimself against the Angel of Death, who has no power to slay a man\nwhile he is occupied with the fulfillment of God's commandments. The\nAngel of Death had to resort to cunning to gain possession of David.\n(125) One Sabbath day, which happened to be also the Pentecost holiday,\n(126) the king was absorbed in study, when he heard a sound in the\ngarden. He rose and descended the stairway leading from his palace to\nthe garden, to discover the cause of the noise. No sooner had he set\nfoot on the steps than they tumbled in, and David was killed. The Angel\nof Death had caused the noise in order to utilize the moment when David\nshould interrupt his study.  The king's corpse could not be moved on\nthe Sabbath, which was painful to those with him, as it was lying\nexposed to the rays of the sun. So Solomon summoned several eagles, and\nthey stood guard over the body, shading it with their outstretched\npinions. (127)\n\nDAVID IN PARADISE\n\nThe death of David did not mean the end of his glory and grandeur. It\nmerely caused a change of scene. In the heavenly realm as on earth\nDavid ranks among the first. The crown upon his head outshines all\nothers, and whenever he moves out of Paradise to present himself before\nGod, suns, stars, angels, seraphim, and other holy beings run to meet\nhim. In the heavenly court-room a throne of fire of gigantic dimensions\nis erected for him directly opposite to the throne of God. Seated on\nthis throne and surrounded by the kings of the house of David and other\nIsraelitish kings, he intones wondrously beautiful psalms. At the end\nhe always cites the verse: \"The Lord reigns forever and ever,\" to which\nthe archangel Metatron and those with him reply: \"Holy, holy, holy, is\nthe Lord of hosts!\" This is the signal for the holy Hayyot and heaven\nand earth to join in with praise. Finally the kings of the house of\nDavid sing the verse: \"And the Lord shall be king over all; in that day\nshall the Lord be one, and His name one.\" (128)\n\nThe greatest distinction to be accorded David is reserved for the\njudgment day, when God will prepare a great banquet in Paradise for all\nthe righteous. At David's petition, God Himself will be present at the\nbanquet, and will sit on His throne, opposite to which David's throne\nwill be placed. At the end of the banquet, God will pass the wine cup\nover which grace is said, to Abraham, with the words: \"Pronounce the\nblessing over the wine, thou who art the father of the pious of the\nworld.\" Abraham will reply: \"I am not worthy to pronounce the blessing,\nfor I am the father also of the Ishmaelites, who kindle God's wrath.\"\nGod will then turn to Isaac: \"Say the blessing, for thou wert bound\nupon the altar as a sacrifice.\" \"I am not worthy,\" he will reply, \"for\nthe children of my son Esau destroyed the Temple.\" Then to Jacob: \"Do\nthou speak the blessing, thou whose children were blameless.\" Jacob\nalso will decline the honor on the ground that he was married to two\nsisters at the same time, which later was strictly prohibited by the\nTorah. God will then turn to Moses: \"Say the blessing, for thou didst\nreceive the law and didst fulfil its precepts.\" Moses will answer: \"I\nam not worthy to do it, seeing that I was not found worthy to enter the\nHoly Land.\" God will next offer the honor to Joshua, who both led\nIsrael into the Holy Land, and fulfilled the commandments of the law.\nHe, too, will refuse to pronounce the blessing, because he was not\nfound worthy to bring forth a son. Finally God will turn to David with\nthe words: \"Take the cup and say the blessing, thou the sweetest singer\nin Israel and Israel's king. And David will reply: 'Yes, I will\npronounce the blessing, for I am worthy of the honor.'\" (129) Then God\nwill take the Torah and read various passages from it, and David will\nrecite a psalm in which both the pious in Paradise and the wicked in\nhell will join with a loud Amen. Thereupon God will send his angels to\nlead the wicked from hell to Paradise. (130)\n\nTHE FAMILY OF DAVID\n\nDavid had six wives, including Michal, the daughter of Saul, who is\ncalled by the pet name Eglah, \"Calfkin,\" in the list given in the Bible\nnarrative. (131) Michal was of entrancing beauty, (132) and at the same\ntime the model of a loving wife. Not only did she save David out of the\nhands of her father, but also, when Saul, as her father and her king,\ncommanded her to marry another man, she acquiesced only apparently. She\nentered into a mock marriage in order not to arouse the anger of Saul,\nwho had annulled her union with David on grounds which he thought\nlegal. Michal was good as well as beautiful; she showed such\nextraordinary kindness to the orphan children of her sister Merab that\nthe Bible speaks of the five sons of Michal \"whom she bore to Adriel.\"\nAdriel, however, was her brother-in-law and not her husband, but she\nhad raised his children, treating them as though they were her own.\n(133) Michal was no less a model of piety. Although the law exempted\nher, as a woman, from the duty, still she executed the commandment of\nusing phylacteries. (134) In spite of all these virtues, she was\nseverely punished by God for her scorn of David, whom she reproached\nwith lack of dignity, when he had in mind only to do honor to God. Long\nshe remained childless, and at last, when she was blessed with a child,\nshe lost her own life in giving birth to it. (135)\n\nBut the most important among the wives of David was Abigail, in whom\nbeauty, wisdom, and prophetical gifts were joined. With Sarah, Rahab,\nand Esther, she forms the quartet of the most beautiful women in\nhistory. She was so bewitching that passion was aroused in men by the\nmere thought of her. (136) Her cleverness showed itself during her\nfirst meeting with David, when, though anxious about the life of her\nhusband Nabal, she still, with the utmost tranquility, put a ritual\nquestion to him in his rage. He refused to answer it, because, he said,\nit was a question to be investigated by day, not by night. Thereupon\nAbigail interposed, that sentence of death likewise may be passed upon\na man only during the day. Even if David's judgment were right, the law\nrequired him to wait until daybreak to execute it upon Nabal. David's\nobjection, that a rebel like Nabal had no claim upon due process of\nlaw, she overruled with the words: \"Saul is still alive, and thou art\nnot yet acknowledged king by the world.\"\n\nHer charm would have made David her captive on this occasion, if her\nmoral strength had not kept him in check. By means of the expression,\n\"And this shall not be unto thee,\" she made him understand that the day\nhad not yet arrived, but that it would come, when a woman, Bath-sheba,\nwould play a disastrous part in his life. Thus she manifested her gift\nof prophecy.\n\nNot even Abigail was free from the feminine weakness of coquetry. The\nwords \"remember thine handmaid\" should never have been uttered by her.\nAs a married woman, she should not have sought to direct the attention\nof a man to herself. (137) In the women's Paradise she supervises the\nfifth of the seven divisions into which it is divided, and her domain\nadjoins that of the wives of the Patriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel,\nand Leah. (138)\n\nAmong the sons of David, Adonijah, the son of Haggith, must be\nmentioned particularly, the pretender to the throne. The fifty men whom\nhe prepared to run before him had fitted themselves for the place of\nheralds by cutting out their spleen and the flesh of the soles of their\nfeet. That Adonijah was not designated for the royal dignity, was made\nmanifest by the fact that the crown of David did not fit him. This\ncrown had the remarkable peculiarity of always fitting the legitimate\nking of the house of David. (139)\n\nChileab was a son worthy of his mother Abigail. The meaning of his name\nis \"like the father,\" which had been given him because of his striking\nresemblance to David in appearance, a circumstance that silenced the\ntalk against David's all too hasty marriage with the widow of Nabal.\n(140) Intellectually, too, Chileab testified to David's paternity. In\nfact, he excelled his father in learning, as he did even the teacher of\nDavid, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. (141) On account of his piety\nhe is one of the few who have entered Paradise alive. (142)\n\nTamar cannot be called one of the children of David, because she was\nborn before her mother's conversion to Judaism. Consequently, her\nrelation to Amnon is not quite of the grave nature it would have been,\nhad they been sister and brother in the strict sense of the terms.\n\nTo the immediate household of David belonged four hundred young\nsquires, the sons of women taken captive in battle. They wore their\nhair in heathen fashion, and, sitting in golden chariots, they formed\nthe vanguard of the army, and terrified the enemy by their appearance.\n(143)\n\nHIS TOMB\n\nWhen David was buried, Solomon put abundant treasures into his tomb.\nThirteen hundred years later the high priest Hyrcanus took a thousand\ntalents of the money secreted there to use it in preventing the siege\nof Jerusalem by the Greek king Antiochus. King Herod also abstracted\ngreat sums. But none of the marauders could penetrate to the\nresting-place of the kings,\u2014next to David his successors were\ninterred,\u2014for it was sunk into the earth so skillfully that it could\nnot be found. (144)\n\nOnce on a time, a Moslem pasha visited the mausoleum, and as he was\nlooking through the window in it, a weapon of his ornamented with\ndiamonds and pearls dropped into the tomb. A Mohammedan was lowered\nthrough the window to fetch the weapon. When he was drawn up again, he\nwas dead, and three other Mohammedans who tried to enter in the same\nway met the fate of their comrade. At the instigation of the kadi, the\npasha informed the Rabbi of Jerusalem that the Jews would be held\nresponsible for the restoration of the weapon. The Rabbi ordered a\nthree days' fast, to be spent in prayer. Then lots were cast to\ndesignate the messenger who was to be charged with the perilous errand.\nThe lot fell upon the beadle of the synagogue, a pious and upright man.\nHe secured the weapon, and returned it to the pasha, who manifested his\ngratitude by kindly treatment of the Jews thereafter. The beadle later\ntold his adventures in the tomb to the Hakam Bashi. When he had\ndescended, there suddenly appeared before him an old man of dignified\nappearance, and handed him what he was seeking. (145)\n\nAnother miraculous tale concerning the tomb of David runs as follows: A\npoor but very pious Jewish washerwoman was once persuaded by the keeper\nof the tomb to enter it. Hardly was she within, when the man nailed up\nthe entrance, and ran to the kadi to inform him that a Jewess had gone\nin. Incensed, the kadi hastened to the spot, with the intention of\nhaving the woman burnt for her presumptuousness. In her terror the poor\ncreature had begun to weep and implore God for help. Suddenly a flood\nof light illumined the dark tomb, and a venerable old man took her by\nthe hand, and led her downward under the earth until she reached the\nopen. There he parted from her with the words: \"Hasten homeward, and\nlet none know that thou wert away from thy house.\" The kadi had the\ntomb and its surroundings thoroughly searched by his bailiffs, but not\na trace of the woman could be discovered, although the keeper again and\nagain swore by the Prophet that the woman had entered. Now the\nmessengers whom the kadi had sent to the house of the woman returned,\nand reported they had found her washing busily, and greatly astonished\nat their question, whether she had been at the tomb of David. The kadi\naccordingly decided that for his false statements and his perjury, the\nkeeper must die the very death intended for the innocent woman, and so\nhe was burnt. The people of Jerusalem suspected a miracle, but the\nwoman did not divulge her secret until a few hours before her death.\nShe told her story, and then bequeathed her possessions to the\ncongregation, under the condition that a scholar recite Kaddish for her\non each anniversary of her death. (146)\n\n\n\n\nV.\nSOLOMON\n\nSOLOMON PUNISHES JOAB\n\nAt the youthful age of twelve (1) Solomon succeeded his father David as\nking. His real name was Jedidiah, the \"friend of God,\" but it was\nsuperseded by the name Solomon on account of the peace that prevailed\nthroughout the realm during his reign. He bore three other names\nbesides: Ben, Jakeh, and Ithiel. He was called Ben because he was the\nbuilder of the Temple; Jakeh, because he was the ruler of the whole\nworld; and Ithiel, because God was with him. (2)\n\nThe rebellion Adonijah intended to lead against the future king was\nsuppressed during David's lifetime, by having Solomon anointed in\npublic. On that occasion Solomon rode upon a remarkable she-mule,\nremarkable because she was not the product of cross-breeding, but of a\nspecial act of creation. (3)\n\nAs soon as he ascended the throne, Solomon set about executing the\ninstructions his father had given him on his death-bed. The first of\nthem was the punishment of Joab. (4)\n\nNotwithstanding all his excellent qualities, which fitted him to be not\nonly David's first general, but also the president of the Academy, (5)\nJoab had committed great crimes, which had to be atoned for. Beside the\nmurder of Abner (6) and Amasa of which he was guilty, he had incurred\nwrong against David himself. The generals of the army suspected him of\nhaving had Uriah the Hittite put out of the way for purposes of his\nown, whereupon he showed them David's letter dooming Uriah. David might\nhave forgiven Joab, but he wanted him to expiate his sins in this\nworld, so that he might be exempt from punishment in the world to come.\n(7)\n\nWhen Joab perceived that Solomon intended to have him executed, he\nsought the protection of the Temple. He knew full well that he could\nnot save his life in this way, for the arm of justice reaches beyond\nthe doors of the sanctuary, to the altar of God. What he wished was to\nbe accorded a regular trial, and not suffer death by the king's order.\nIn the latter case he would lose fortune as well as life, and he was\ndesirous of leaving his children well provided for. Thereupon Solomon\nsent word to him that he had no intention of confiscating his estates.\n(8)\n\nThough he was convinced of Joab's guilt, Solomon nevertheless granted\nhim the privilege of defense. The king questioned him: \"Why didst thou\nkill Abner?\"\n\nJoab: \"I was the avenger of my brother Asahel, whom Abner had slain.\"\n\nSolomon: \"Why, it was Asahel who sought to kill Abner, and Abner acted\nin self-defense.\"\n\nJoab: \"Abner might have disabled Asahel without going to extremes.\"\n\nSolomon: \"That Abner could not do.\"\n\nJoab: \"What! Abner aimed directly at Asahel's fifth rib, and thou\nwouldst say he could not have managed to wound him lightly?\"\n\nSolomon: \"Very well, then, we shall drop Abner's case. But why didst\nthou slay Amasa?\"\n\nJoab: \"He acted rebelliously toward King David. He omitted to execute\nhis order to gather an army within three days; for that offense he\ndeserved to suffer the death penalty.\"\n\nSolomon: \"Amasa failed to obey the king's order, because he had been\ntaught by our sages that even a king's injunctions may be set at\ndefiance if they involve neglect of the study of the Torah, which was\nthe case with the order given to Amasa. And, indeed,\" continued\nSolomon, \"it was not Amasa but thou thyself who didst rebel against the\nking, for thou wert about to join Absalom, and if thou didst refrain,\nit was from fear of David's strong-fisted troops.\" (9)\n\nWhen Joab saw that death was inevitable, he said to Benaiah, who was\ncharged with the execution of the king's order: \"Tell Solomon he cannot\ninflict two punishments upon me. If he expects to take my life, he must\nremove the curse pronounced by David against me and my descendants on\naccount of the slaying of Abner. If not, he cannot put me to death.\"\nSolomon realized the justness of the plea. By executing Joab, he\ntransferred David's curse to his own posterity: Rehoboam, his son, was\nafflicted with an issue; Uzziah suffered with leprosy; Asa had to lean\non a staff when he walked; the pious Josiah fell by the sword of\nPharaoh, and Jeconiah lived off charity. So the imprecations of David\nwere accomplished on his own family instead of Joab's. (10)\n\nTHE MARRIAGE OF SOLOMON\n\nThe next to suffer Joab's fate was Shimei ben Gera, whose treatment of\nDavid had outraged every feeling of decency. His death was of evil\nportent for Solomon himself. So long as Shimei, who was Solomon's\nteacher, was alive, he did not venture to marry the daughter of\nPharaoh. When, after Shimei's death, Solomon took her to wife, the\narchangel Gabriel descended from heaven, and inserted a reed in the\nsea. About this reed more and more earth was gradually deposited, and,\non the day on which Jeroboam erected the golden calves, a little hut\nwas built upon the island. This was the first of the dwelling-places of\nRome. (11)\n\nSolomon's wedding-feast in celebration of his marriage with the\nEgyptian princess came on the same day as the consecration of the\nTemple. (12) The rejoicing over the king's marriage was greater than\nover the completion of the Temple. As the proverb has it: \"All pay\nflattery to a king.\" Then it was that God conceived the plan of\ndestroying Jerusalem. It was as the prophet spoke: \"This city hath been\nto me a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they\nbuilt it even unto this day.\"\n\nIn the nuptial night Pharaoh's daughter had her attendants play upon a\nthousand different musical instruments, which she had brought with her\nfrom her home, and as each was used, the name of the idol to which it\nwas dedicated was mentioned aloud. The better to hold the king under\nthe spell of her charms, she spread above his bed a tapestry cover\nstudded with diamonds and pearls, which gleamed and glittered like\nconstellations in the sky. Whenever Solomon wanted to rise, he saw\nthese stars, and thinking it was night still, he slept on until the\nfourth hour of the morning. The people were plunged in grief, for the\ndaily sacrifice could not be brought on this very morning of the Temple\ndedication, because the Temple keys lay under Solomon's pillow, and\nnone dared awaken him. Word was sent to Bath-sheba, who forthwith\naroused her son, and rebuked him for his sloth. \"Thy father,\" she said,\n\"was known to all as a God-fearing man, and now people will say,\n'Solomon is the son of Bath-sheba, it is his mother's fault if he goes\nwrong.' Whenever thy father's wives were pregnant, they offered vows\nand prayed that a son worthy to reign might be born unto them. But my\nprayer was for a learned son worthy of the gift of prophecy. Take care,\n'give not thy strength unto women nor thy ways to them that destroy\nkings,' for licentiousness confounds the reason of man. Keep well in\nmind the things that are necessary in the life of a king. (13) 'Not\nkings, Lemuel.' Have naught in common with kings who say: 'What need\nhave we of a God?' It is not meet that thou shouldst do like the kings\nwho drink wine and live in lewdness. Be not like unto them. He to whom\nthe secrets of the world are revealed, (14) should not intoxicate\nhimself with wine.\" (15)\n\nApart from having married a Gentile, whose conversion to Judaism was\nnot dictated by pure motives, Solomon transgressed two other Biblical\nlaws. He kept many horses, which a Jewish king ought not to do, and,\nwhat the law holds in equal abhorrence, he amassed much silver and\ngold. Under Solomon's rule silver and gold were so abundant among the\npeople that their utensils were made of them instead of the baser\nmetals. (16) For all this he had to atone painfully later on.\n\nHIS WISDOM\n\nBut Solomon's wealth and pomp were as naught in comparison with his\nwisdom. When God appeared to him in Gibeon, in a dream by night, and\ngave him leave to ask what he would,   a grace accorded to none beside\nexcept King Ahaz of Judah, and promised only to the Messiah in time to\ncome, (17)   Solomon chose wisdom, knowing that wisdom once in his\npossession, all else would come of itself. (18) His wisdom, the\nScriptures testify, was greater than the wisdom of Ethan the Ezrahite,\nand Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the three sons of Mahol. This means\nthat he was wiser than Abraham, (19) Moses, (20) Joseph, (21) and the\ngeneration of the desert. (22) He excelled even Adam. (23) His proverbs\nwhich have come down to us are barely eight hundred in number.\nNevertheless the Scripture counts them equal to three thousand, for the\nreason that each verse in his book admits of a double and a triple\ninterpretation. In his wisdom he analyzed the laws revealed to Moses,\nand he assigned reasons for the ritual and ceremonial ordinances of the\nTorah, which without his explanation had seemed strange. (24) The\n\"forty-nine gates of wisdom\" were open to Solomon as they had been to\nMoses, but the wise king sought to outdo even the wise legislator. He\nhad such confidence in himself that he would have dispensed judgment\nwithout resort to witnesses, had he not been prevented by a heavenly\nvoice. (25)\n\nThe first proof of his wisdom was given in his verdict in the case of\nthe child claimed by two mothers as their own. When the women presented\ntheir difficulty, the king said that God in His wisdom had foreseen\nthat such a quarrel would arise, and therefore had created the organs\nof man in pairs, so that neither of the two parties to the dispute\nmight be wronged. on hearing these words from the king, Solomon's\ncounsellors lamented: \"Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a youth.\"\nIn a little while they realized the wisdom of the king, and then they\nexclaimed: \"Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man.\" The\nquarrel had of set purpose been brought on by God to the end that\nSolomon's wisdom might be made known. In reality the two litigants were\nnot women at all, but spirits. That all doubt about the fairness of the\nverdict might be dispelled, a heavenly voice proclaimed: \"This is the\nmother of the child.\" (26)\n\nDuring the lifetime of David, when Solomon was still a lad, he had\nsettled another difficult case in an equally brilliant way. A wealthy\nman had sent his son on a protracted business trip to Africa. On his\nreturn he found that his father had died in the meantime, and his\ntreasures had passed into the possession of a crafty slave, who had\nsucceeded in ridding himself of all the other slaves, or intimidating\nthem. In vain the rightful heir urged his claim before King David. As\nhe could not bring witnesses to testify for him, there was no way of\ndispossessing the slave, who likewise called himself the son of the\ndeceased. The child Solomon heard the case, and he devised a method of\narriving at the truth. He had the father's corpse exhumed, and he dyed\none of the bones with the blood first of one of the claimants, and then\nof the other. The blood of the slave showed no affinity with the bone,\nwhile the blood of the true heir permeated it. So the real son secured\nhis inheritance. (27)\n\nAfter his accession to the throne, a peculiar quarrel among heirs was\nbrought before Solomon for adjudication. Asmodeus, the king of demons,\nonce said to Solomon: \"Thou art the wisest of men, yet I shall show\nthee something thou hast never seen.\" Thereupon Asmodeus stuck his\nfinger in the ground, and up came a double-headed man. He was one of\nthe Cainites, who live underground, and are altogether different in\nnature and habit from the denizens of the upper world. (28) When the\nCainite wanted to descend to his dwelling-place again, it appeared that\nhe could not return thither. Not even Asmodeus could bring the thing\nabout. So he remained on earth, took unto himself a wife, and begot\nseven sons, one of whom resembled his father in having two heads. When\nthe Cainite died, a dispute broke out among his descendants as to how\nthe property was to be divided. The double-headed son claimed two\nportions. Both Solomon and the Sanhedrin were at a loss; they could not\ndiscover a precedent to guide them. Then Solomon prayed to God: \"O Lord\nof all, when Thou didst appear to me in Gibeon, and didst give me leave\nto ask a gift of Thee, I desired neither silver nor gold, but only\nwisdom, that I might be able to judge men in justice.\"\n\nGod heard his prayer. When the sons of the Cainite again came before\nSolomon, he poured hot water on one of the heads of the double-headed\nmonster, whereupon both heads flinched, and both mouths cried out: \"We\nare dying, we are dying! We are but one, not two.\" Solomon decided that\nthe double-headed son was after all only a single being. (29)\n\nOn another occasion Solomon invented a lawsuit in order to elicit the\ntruth in an involved case. Three men appeared before him, each of whom\naccused the others of theft. They had been travelling together, and,\nwhen the Sabbath approached, they halted and prepared to rest and\nsought a safe hiding-place for their money, for it is not allowed to\ncarry money on one's person on the Sabbath. They all three together\nsecreted what they had in the same spot, and, when the Sabbath was\nover, they hastened thither, only to find that it had been stolen. It\nwas clear one of the three must have been the thief, but which one?\n\nSolomon said to them: \"I know you to be experienced and thorough\nbusiness men. I should like you to help me decide a suit which the king\nof Rome has submitted to me. In the Roman kingdom there lived a maiden\nand a youth, who promised each other under oath never to enter into a\nmarriage without obtaining each other's permission. The parents of the\ngirl betrothed their daughter to a man whom she loved, but she refused\nto become his wife until the companion of her youth gave his consent.\nShe took much gold and silver, and sought him out to bribe him. Setting\naside his own love for the girl, he offered her and her lover his\ncongratulations, and refused to accept the slightest return for the\npermission granted. On their homeward way the happy couple were\nsurprised by an old highwayman, who was about to rob the young man of\nhis bride and his money. The girl told the brigand the story of her\nlife, closing with these words: 'If a youth controlled his passion for\nme, how much more shouldst thou, an old man, be filled with fear of\nGod, and let me go my way.' Her words took effect. The aged highwaymen\nlaid hands neither on the girl nor on the money.\n\n\"Now,\" Solomon continued to the three litigants, \"I was asked to decide\nwhich of the three persons concerned acted most nobly, the girl, the\nyouth, or the highwayman, and I should like to have your views upon the\nquestion.\"\n\nThe first of the three said: \"My praise is for the girl, who kept her\noath so faithfully.\" The second: \"I should award the palm to the youth,\nwho kept himself in check, and did not permit his passion to prevail.\"\nThe third said: \"Commend me to the brigand, who kept his hands off the\nmoney, more especially as he would have been doing all that could be\nexpected of him if he had surrendered the woman   he might have taken\nthe money.\"\n\nThe last answer sufficed to put Solomon on the right track. The man who\nwas inspired with admiration of the virtues of the robber, probably was\nhimself filled with greed of money. He had him cross-examined, and\nfinally extorted a confession. He had committed the theft, and he\ndesignated the spot where he had hidden the money. (30)\n\nEven animals submitted their controversies to Solomon's wise judgment.\nA man with a jug of milk came upon a serpent wailing pitifully in a\nfield. To the man's question, the serpent replied that it was tortured\nwith thirst. \"And what art thou carrying in the jug?\" asked the\nserpent. When it heard what it was, it begged for the milk, and\npromised to reward the man by showing him a hidden treasure. The man\ngave the milk to the serpent, and was then led to a great rock. \"Under\nthis rock,\" said the serpent, \"lies the treasure.\" The man rolled the\nrock aside, and was about to take the treasure, when suddenly the\nserpent made a lunge at him, and coiled itself about his neck. \"What\nmeanest thou by such conduct?\" exclaimed the man. \"I am going to kill\nthee,\" replied the serpent, \"because thou art robbing me of all my\nmoney.\" The man proposed that they put their case to King Solomon, and\nobtain his decision as to who was in the wrong. So they did. Solomon\nasked the serpent to state what it demanded of the man. \"I want to kill\nhim,\" answered the serpent, \"because the Scriptures command it, saying:\n'Thou shalt bruise the heel of man.'\" Solomon said: \"First release thy\nhold upon the man's neck and descend; in court neither party to a\nlawsuit may enjoy an advantage over the other.\" The serpent glided to\nthe floor, and Solomon repeated his question, and received the same\nanswer as before from the serpent. Then Solomon turned to the man and\nsaid: \"To thee God's command was to bruise the head of the serpent   do\nit!\" And the man crushed the serpent's head. (31)\n\nSometimes Solomon's assertions and views, though they sprang from\nprofound wisdom, seemed strange to the common run of men. In such\ncases, the wise king did not disdain to illustrate the correctness of\nhis opinions. For instance, both the learned and the ignorant were\nstung into opposition by Solomon's saying: \"One man among a thousand\nhave I found; but a virtuous woman among all those have I not found.\"\nSolomon unhesitatingly pledged himself to prove that he was right. He\nhad his attendants seek out a married couple enjoying a reputation for\nuprightness and virtue. The husband was cited before him, and Solomon\ntold him that he had decided to appoint him to an exalted office. The\nking demanded only, as an earnest of his loyalty, that he murder his\nwife, so that he might be free to marry the king's daughter, a spouse\ncomporting with the dignity of his new station. With a heavy heart the\nman went home. His despair grew at sight of his fair wife and his\nlittle children. Though determined to do the king's bidding, he still\nlacked courage to kill his wife while she was awake. He waited until\nshe was tight asleep, but then the child enfolded in the mother's arms\nrekindled his parental and conjugal affection, and he replaced his\nsword in its sheath, saying to himself: \"And if the king were to offer\nme his whole realm, I would not murder my wife.\" Thereupon he went to\nSolomon, and told him his final decision. A month later Solomon sent\nfor the wife, and declared his love for her. He told her that their\nhappiness could be consummated if she would but do away with her\nhusband. Then she should be made the first wife in his harem. Solomon\ngave her a leaden sword which glittered as though fashioned of steel.\nThe woman returned home resolved to put the sword to its appointed use.\nNot a quiver of her eyelids betrayed her sinister purpose. On the\ncontrary, by caresses and tender words she sought to disarm any\nsuspicion that might attack to her. In the night she arose, drew forth\nthe sword, and proceeded to kill her husband. The leaden instrument\nnaturally did no harm, except to awaken her husband, to whom she had to\nconfess her evil intent. The next day both man and wife were summoned\nbefore the king, who thus convinced his counsellors of the truth of his\nconviction, that no dependence can be placed on woman. (32)\n\nThe fame of Solomon's wisdom spread far and wide. Many entered the\nservice of the king, in the hope of profiting by his wisdom. Three\nbrothers had served under him for thirteen years, and, disappointed at\nnot having learnt anything, they made up their minds to quit his\nservice. Solomon gave them the alternative of receiving one hundred\ncoins each, or being taught three wise saws. They decided to take the\nmoney. They had scarcely left the town when the youngest of the three,\nregardless of the protests of his two brothers, hastened back to\nSolomon and said to him: \"My lord, I did not take service under thee to\nmake money; I wanted to acquire wisdom. Pray, take back thy money, and\nteach me wisdom instead.\" Solomon thereupon imparted the following\nthree rules of conduct to him: \"When thou travellest abroad, set out on\nthy journey with the dawn and turn in for the night before darkness\nfalls; do not cross a river that is swollen; and never betray a secret\nto a woman.\" The man quickly overtook his brothers, but he confided\nnothing to them of what he had learned from Solomon. They journeyed on\ntogether. At the approach of the ninth hour three hours after noon  \nthey reached a suitable spot in which to spend the night. The youngest\nbrother, mindful of Solomon's advice, proposed that they stop there.\nThe others taunted him with his stupidity, which, they said, he had\nbegun to display when he carried his money back to Solomon. The two\nproceeded on their way, but the youngest arranged his quarters for the\nnight. When darkness came on, and with it nipping cold, he was snug and\ncomfortable, while his brothers were surprised by a snow storm, in\nwhich they perished. The following day he continued his journey, and on\nthe road he found the dead bodies of his brothers. Having appropriated\ntheir money, he buried them, and went on. When he reached a river that\nwas very much swollen, he bore Solomon's advice in mind, and delayed to\ncross until the flood subsided. While standing on the bank, he observed\nhow some of the king's servants were attempting to ford the stream with\nbeasts laden with gold, and how they were borne down by the flood.\nAfter the waters had abated, he crossed and appropriated the gold\nstrapped to the drowned animals. When he returned home, wealthy and\nwise, he told nothing of what he had experienced even to his wife, who\nwas very curious to find out where her husband had obtained his wealth.\nFinally, she plied him so closely with questions that Solomon's advice\nabout confiding a secret to a woman was quite forgotten. Once, when his\nwife was quarrelling with him, she cried out: \"Not enough that thou\ndidst murder thy brothers, thou desirest to kill me, too.\" Thereupon he\nwas charged with the murder of their husbands by his two\nsisters-in-law. He was tried, condemned to death, and escaped the\nhangman only when he told the king the story of his life, and was\nrecognized as his former retainer. It was with reference to this man's\nadventures that Solomon said: \"Acquire wisdom; she is better than gold\nand much fine gold.\" (33)\n\nAnother of his disciples had a similar experience. Annually a man came\nfrom a great distance to pay a visit to the wise king, and when he\ndeparted Solomon was in the habit of bestowing a gift upon him. Once\nthe guest refused the gift, and asked the king to teach him the\nlanguage of the birds and the animals instead. The king was ready to\ngrant his request, but he did not fail to warn him first of the great\ndanger connected with such knowledge. \"If thou tellest others a word of\nwhat thou hearest from an animal,\" he said, \"thou wilt surely suffer\ndeath; thy destruction is inevitable.\" Nothing daunted, the visitor\npersisted in his wish, and the king instructed him in the secret art.\n\nReturned home, he overheard a conversation between his ox and his ass.\nThe ass said: \"Brother, how farest thou with these people?\"\n\nThe ox: \"As thou livest, brother, I pass day and night in hard and\npainful toil.\"\n\nThe ass: \"I can give thee relief, brother. If thou wilt follow my\nadvice, thou shalt live in comfort, and shalt rid thyself of all hard\nwork.\"\n\nThe ox: \"O brother, may thy heart be inclined toward me, to take pity\non me and help me. I promise not to depart from thy advice to the right\nor the left.\"\n\nThe ass: \"God knows, I am speaking to thee in the uprightness of my\nheart and the purity of my thoughts. My advice to thee is not to eat\neither straw or fodder this night. When our master notices it, he will\nsuppose that thou art sick. He will put no burdensome work upon thee,\nand thou canst take a good rest. That is the way I did to-day.\"\n\nThe ox followed the advice of his companion. He touched none of the\nfood thrown to him. The master, suspecting a ruse on the part of the\nass, arose during the night, went to the stable, and watched the ass\neat his fill from the manger belonging to the ox. He could not help\nlaughing out loud, which greatly amazed his wife, who, of course, had\nnoticed nothing out of the way. The master evaded her questions.\nSomething ludicrous had just occurred to him, he said by way of\nexplanation.\n\nFor the sly trick played upon the ox, he determined to punish the ass.\nHe ordered the servant to let the ox rest for the day, and make the ass\ndo the work of both animals. At evening the ass trudged into the stable\ntired and exhausted. The ox greeted him with the words: \"Brother, hast\nthou heard aught of what our heartless masters purpose?\" \"Yes,\" replied\nthe ass, \"I heard them speak of having thee slaughtered, if thou\nshouldst refuse to eat this night, too. They want to make sure of thy\nflesh at least.\" Scarcely had the ox heard the words of the ass when he\nthrew himself upon his food like a ravenous lion upon his prey. Not a\nspeck did he leave behind, and the master was suddenly moved to\nuproarious laughter. This time his wife insisted upon knowing the\ncause. In vain she entreated and supplicated. She swore not to live\nwith him any more if he did not tell her why he laughed. The man loved\nher so devotedly that he was ready to sacrifice his life to satisfy her\nwhim, but before taking leave of this world he desired to see his\nfriends and relations once more, and he invited them all to his house.\n\nMeantime his dog was made aware of the master's approaching end, and\nsuch sadness took possession of the faithful beast that he touched\nneither food nor drink. The cock, on the other hand, gaily appropriated\nthe food intended for the dog, and he and his wives enjoyed a banquet.\nOutraged by such unfeeling behavior, the dog said to the cock: \"How\ngreat is thy impudence, and how insignificant thy modesty! Thy master\nis but a step from the grave, and thou eatest and makest merry.\" The\ncock's reply was: \"Is it my fault if our master is a fool and an idiot?\nI have ten wives, and I rule them as I will. Not one dares oppose me\nand my commands. Our master has a single wife, and this one he cannot\ncontrol and manage.\" \"What ought our master to do?\" asked the dog. \"Let\nhim take a heavy stick and belabor his wife's back thoroughly,\" advised\nthe cock, \"and I warrant thee, she won't plague him any more to reveal\nhis secrets.\"\n\nThe husband had overheard this conversation, too, and the cock's advice\nseemed good. He followed it, and death was averted. (34)\n\nOn many occasions, Solomon brought his acumen and wisdom to bear upon\nforeign rulers who attempted to concoct mischief against him. Solomon\nneeded help in building the Temple, and he wrote to Pharaoh, asking him\nto send artists to Jerusalem. Pharaoh complied with his request, but\nnot honestly. He had his astrologers determine which of his men were\ndestined to die within the year. These candidates for the grave he\npassed over to Solomon. The Jewish king was not slow to discover the\ntrick played upon him. He immediately returned the men to Egypt, each\nprovided with his grave clothes, and wrote: \"To Pharaoh! I suppose thou\nhadst no shrouds for these people. Herewith I send thee the men, and\nwhat they were in need of.\" (35)\n\nHiram, king of Tyre, the steadfast friend of the dynasty of David, who\nhad done Solomon such valuable services in connection with the building\nof the Temple, was desirous of testing his wisdom. He was in the habit\nof sending catch-questions and riddles to Solomon with the request that\nhe solve them and help him out of his embarrassment about them.\nSolomon, of course, succeeded in answering them all. Later on he made\nan agreement with Hiram, that they were to exchange conundrums and\nriddles, and a money fine was to be exacted from the one of them who\nfailed to find the proper answer to a question propounded by the other.\nNaturally it was Hiram who was always the loser. The Tyrians maintain\nthat finally Solomon found more than his match in one of Hiram's\nsubjects, one Abdamon, who put many a riddle to Solomon that baffled\nhis wit. (36)\n\nOf Solomon's subtlety in riddle guessing only a few instances have come\ndown to us, all of them connected with riddles put to him by the Queen\nof Sheba. (37) The story of this queen, of her relation to Solomon, and\nwhat induced her to leave her distant home and journey to the court at\nJerusalem forms an interesting chapter in the eventful life of the wise\nking.\n\nTHE QUEEN OF SHEBA\n\nSolomon, it must be remembered, bore rule not only over men, but also\nover the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, demons, spirits,\nand the spectres of the night. He knew the language of all of them and\nthey understood his language. (38)\n\nWhen Solomon was of good cheer by reason of wine, he summoned the\nbeasts of the field, the birds of the air, the creeping reptiles, the\nshades, the spectres, and the ghosts, to perform their dances before\nthe kings, his neighbors, whom he invited to witness his power and\ngreatness. The king's scribes called the animals and the spirits by\nname, one by one, and they all assembled of their own accord, without\nfetters or bonds, with no human hand to guide them.\n\nOn one occasion the hoopoe (39) was missed from among the birds. He\ncould not be found anywhere. The king, full of wrath, ordered him to be\nproduced and chastised for his tardiness. The hoopoe appeared and said:\n\"O lord, king of the world, incline thine ear and hearken to my words.\nThree months have gone by since I began to take counsel with myself and\nresolve upon a course of action. I have eaten no food and drunk no\nwater, in order to fly about in the whole world and see whether there\nis a domain anywhere which is not subject to my lord the king. (40) and\nI found a city, the city of Kitor, in the East. Dust is more valuable\nthan gold there, and silver is like the mud of the streets. Its trees\nare from the beginning of all time, and they suck up water that flows\nfrom the Garden of Eden. The city is crowded with men. On their heads\nthey wear garlands wreathed in Paradise. They know not how to fight,\nnor how to shoot with bow and arrow. Their ruler is a woman, she is\ncalled the Queen of Sheba. If, now, it please thee, O lord and king, I\nshall gird my loins like a hero, and journey to the city of Kitor in\nthe land of Sheba. Its kings I shall fetter with chains and its rulers\nwith iron bands, and bring them all before my lord the king.\"\n\nThe hoopoe's speech pleased the king. The clerks of his land were\nsummoned, and they wrote a letter and bound it to the hoopoe's wing.\nThe bird rose skyward, uttered his cry, and flew away, followed by all\nthe other birds.\n\nAnd they came to Kitor in the land of Sheba. It was morning, and the\nqueen had gone forth to pay worship to the sun. Suddenly the birds\ndarkened his light. The queen raised her hand, and rent her garment,\nand was sore astonished. Then the hoopoe alighted near her. Seeing that\na letter was tied to his wing, she loosed it and read it. And what was\nwritten in the letter? \"From me, King Solomon! Peace be with thee,\npeace with the nobles of thy realm! Know that God has appointed me king\nover the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the demons, the\nspirits, and the spectres. All the kings of the East and the West come\nto bring me greetings. If thou wilt come and salute me, I shall show\nthee great honor, more than to any of the kings that attend me. But if\nthou wilt not pay homage to me, I shall send out kings, legions, and\nriders against thee. Thou askest, who are these kings, legions, and\nriders of King Solomon? The beasts of the field are my kings, the birds\nmy riders, the demons, spirit, and shades of the night my legions. The\ndemons will throttle you in your beds at night, while the beasts will\nslay you in the field, and the birds will consume your flesh.\"\n\nWhen the Queen of Sheba had read the contents of the letter, she again\nrent her garment, and sent word to her elders and her princes: \"Know\nyou not what Solomon has written to me?\" They answered: \"We know\nnothing of King Solomon, and his dominion we regard as naught.\" But\ntheir words did not reassure the queen. She assembled all the ships of\nthe sea, and loaded them with the finest kinds of wood, and with pearls\nand precious stones. Together with these she sent Solomon six thousand\nyouths and maidens, born in the same year, in the same month, on the\nsame day, in the same hour   all of equal stature and size, all clothed\nin purple garments. They bore a letter to King Solomon as follows:\n\"From the city of Kitor to the land of Israel is a journey of seven\nyears. As it is thy wish and behest that I visit thee, I shall hasten\nand be in Jerusalem at the end of three years.\"\n\nWhen the time of her arrival drew nigh, Solomon sent Benaiah the son of\nJehoiada to meet her. Benaiah was like unto the flush in the eastern\nsky at break of day, like unto the evening star that outshines all\nother stars, like unto the lily growing by brooks of water. When the\nqueen caught sight of him, she descended from her chariot to do him\nhonor. Benaiah asked her why she left her chariot. \"Art thou not King\nSolomon?\" she questioned in turn. Benaiah replied: \"Not King Solomon am\nI, only one of his servants that stand in his presence.\" Thereupon the\nqueen turned to her nobles and said: \"If you have not beheld the lion,\nat least you have seen his lair, and if you have not beheld King\nSolomon, at least you have seen the beauty of him that stands in his\npresence.\"\n\nBenaiah conducted the queen to Solomon, who had gone to sit in a house\nof glass to receive her. The queen was deceived by an illusion. She\nthought the king was sitting in water, and as she stepped across to him\nshe raised her garment to keep it dry. On her bared feet the king\nnoticed hair, and he said to her: \"Thy beauty is the beauty of a woman,\nbut thy hair is masculine; hair is an ornament to a man, but it\ndisfigures a woman.\" (41)\n\nThen the queen began and said: (42) \"I have heard of thee and thy\nwisdom; if now I inquire of thee concerning a matter, wilt thou answer\nme?\" He replied: \"The Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh\nknowledge and understanding.\" She then said to him:\n\n1. \"Seven there are that issue and nine that enter; two yield the\ndraught and one drinks.\" Said he to her: \"Seven are the days of a\nwoman's defilement, and nine the months of pregnancy; two are the\nbreasts that yield the draught, and one the child that drinks it.\"\nWhereupon she said to him: \"Thou art wise.\"\n\n2. Then she questioned him further: \"A woman said to her son, thy\nfather is my father, and thy grandfather my husband; thou art my son,\nand I am thy sister.\" \"Assuredly,\" said he, \"it was the daughter of Lot\nwho spake thus to her son.\"\n\n3. She placed a number of males and females of the same stature and\ngarb before him and said: \"Distinguish between them.\" Forthwith he made\na sign to the eunuchs, who brought him a quantity of nuts and roasted\nears of corn. The males, who were not bashful, seized them with bare\nhands; the females took them, putting forth their gloved hands from\nbeneath their garments. Whereupon he exclaimed: \"Those are the males,\nthese the females.\"\n\n4. She brought a number of men to him, some circumcised and others\nuncircumcised, and asked him to distinguish between them. He\nimmediately made a sign to the high priest, who opened the Ark of the\ncovenant, whereupon those that were circumcised bowed their bodies to\nhalf their height, while their countenances were filled with the\nradiance of the Shekinah; the uncircumcised fell prone upon their\nfaces. \"Those,\" said he, \"are circumcised, these uncircumcised.\" (43)\n\"Thou art wise, indeed,\" she exclaimed.\n\n5. She put other questions to him, to all of which he gave replies.\n\"Who is he who neither was born nor has died?\" \"It is the Lord of the\nworld, blessed be He.\"\n\n6. \"What land is that which has but once seen the sun?\" \"The land upon\nwhich, after the creation, the waters were gathered, and the bed of the\nRed Sea on the day when it was divided.\"\n\n7. \"There is an enclosure with ten doors, when one is open, nine are\nshut; when nine are open, one is shut?\" \"That enclosure is the womb;\nthe ten doors are the ten orifices of man   his eyes, ears, nostrils,\nmouth, the apertures for the discharge of the excreta and the urine,\nand the navel; when the child is in the embryonic state, the navel is\nopen and the other orifices are closed, but when it issues from the\nwomb, the navel is closed and the others are opened.\"\n\n8. \"There is something which when living moves not, yet when its head\nis cut off it moves?\" \"It is the ship in the sea.\" (44)\n\n9. \"Which are the three that neither ate, nor did they drink, nor did\nthey have bread put into them, yet they saved lives from death?\" \"The\nsignet, the cord, and the staff are those three.\"\n\n10. \"Three entered a cave and five came forth therefrom?\" \"Lot and his\ntwo daughters and their two children.\"\n\n11. \"The dead lived, the grave moved, and the dead prayed: what is\nthat?\" \"The dead that lived and prayed, Jonah; and the fish, the moving\ngrave.\"\n\n12. \"Who were the three that ate and drank on the earth, and yet were\nnot born of male and female?\" \"The three angels who visited Abraham.\"\n(45)\n\n13. \"Four entered a place of death and came forth alive, and two\nentered a place of life and came forth dead?\" \"The four were Daniel,\nHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and the two were Nadab and Abihu.\"\n\n14. \"Who was he that was born and died not?\" \"Elijah and the Messiah.\"\n\n15. \"What was that which was not born, yet life was given to it?\" \"The\ngolden calf.\"\n\n16. \"What is that which is produced from the ground, yet man produces\nit, while its food is the fruit of the ground?\" \"A wick.\"\n\n17. \"A woman was wedded to two, and bore two sons, yet these four had\none father?\" \"Tamar.\"\n\n18. \"A house full of dead; no dead one came among them, nor did a\nliving come forth from them?\" \"It is the story of Samson and the\nPhilistines.\"\n\n19. The queen next ordered the sawn trunk of a cedar tree to be\nbrought, and she asked Solomon to point out at which end the root had\nbeen and at which the branches. He bade her cast it into the water,\nwhen one end sank and the other floated upon the surface of the water.\nThat part which sank was the root, and that which remained uppermost\nwas the branch end. Then she said to him: \"Thou exceedest in wisdom and\ngoodness the fame which I heard, blessed be thy God!\" (46)\n\nThe last three riddles which the Queen of Sheba put to Solomon were the\nfollowing:\n\n20. \"What is this? A wooden well with iron buckets, which draw stones\nand pour out water.\" The king replied: \"A rouge-tube.\"\n\n21. \"What is this? It comes as dust from the earth, its food is dust,\nit is poured out like water, and lights the house.\" \"Naphtha.\"\n\n22. \"What is this? It walks ahead of all; it cries out loud and\nbitterly; its head is like the reed; it is the glory of the noble, the\ndisgrace of the poor; the glory of the dead, the disgrace of the\nliving; the delight of birds, the distress of fishes.\" He answered:\n\"Flax.\" (47)\n\nSOLOMON MASTER OF THE DEMONS\n\nNever has there lived a man privileged, like Solomon, to make the\ndemons amenable to his will. God endowed him with the ability to turn\nthe vicious power of demons into a power working to the advantage of\nmen. He invented formulas of incantation by which diseases were\nalleviated, and others by which demons were exorcised so that they were\nbanished forever. (48) As his personal attendants he had spirits and\ndemons whom he could send hither and thither on the instant. He could\ngrow tropical plants in Palestine, because his ministering spirits\nsecured water for him from India. (49)\n\nAs the spirits were subservient to him, so also the animals. He had an\neagle upon whose back he was transported to the desert and back again\nin one day, to build there the city called Tadmor in the Bible (50)\nThis city must not be confounded with the later Syrian city of Palmyra,\nalso called Tadmor. It was situated near the \"mountains of darkness,\"\n(51) the trysting-place of the spirits and demons. Thither the eagle\nwould carry Solomon in the twinkling of an eye, and Solomon would drop\na paper inscribed with a verse among the spirits, to ward off evil from\nhimself. Then the eagle would reconnoitre the mountains of darkness,\nuntil he had spied out the spot in which the fallen angels 'Azza and\n'Azzael (52) lie chained with iron fetters   a spot which no one, not\neven a bird, may visit. When the eagle found the place, he would take\nSolomon under his left wing, and fly to the two angels. Through the\npower of the ring having the Holy Name graven upon it, which Solomon\nput into the eagle's mouth, 'Azza and 'Azzael were forced to reveal the\nheavenly mysteries to the king. (53)\n\nThe demons were of greatest service to Solomon during the erection of\nthe Temple. It came about in this wise: When Solomon began the building\nof the Temple, it once happened that a malicious spirit snatched away\nthe money and the food of one of the king's favorite pages. This\noccurred several times, and Solomon was not able to lay hold on the\nmalefactor. The king besought God fervently to deliver the wicked\nspirit into his hands. His prayer was granted. The archangel Michael\nappeared to him, and gave him a small ring having a seal consisting of\nan engraved stone, and he said to him: \"Take, O Solomon, king, son of\nDavid, the gift which the Lord God, the highest Zebaot, hath sent unto\nthee. With it thou shalt lock up all the demons of the earth, male and\nfemale; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. But thou\nmust wear this seal of God; and this engraving of the seal of the ring\nsent thee is a Pentalpha.\" (54) Armed with it, Solomon called up all\nthe demons before him, and he asked of each in turn his or her name, as\nwell as the name of the star or constellation or zodiacal sign and of\nthe particular angel to the influence of which each is subject. One\nafter another the spirits were vanquished, and compelled by Solomon to\naid in the construction of the Temple.\n\nOrnias, the vampire spirit who had maltreated Solomon's servant, was\nthe first demon to appear, and he was set to the task of cutting stones\nnear the Temple. And Solomon bade Ornias come, and he gave him the\nseal, saying: \"Away with thee, and bring me hither the prince of all\nthe demons.\" Ornias took the finger-ring, and went to Beelzeboul, who\nhas kingship over the demons. He said to him: \"Hither! Solomon calls\nthee.\" But Beelzeboul, having heard, said to him: \"Tell me, who is this\nSolomon of whom thou speakest to me?\" Then Ornias threw the ring at the\nchest of Beelzeboul, saying: \"Solomon the king calls thee.\" But\nBeelzeboul cried aloud with a mighty voice, and shot out a great,\nburning flame of fire; and he arose and followed Ornias, and came to\nSolomon. Brought before the king, he promised him to gather all the\nunclean spirits unto him. Beelzeboul proceeded to do so, beginning with\nOnoskelis, that had a very pretty shape and the skin of a fair-hued\nwoman, and he was followed by Asmodeus; both giving an account of\nthemselves.\n\nBeelzeboul reappeared on the scene, and in his conversation with\nSolomon declared that he alone survived of the angels who had come down\nfrom heaven. He reigned over all who are in Tartarus, and had a child\nin the Red Sea, which on occasion comes up to Beelzeboul and reveals to\nhim what he has done. Next the demon of the Ashes, Tephros, appeared,\nand after him a group of seven female spirits, who declared themselves\nto be of the thirty-six elements of the darkness. Solomon bade them dig\nthe foundation of the temple, for the length of it was two hundred and\nfifty cubits. And he ordered them to be industrious, and with one\nunited murmur of protest they began to perform the tasks enjoined.\n\nSolomon bade another demon come before him. And there was brought to\nhim a demon having all the limbs of a man, but without a head. The\ndemon said to Solomon: \"I am called Envy, for I delight to devour\nheads, being desirous to secure for myself a head; but I do not eat\nenough, and I am anxious to have such a head as thou hast.\" A\nhound-like spirit, whose name was Rabdos, followed, and he revealed to\nSolomon a green stone, useful for the adornment of the Temple. A number\nof other male and female demons appeared, among them the thirty-six\nworld-rulers of the darkness, whom Solomon commanded to fetch water to\nthe Temple. Some of these demons he condemned to do the heavy work on\nthe construction of the Temple, others he shut up in prison, and\nothers, again, he ordered to wrestle with fire in the making of gold\nand silver, sitting down by lead and spoon, and to make ready places\nfor the other demons, in which they should be confined.\n\nAfter Solomon with the help of the demons had completed the Temple, the\nrulers, among them the Queen of Sheba, who was a sorceress, came from\nfar and near to admire the magnificence and art of the building, and no\nless the wisdom of its builder. (55)\n\nOne day an old man appeared before Solomon to complain of his son, whom\nhe accused of having been so impious as to raise his hand against his\nfather and give him a blow. The young man denied the charge, but his\nfather insisted that his life be held forfeit. Suddenly Solomon heard\nloud laughter. It was the demon Ornias, who was guilty of the\ndisrespectful behavior. Rebuked by Solomon, the demon said: \"I pray\nthee, O king, it was not because of thee I laughed, but because of this\nill-starred old man and the wretched youth, his son. For after three\ndays his son will die untimely, and, lo, the old man desires to make\naway with him foully.\" Solomon delayed his verdict for several days,\nand when after five days he summoned the old father to his presence, it\nappeared that Ornias had spoken the truth.\n\nAfter some time, Solomon received a letter from Adares, the king of\nArabia. He begged the Jewish king to deliver his land from an evil\nspirit, who was doing great mischief, and who could not be caught and\nmade harmless, because he appeared in the form of wind. Solomon gave\nhis magic ring and a leather bottle to one of his slaves, and sent him\ninto Arabia. The messenger succeeded in confining the spirit in the\nbottle. A few days later, when Solomon entered the Temple, he was not a\nlittle astonished to see a bottle walk toward him, and bow down\nreverently before him; it was the bottle in which the spirit was shut\nup. This same spirit once did Solomon a great service. Assisted by\ndemons, he raised a gigantic stone out of the Red Sea. Neither human\nbeings nor demons could move it, but he carried it to the Temple, where\nit was used as a cornerstone.\n\nThrough his own fault Solomon forfeited the power to perform miraculous\ndeed, which the Divine spirit had conferred upon him. He fell in love\nwith the Jebusite woman Sonmanites. The priests of Moloch and Raphan,\nthe false gods she worshiped, advised her to reject his suit, unless he\npaid homage to these gods. At first Solomon was firm, but, when the\nwoman bade him take five locusts and crush them in his hands in the\nname of Moloch, he obeyed her. At once he was bereft of the Divine\nspirit, of his strength and his wisdom, and he sank so low that to\nplease his beloved he built temples to Baal and Raphan. (56)\n\nTHE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE\n\nAmong the great achievements of Solomon first place must be assigned to\nthe superb Temple built by him. He was long in doubt as to where he was\nto build it. A heavenly voice directed him to go to Mount Zion at\nnight, to a field owned by two brothers jointly. One of the brothers\nwas a bachelor and poor, the other was blessed both with wealth and a\nlarge family of children. It was harvesting time. Under cover of night,\nthe poor brother kept adding to the other's heap of grain, for,\nalthough he was poor, he thought his brother needed more on account of\nhis large family. The rich brother, in the same clandestine way, added\nto the poor brother's store, thinking that though he had a family to\nsupport, the other was without means. This field, Solomon concluded,\nwhich had called forth so remarkable a manifestation of brotherly love,\nwas the best site for the Temple, and he bought it. (57)\n\nEvery detail of the equipment and ornamentation of the Temple testifies\nto Solomon's rare wisdom. Next to the required furniture, he planted\ngolden trees, which bore fruit all the time the building stood. When\nthe enemy entered the Temple, the fruit dropped from the trees, but\nthey will put forth blossoms again when it is rebuilt in the days of\nthe Messiah. (58)\n\nSolomon was so assiduous that the erection of the Temple took but seven\nyears, about half the time for the erection of the king's palace, in\nspite of the greater magnificence of the sanctuary. In this respect, he\nwas the superior of his father David, who first built a house for\nhimself, and then gave thought to a house for God to dwell in. Indeed,\nit was Solomon's meritorious work in connection with the Temple that\nsaved him from being reckoned by the sages as one of the impious kings,\namong whom his later actions might properly have put him. (59)\n\nAccording to the measure of the zeal displayed by Solomon were the help\nand favor shown him by God. During the seven years it took to build the\nTemple, not a single workman died who was employed about it, nor even\ndid a single one fall sick. And as the workmen were sound and robust\nfrom first to last, so the perfection of their tools remained\nunimpaired until the building stood complete. Thus the work suffered no\nsort of interruption. After the dedication of the Temple, however, the\nworkmen died off, lest they build similar structures for the heathen\nand their gods. Their wages they were to receive from God in the world\nto come, (60) and the master workman, Hiram, (61) was rewarded by being\npermitted to reach Paradise alive. (62)\n\nThe Temple was finished in the month of Bul, now called Marheshwan, but\nthe edifice stood closed for nearly a whole year, because it was the\nwill of God that the dedication take place in the month of Abraham's\nbirth. Meantime the enemies of Solomon rejoiced maliciously. \"Was it\nnot the son of Bath-sheba,\" they said, \"who built the Temple? How,\nthen, could God permit His Shekinah to rest upon it?\" When the\nconsecration of the house took place, and \"the fire came down from\nheaven,\" they recognized their mistake. (63)\n\nThe importance of the Temple appeared at once, for the torrential rains\nwhich annually since the deluge had fallen for forty days beginning\nwith the month of Marheshwan, for the first time failed to come, and\nthenceforward appeared no more. (64)\n\nThe joy of the people over the sanctuary was so great that they held\nthe consecration ceremonies on the Day of Atonement. It contributed not\na little to their ease of mind that a heavenly voice was heard to\nproclaim: \"You all shall have a share in the world to come.\"\n\nThe great house of prayer reflected honor not only on Solomon and the\npeople, but also on King David. The following incident proves it: When\nthe Ark was about to be brought into the Holy of Holies, the door of\nthe sacred chamber locked itself, and it was impossible to open it.\nSolomon prayed fervently to God, but his entreaties had no effect until\nhe pronounced the words: \"Remember the good deeds of David thy\nservant.\" The Holy of Holies then opened of itself, and the enemies of\nDavid had to admit that God had wholly forgiven his sin. (65)\n\nIn the execution of the Temple work a wish cherished by David was\nfulfilled. He was averse to having the gold which he had taken as booty\nfrom the heathen places of worship during his campaigns used for the\nsanctuary at Jerusalem, because he feared that the heathen would boast,\nat the destruction of the Temple, that their gods were courageous, and\nwere taking revenge by wrecking the house of the Israelitish God.\nFortunately Solomon was so rich that there was no need to resort to the\ngold inherited from his father, and so David's wish was fulfilled. (66)\n\nTHE THRONE OF SOLOMON\n\nNext to the Temple in its magnificence, it is the throne of Solomon\nthat perpetuates the name and fame of the wise king. None before him\nand none after him could produce a like work of art, and when the\nkings, his vassals, saw the magnificence of the throne they fell down\nand praised God. The throne was covered with fine gold from Ophir,\nstudded with beryls, inlaid with marble, and jewelled with emeralds,\nand rubies, and pearls, and all manner of gems. On each of its six\nsteps there were two golden lions and two golden eagles, a lion and an\neagle to the left, and a lion and an eagle to the right, the pairs\nstanding face to face, so that the right paw of the lion was opposite\nto the left wing of the eagle, and his left paw opposite to the right\nwing of the eagle. The royal seat was at the top, which was round.\n\nOn the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox, and opposite to\nhim a lion; on the second, a wolf and a lamb; on the third, a leopard\nand a goat; (67) on the fourth perched an eagle and a peacock; on the\nfifth a falcon (68) and a cock; and on the sixth a hawk and a sparrow;\nall made of gold. At the very top rested a dove, her claws set upon a\nhawk, to betoken that the time would come when all peoples and nations\nshall be delivered into the hands of Israel. Over the seat hung a\ngolden candlestick, with golden lamps, pomegranates, snuff dishes,\ncensers, chains, and lilies. Seven branches extended from each side. On\nthe arms to the right were the images of the seven patriarchs of the\nworld, Adam, Noah, Shem, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and on the\narms to the left, the images of the seven pious men of the world,\nKohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, and the prophet Hur.\nAttached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl filled with\nthe purest olive oil, to be used for the candlestick in the Temple, and\nbelow, a golden basin, also filled with the purest olive oil, for the\ncandlestick over the throne. The basin bore the image of the high\npriest Eli; those of his sons Hophni and Phinehas were on the two\nfaucets protruding from the basin, and those of Nadab and Abihu on the\ntubes connection the faucets with the basin.\n\nOn the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden chairs for the\nmembers of the Sanhedrin, and two more for the high priest and his\nvicar. When the high priest came to do homage to the king, the members\nof the Sanhedrin also appeared, to judge the people, and they took\ntheir seats to the right and to the left of the king. At the approach\nof the witnesses, the machinery of the throne rumbled the wheels\nturned, the ox lowed, the lion roared, the wolf howled, the lamb\nbleated, the leopard growled, the goat cried, the falcon screamed, the\npeacock gobbled, the cock crowed, the hawk screeched, the sparrow\nchirped   all to terrify the witnesses and keep them from giving false\ntestimony.\n\nWhen Solomon set foot upon the first step to ascend to his seat, its\nmachinery was put into motion. The golden ox arose and led him to the\nsecond step, and there passed him over to the care of the beasts\nguarding it, and so he was conducted from step to step up to the sixth,\nwhere the eagles received him and placed him upon his seat. As soon as\nhe was seated, a great eagle set the royal crown upon his head.\nThereupon a huge snake rolled itself up against the machinery, forcing\nthe lions and eagles upward until they encircled the head of the king.\nA golden dove flew down from a pillar, took the sacred scroll out of a\ncasket, and gave it to the king, so that he might obey the injunction\nof the Scriptures, to have the law with him and read therein all the\ndays of his life. Above the throne twenty-four vines interlaced,\nforming a shady arbor over the head of the king, and sweet aromatic\nperfumes exhaled from two golden lions, while Solomon made the ascent\nto his seat upon the throne. (69)\n\nIt was the task of seven heralds to keep Solomon reminded of his duties\nas king and judge. The first one of the heralds approached him when he\nset foot on the first step of the throne, and began to recite the law\nfor kings, \"He shall not multiply wives to himself.\" At the second\nstep, the second herald reminded him, \"He shall not multiply horses to\nhimself\"; at the third, the next one of the heralds said, \"Neither\nshall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.\" At the fourth\nstep, he was told by the fourth herald, \"Thou shalt not wrest\njudgment\"; at the fifth step, by the fifth herald, \"Thou shalt not\nrespect persons,\" and at the sixth, by the sixth herald, \"Neither shalt\nthou take a gift.\" Finally, when he was about to seat himself upon the\nthrone, the seventh herald cried out: \"Know before whom thou standest.\"\n(70)\n\nThe throne did not remain long in the possession of the Israelites.\nDuring the life of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, it was carried to\nEgypt. Shishak, the father-in-law of Solomon, appropriated it as\nindemnity for claims which he urged against the Jewish state in behalf\nof his widowed daughter. When Sennacherib conquered Egypt, he carried\nthe throne away with him, but, on his homeward march, during the\noverthrow of his army before the gates of Jerusalem, he had to part\nwith it to Hezekiah. Now it remained in Palestine until the time of\nJehoash, when it was once more carried to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho. His\npossession of the throne brought him little joy. Unacquainted with its\nwonderful mechanism, he was injured in the side by one of the lions the\nfirst time he attempted to mount it, and forever after he limped,\nwherefore he was given the surname Necho, the hobbler. (71)\nNebuchadnezzar was the next possessor of the throne. It fell to his lot\nat the conquest of Egypt, but when he attempted to use it in Babylonia,\nhe fared no better than his predecessor in Egypt. The lion standing\nnear the throne gave him so severe a blow that he never again dared\nascend it. Through Darius the throne reached Elam, but, knowing what\nits other owners had suffered, he did not venture to seat himself on\nit, and his example was imitated by Ahasuerus. The latter tried to have\nhis artificers fashion him a like artistic work, but, of course, they\nfailed. (72) The Median rulers parted with the throne to the Greek\nmonarchs, and finally it was carried to Rome. (73)\n\nTHE HIPPODROME\n\nThe throne was not the only remarkable sight at the court of the\nmagnificent king. Solomon attracted visitors to his capital by means of\ngames and shows. In every month of the year the official who was in\ncharge for the month, was expected to arrange for a horse race, and\nonce a year (74) a race took place in which the competitors were ten\nthousand youths, mainly of the tribes of Gad and Naphtali, who lived at\nthe court of the king year in, year out, and were maintained by him.\nFor the scholars, their disciples, the priests, and the Levites, the\nraces were held on the last of the month; on the first day of the month\nthe residents of Jerusalem were the spectators, and, on the second day,\nstrangers. The hippodrome occupied an area of three parasangs square,\nwith an inner square measuring one parasang on each side, around which\nthe races were run. Within were two grilles ornamented with all sorts\nof animals. Out of the jaws of four gilded lions, attached to pillars\nby twos, perfumes and spices flowed for the people. The spectators were\ndivided into four parties distinguished by the color of their garb: the\nking and his attendants, the scholars and their disciples, and the\npriests and Levites were attired in light blue garments; all the rest\nfrom Jerusalem wore white; the sight-seers from the surrounding towns\nand villages wore red, and green marked the heathen hailing from afar,\nwho came laden with tribute and presents. The four colors corresponded\nto the four seasons. In the autumn the sky is brilliantly blue; in\nwinter the white snow falls; the color of spring is green like the\nocean, because it is the season favorable to voyages, and red is the\ncolor of summer, when the fruits grow red and ripe. (75)\n\nAs the public spectacles were executed with pomp and splendor, so the\nking's table was royally sumptuous. Regardless of season and climate,\nit was always laden with the delicacies of all parts of the globe. Game\nand poultry, even of such varieties as were unknown in Palestine, were\nnot lacking, and daily there came a gorgeous bird from Barbary and\nsettled down before the king's seat at the table. The Scriptures tell\nus of great quantities of food required by Solomon's household, and yet\nit was not all that was needed. What the Bible mentions, covers only\nthe accessories, such as spices and the minor ingredients. The real\nneeds were far greater, as may be judged from the custom that all of\nSolomon's thousand wives arranged a banquet daily, each in the hope of\nhaving the king dine with her. (76)\n\nLESSONS IN HUMILITY\n\nGreat and powerful as Solomon was, and wise and just, still occasions\nwere not lacking to bring home to him the truth that the wisest and\nmightiest of mortals may not indulge in pride and arrogance.\n\nSolomon had a precious piece of tapestry, sixty miles square, on which\nhe flew through the air so swiftly that he could eat breakfast in\nDamascus and supper in Media. To carry out his orders he had at his\nbeck and call Asaph ben Berechiah (77) among men, Ramirat among demons,\nthe lion among beasts, and the eagle among birds. Once it happened that\npride possessed Solomon while he was sailing through the air on his\ncarpet, and he said: \"There is none like unto me in the world, upon\nwhom God has bestowed sagacity, wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge,\nbesides making me the ruler of the world.\" The same instant the air\nstirred, and forty thousand men dropped from the magic carpet. The king\nordered the wind to cease from blowing, with the word: \"Return!\"\nWhereupon the wind: \"If thou wilt return to God, and subdue thy pride,\nI, too, will return.\" The king realized his transgression.\n\nOn one occasion he strayed into the valley of the ants in the course of\nhis wanderings. He heard one ant order all the others to withdraw, to\navoid being crushed by the armies of Solomon. The king halted and\nsummoned the ant that had spoken. She told him that she was the queen\nof the ants, and she gave her reasons for the order of withdrawal.\nSolomon wanted to put a question to the ant queen, but she refused to\nanswer unless the king took her up and placed her on his hand. He\nacquiesced, and then he put his question: \"Is there any one greater\nthan I am in all the world?\" \"Yes,\" said the ant.\n\nSolomon: \"Who?\"\n\nAnt: \"I am.\"\n\nSolomon: \"How is that possible?\"\n\nAnt: \"Were I not greater than thou, God would not have led thee hither\nto put me on thy hand.\"\n\nExasperated, Solomon threw her to the ground, and said: \"Thou knowest\nwho I am? I am Solomon, the son of David.\"\n\nNot at all intimidated, the ant reminded the king of his earthly\norigin, and admonished him to humility, and the king went off abashed.\n\nNext he came to a magnificent building, into which he sought to enter\nin vain; he could find no door leading into it. After long search the\ndemons came upon an eagle seven hundred years old, and he, unable to\ngive them any information, sent him to his nine hundred years old\nbrother, whose eyrie was higher than his own, and who would probably be\nin a position to advise them. But he in turn directed them to go to his\nstill older brother. His age counted thirteen hundred years, and he had\nmore knowledge than himself. This oldest one of the eagles reported\nthat he remembered having heard his father say there was a door on the\nwest side, but it was covered up by the dust of the ages that had\npassed since it was last used. So it turned out to be. They found an\nold iron door with the inscription: \"We, the dwellers in this palace,\nfor many years lived in comfort and luxury; then, forced by hunger, we\nground pearls into flour instead of wheat   but to no avail, and so,\nwhen we were about to die, we bequeathed this palace to the eagles.\" A\nsecond statement contained a detailed description of the wonderful\npalace, and mentioned where the keys for the different chambers were to\nbe found. Following the directions on the door, Solomon inspected the\nremarkable building, whose apartments were made of pearls and precious\nstones. Inscribed on the doors he found the following three wise\nproverbs, dealing with the vanity of all earthly things, and\nadmonishing men to be humble:\n\n1. O son of man, let not time deceive thee; thou must wither away, and\nleave thy place, to rest in the bosom of the earth.\n\n2. Haste thee not, move slowly, for the world is taken from one and\nbestowed upon another.\n\n3. Furnish thyself with food for the journey, prepare thy meal while\ndaylight lasts, for thou wilt not remain on earth forever, and thou\nknowest not the day of thy death. (78)\n\nIn one of the chambers, Solomon saw a number of statues, among them one\nthat looked as though alive. When he approached it, it called out in a\nloud voice: \"Hither, ye satans, Solomon has come to undo you.\" Suddenly\nthere arose great noise and tumult among the statues. Solomon\npronounced the Name, and quiet was restored. The statues were\noverthrown, and the sons of the satans ran into the sea and were\ndrowned. From the throat of the lifelike statue he drew a silver plate\ninscribed with characters which he could not decipher, but a youth from\nthe desert told the king: \"These letters are Greek, and the words mean:\n'I, Shadad ben Ad, ruled over a thousand thousand provinces, rode on a\nthousand thousand horses, had a thousand thousand kings under me, and\nslew a thousand thousand heroes, and when the Angel of Death approached\nme, I was powerless.'\" (79)\n\nASMODEUS\n\nWhen Solomon in his wealth and prosperity grew unmindful of his God,\nand, contrary to the injunctions laid down for kings in the Torah,\nmultiplied wives unto himself, and craved the possession of many horses\nand much gold, the Book of Deuteronomy stepped before God and said:\n\"Lo, O Lord of the world, Solomon is seeking to remove a Yod from out\nof me, (80) for Thou didst write: 'The king shall not multiply horses\nunto himself, nor shall he multiply wives to himself, neither shall he\ngreatly multiply to himself silver and gold'; but Solomon has acquired\nmany horses, many wives, and much silver and gold.\" Hereupon God said:\n\"As thou livest, Solomon and a hundred of his kind shall be annihilated\nere a single one of thy letters shall be obliterated.\" (81)\n\nThe charge made against Solomon was soon followed by consequences. He\nhad to pay heavily for his sins. It came about in this way: While\nSolomon was occupied with the Temple, he had great difficulty in\ndevising ways of fitting the stone from the quarry into the building,\nfor the Torah explicitly prohibits the use of iron tools in erecting an\naltar. The scholars told him that Moses had used the shamir, (82) the\nstone that splits rocks, to engrave the names of the tribes on the\nprecious stones of the ephod worn by the high priest. Solomon's demons\ncould give him no information as to where the shamir could be found.\nThey surmised, however, that Asmodeus, (83) king of demons, was in\npossession of the secret, and they told Solomon the name of the\nmountain on which Asmodeus dwelt, and described also his manner of\nlife. On this mountain there was a well from which Asmodeus obtained\nhis drinking water. He closed it up daily with a large rock, and sealed\nit before going to heaven, whither he went every day, to take part in\nthe discussions in the heavenly academy. Thence he would descend again\nto earth in order to be present, though invisible, (84) at the debates\nin the earthly houses of learning. Then, after investigating the seal\non the well to ascertain if it had been tampered with, he drank of the\nwater.\n\nSolomon sent his chief man, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, to capture\nAsmodeus. For this purpose he provided him with a chain, the ring on\nwhich the Name of God was engraved, a bundle of wool, and a skin of\nwine. Benaiah drew the water from the well through a hole bored from\nbelow, and, after having stopped up the hole with the wool, he filled\nthe well with wine from above. When Asmodeus descended from heaven, to\nhis astonishment he found wine instead of water in the well, although\neverything seemed untouched. At first he would not drink of it, and\ncited the Bible verses that inveigh against wine, to inspire himself\nwith moral courage. At length Asmodeus succumbed to his consuming\nthirst, and drank till his senses were overpowered, and he fell into a\ndeep sleep. Benaiah, watching him from a tree, then came, and drew the\nchain about Asmodeus' neck. The demon, on awakening, tried to free\nhimself, but Benaiah called to him: \"The Name of thy Lord is upon\nthee.\" Though Asmodeus now permitted himself to be led off\nunresistingly, he acted most peculiarly on the way to Solomon. He\nbrushed against a palm-tree and uprooted it; he knocked against a house\nand overturned it; and when, at the request of a poor woman, he was\nturned aside from her hut, he broke a bone. He asked with grim humor:\n\"Is it not written, 'A soft tongue breaketh the bone?'\" A blind man\ngoing astray he set in the right path, and to a drunkard he did a\nsimilar kindness. He wept when a wedding party passed them, and laughed\nat a man who asked his shoemaker to make him shoes to last for seven\nyears, and at a magician who was publicly showing his skill.\n\nHaving finally arrived at the end of the journey, Asmodeus, after\nseveral days of waiting, was led before Solomon, who questioned him\nabout his strange conduct on the journey. Asmodeus answered that he\njudged persons and things according to their real character, and not\naccording to their appearance in the eyes of human beings. He cried\nwhen he saw the wedding company, because he knew the bridegroom had not\na month to live, and he laughed at him who wanted shoes to last seven\nyears, because the man would not own them for seven days, also at the\nmagician who pretended to disclose secrets, because he did not know\nthat a buried treasure lay under his very feet; the blind man whom he\nset in the right path was one of the \"perfect pious,\" and he wanted to\nbe kind to him; on the other hand, the drunkard to whom he did a\nsimilar kindness was known in heaven as a very wicked man, but he\nhappened to have done a good deed once, and he was rewarded\naccordingly.\n\nAsmodeus told Solomon that the shamir was given by God to the Angel of\nthe Sea, and that Angel entrusted none with the shamir except the\nmoor-hen, (85) which had taken an oath to watch the shamir carefully.\nThe moor-hen takes the shamir with her to mountains which are not\ninhabited by men, splits them by means of the shamir, and injects\nseeds, which grow and cover the naked rocks, and then they can be\ninhabited. Solomon sent one of his servants to seek the nest of the\nbird and lay a piece of glass over it. When the moor-hen came and could\nnot reach her young, she flew away and fetched the shamir and placed it\non the glass. Then the man shouted, and so terrified the bird that she\ndropped the shamir and flew away. By this means the man obtained\npossession of the coveted shamir, and bore it to Solomon. But the\nmoor-hen was so distressed at having broken her oath to the Angel of\nthe Sea that she committed suicide.\n\nAlthough Asmodeus was captured only for the purpose of getting the\nshamir, Solomon nevertheless kept him after the completion of the\nTemple. One day the king told Asmodeus that he did not understand\nwherein the greatness of the demons lay, if their king could be kept in\nbonds by a mortal. Asmodeus replied, that if Solomon would remove his\nchains and lend him the magic ring, he would prove his own greatness.\nSolomon agreed. The demon stood before him with one wing touching\nheaven and the other reaching to the earth. Snatching up Solomon, who\nhad parted with his protecting ring, he flung him four hundred\nparasangs away from Jerusalem, and then palmed himself off as the king.\n\nSOLOMON AS BEGGAR\n\nBanished from his home, deprived of his realm, Solomon wandered about\nin far-off lands, among strangers, begging his daily bread. Nor did his\nhumiliation end there; people thought him a lunatic, because he never\ntired of assuring them that he was Solomon, Judah's great and mighty\nking. Naturally that seemed a preposterous claim to the people. (86)\nThe lowest depth of despair he reached, however, when he met some one\nwho recognized him. The recollections and associations that stirred\nwithin him then made his present misery almost unendurable.\n\nIt happened (87) that once on his peregrinations he met an old\nacquaintance, a rich and well-considered man, who gave a sumptuous\nbanquet in honor of Solomon. At the meal his host spoke to Solomon\nconstantly of the magnificence and splendor he had once seen with his\nown eyes at the court of the king. These reminiscences moved the king\nto tears, and he wept so bitterly that, when he rose from the banquet,\nhe was satiated, not with the rich food, but with salt tears. The\nfollowing day it again happened that Solomon met an acquaintance of\nformer days, this time a poor man, who nevertheless entreated Solomon\nto do him the honor and break bread under his roof. All that the poor\nman could offer his distinguished guest was a meagre dish of greens.\nBut he tried in every way to assuage the grief that oppressed Solomon.\nHe said: \"O my lord and king, God hath sworn unto David He would never\nlet the royal dignity depart from his house, but it is the way of God\nto reprove those He loves if they sin. Rest assured, He will restore\nthee in good time to thy kingdom.\" These words of his poor host were\nmore grateful to Solomon's bruised heart than the banquet the rich man\nhad prepared for him. It was to the contrast between the consolations\nof the two men that he applied the verse in Proverbs: \"Better is a\ndinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.\"\n\nFor three long years Solomon journeyed about, begging his way from city\nto city, and from country to country, atoning for the three (88) sins\nof his life by which he had set aside the commandment laid upon kings\nin Deuteronomy   not to multiply horses, and wives, and silver and\ngold. At the end of that time, God took mercy upon him for the sake of\nhis father David, and for the sake of the pious princess Naamah, the\ndaughter of the Ammonite king, destined by God to be the ancestress of\nthe Messiah. The time was approaching when she was to become the wife\nof Solomon (89) and reign as queen in Jerusalem. God therefore led the\nroyal wanderer to the capital city of Ammon. (90) Solomon took service\nas an underling with the cook in the royal household, and he proved\nhimself so proficient in the culinary art that the king of Ammon raised\nhim to the post of chief cook. Thus he came under the notice of the\nking's daughter Naamah, who fell in love with her father's cook. In\nvain her parents endeavored to persuade her to choose a husband\nbefitting her rank. Not even the king's threat to have her and her\nbeloved executed availed to turn her thoughts away from Solomon. The\nAmmonite king had the lovers taken to a barren desert, in the hope that\nthey would die of starvation there. Solomon and his wife wandered\nthrough the desert until they came to a city situated by the sea-shore.\nThey purchased a fish to stave off death. When Naamah prepared the\nfish, she found in its belly the magic ring belonging to her husband,\nwhich he had given to Asmodeus, and which, thrown into the sea by the\ndemon, had been swallowed by a fish. Solomon recognized his ring, put\nit on his finger, and in the twinkling of an eye he transported himself\nto Jerusalem. Asmodeus, who had been posing as King Solomon during the\nthree years, he drove out, and himself ascended the throne again.\n\nLater on he cited the king of Ammon before his tribunal, and called him\nto account for the disappearance of the cook and the cook's wife,\naccusing him of having killed them. The king of Ammon protested that he\nhad not killed, but only banished them. Then Solomon had the queen\nappear, and to his great astonishment and still greater joy the king of\nAmmon recognized his daughter. (91)\n\nSolomon succeeded in regaining his throne only after undergoing many\nhardships. The people of Jerusalem considered him a lunatic, because he\nsaid that he was Solomon. After some time, the members of the Sanhedrin\nnoticed his peculiar behavior, and they investigated the matter. They\nfound that a long time had passed since Benaiah, the confidant of the\nking, had been permitted to enter the presence of the usurper.\nFurthermore the wives of Solomon and his mother Bath-sheba informed\nthem that the behavior of the king had completely changed it was not\nbefitting royalty and in no respect like Solomon's former manner. It\nwas also very strange that the king never by any chance allowed his\nfoot to be seen, for fear, of course, of betraying his demon origin.\n(92) The Sanhedrin, therefore, gave the king's magic ring to the\nwandering beggar who called himself King Solomon, and had him appear\nbefore the pretender on the throne. As soon as Asmodeus caught sight of\nthe true king protected by his magic ring, he flew away precipitately.\n\nSolomon did not escape unscathed. The sight of Asmodeus in all his\nforbidding ugliness had so terrified him that henceforth he surrounded\nhis couch at night with all the valiant heroes among the people. (93)\n\nTHE COURT OF SOLOMON\n\nAs David had been surrounded by great scholars and heroes of repute, so\nthe court of Solomon was the gathering-place of the great of his\npeople. The most important of them all doubtless was Benaiah the son of\nJehoiada, who had no peer for learning and piety either in the time of\nthe first or the second Temple. (94) In his capacity as the chancellor\nof Solomon, he was the object of the king's special favor. He was\nfrequently invited to be the companion of the king in his games of\nchess. The wise king naturally was always the winner. One day Solomon\nleft the chess-board for a moment, Benaiah used his absence to remove\none of the king's chess-men, and the king lost the game. Solomon gave\nmuch thought to the occurrence. He came to the conclusion that his\nchancellor had dealt dishonestly with him, and he was determined to\ngive him a lesson.\n\nSome days later Solomon noticed two suspicious characters hanging about\nthe palace. Acting at once upon an idea that occurred to him, he put on\nthe clothes of one of his servants and joined the two suspects. The\nthree of them, he proposed, should make the attempt to rob the royal\npalace, and he drew forth a key which would facilitate their entrance.\nWhile the thieves were occupied in gathering booty, the king roused his\nservants, and the malefactors were taken into custody. Next morning\nSolomon appeared before the Sanhedrin, which was presided over by\nBenaiah (95) at the time, and he desired to know from the court what\npunishment was meted out to a thief. Benaiah, seeing no delinquents\nbefore him, and unwilling to believe that the king would concern\nhimself about the apprehension of thieves, was convinced that Solomon\nwas bent on punishing him for his dishonest play. He fell at the feet\nof the king, confessed his guilt, and begged his pardon. Solomon was\npleased to have his supposition confirmed, and also to have Benaiah\nacknowledge his wrong-doing. he assured him he harbored no evil designs\nagainst him, and that when he asked this question of the Sanhedrin, he\nhad had real thieves in mind, who had broken into the palace during the\nnight. (96)\n\nAnother interesting incident happened, in which Benaiah played a part.\nThe king of Persia was very ill, and his physician told him he could be\ncured by nothing but the milk of a lioness. The king accordingly sent a\ndeputation bearing rich presents to Solomon, the only being in the\nworld who might in his wisdom discover means to obtain lion's milk.\nSolomon charged Benaiah to fulfil the Persian king's wish. Benaiah took\na number of kids, and repaired to a lion's den. Daily he threw a kid to\nthe lioness, and after some time the beasts became familiar with him,\nand finally he could approach the lioness close enough to draw milk\nfrom her udders.\n\nOn the way back to the Persian king the physician who had recommended\nthe milk cure dreamed a dream. All the organs of his body, his hands,\nfeet, eyes, mouth, and tongue, were quarrelling with one another, each\nclaiming the greatest share of credit in procuring the remedy for the\nPersian monarch. When the tongue set forth its own contribution to the\ncause of the king's service, the other organs rejected its claim as\ntotally unfounded. The physician did not forget the dream, and when he\nappeared before the king, he spoke: \"Here is the dog's milk which we\nwent to fetch for you.\" The king, enraged, ordered the physician to be\nhanged, because he had brought the milk of a bitch instead of the milk\nof a lion's dam. During the preliminaries to the execution, all the\nlimbs and organs of the physician began to tremble, whereupon the\ntongue said: \"Did I not tell you that you all are of no good? If you\nwill acknowledge my superiority, I shall even now save you from death.\"\nThey all made the admission it demanded, and the physician requested\nthe executioner to take him to the king. Once in the presence of his\nmaster, he begged him as a special favor to drink of the milk he had\nbrought. The king granted his wish, recovered from his sickness, and\ndismissed the physician in peace. So it came about that all the organs\nof the body acknowledge the supremacy of the tongue. (97)\n\nBesides Benaiah, Solomon's two scribes, Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons\nof Shisha, deserve mention. They both met their death in a most\npeculiar way. Solomon once upon a time noticed a care-worn expression\non the countenance of the Angel of Death. When he asked the reason, he\nreceived the answer, that he had been charged with the task of bringing\nthe two scribes to the next world. Solomon was desirous of stealing a\nmarch upon the Angel of Death, as well as keeping his secretaries\nalive. He ordered the demons to carry Elihoreph and Ahijah to Luz, the\nonly spot on earth in which the Angel of Death has no power. (98) In a\njiffy, the demons had done his bidding, but the two secretaries expired\nat the very moment of reaching the gates of Luz. Next day, the Angel of\nDeath appeared before Solomon in very good humor, and said to him:\n\"Thou didst transport those two men to the very spot in which I wanted\nthem.\" The fate destined for them was to die at the gates of Luz, and\nthe Angel of Death had been at a loss how to get them there. (99)\n\nA most interesting incident in Solomon's own family circle is connected\nwith one of his daughters. She was of extraordinary beauty, and in the\nstars he read that she was to marry an extremely poor youth. To prevent\nthe undesirable union, Solomon had a high tower erected in the sea, and\nto this he sent his daughter. Seventy eunuchs were to guard her, and a\nhuge quantity of food was stored in the tower for her use.\n\nThe poor youth whom fate had appointed to be her husband was travelling\none cold night. He did not know where to rest his head, when he espied\nthe rent carcass of an ox lying in the field. In this he lay down to\nkeep warm. When he was ensconced in it, there came a large bird, which\ntook the carcass, bore it, together with the youth stretched out in it,\nto the roof of the tower in which the princess lived, and, settling\ndown there, began to devour the flesh of the ox. In the morning, the\nprincess, according to her wont, ascended to the roof to look out upon\nthe sea, and she caught sight of the youth. She asked him who he was,\nand who had brought him thither? He told her that he was a Jew from\nAccho, and had been carried to the tower by a bird. She showed him to a\nchamber, where he could wash and anoint himself, and array himself in a\nfresh garb. Then it appeared that he possessed unusual beauty. Besides,\nhe was a scholar of great attainments and of acute mind. So it came\nabout that the princess fell in love with him. She asked him whether he\nwould have her to wife, and he assented gladly. He opened one of his\nveins, and wrote the marriage contract with his own blood. Then he\npronounced the formula of betrothal, taking God and the two archangels\nMichael and Gabriel as witnesses, and she became his wife, legally\nmarried to him.\n\nAfter some time the eunuchs noticed that she was pregnant. Their\nquestions elicited the suspected truth from the princess, and they sent\nfor Solomon. His daughter admitted her marriage, and the king, though\nhe recognized in her husband the poor man predicted in the\nconstellations, yet he thanked God for his son-in-law, distinguished no\nless for learning than for his handsome person. (100)\n\n\n\n\nVI.\nJUDAH AND ISRAEL\n\nTHE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM\n\nThe division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, which took place\nsoon after the death of Solomon, had cast its shadow before. When\nSolomon, on the day after his marriage with the Egyptian princess,\ndisturbed the regular course of the Temple service by sleeping late\nwith his head on the pillow under which lay the key of the Temple,\nJeroboam with eighty thousand Ephraimites approached the king and\npublicly called him to account for is negligence. God administered a\nreproof to Jeroboam; \"Why dost thou reproach a prince of Israel? As\nthou livest, thou shalt have a taste of his rulership, and thou wilt\nsee thou are not equal to its responsibilities.\" (1)\n\nOn another occasion a clash occurred between Jeroboam and Solomon. The\nlatter ordered his men to close the openings David had made in the city\nwall to facilitate the approach of the pilgrims to Jerusalem. This\nforced them all the walk through the gates and pay toll. The tax thus\ncollected Solomon gave to his wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, as\npin-money. Indignant at this, Jeroboam questioned the king about it in\npublic. In other ways, too, he failed to pay Solomon the respect due to\nroyal position, as his father before him, Sheba the son of Bichri, had\nrebelled against David, misled by signs and tokens which he had falsely\ninterpreted as pointing to his own elevation to royal dignity, when in\nreality they concerned themselves with his son. (2)\n\nIt was when Jeroboam was preparing to depart from Jerusalem forever, in\norder to escape the dangers to which Solomon's displeasure exposed him,\n(3) that Ahijah of Shilo met him with the Divine tidings of his\nelevation to the kingship. The prophet Ahijah, of the tribe of Levi,\nwas venerable, not only by reason of his hoary age,   his birth\noccurred at least sixty years before the exodus from Egypt, (4)   but\nbecause his piety was so profound that a saint of the exalted standing\nof Simon ben Yohai associated Ahijah with himself. Simon once\nexclaimed: \"My merits and Ahijah together suffice to atone for the\niniquity of all sinners from the time of Abraham until the advent of\nthe Messiah.\" (5)\n\nJEROBOAM\n\nJeroboam was the true disciple (6) of this great prophet, His doctrine\nwas as pure as the new garment Ahijah wore when he met Jeroboam near\nJerusalem, and his learning exceeded that of all the scholars of his\ntime except his own teacher Ahijah alone. The prophet was in the habit\nof discussing secret love with Jeroboam and subjects in the Torah whose\nexistence was wholly unknown to others. (7)\n\nHad Jeroboam proved himself worthy of his high position, the length of\nhis reign would have equalled David's. (8) It was his pride that led\nhim into destruction. He set up the golden calves as objects to be\nworshipped by the people, in order to wean them from their habit of\ngoing on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He knew that in the Temple only\nmembers of the royal house of David were privileged to sit down. No\nexception would be made in favor of Jeroboam, and so he would have to\nstand while Rehoboam would be seated. Rather than appear in public as\nthe subordinate of the Judean king, he introduced the worship of idols,\nwhich secured him full royal prerogatives.\n\nIn the execution of his plan he proceeded with great cunning, and his\nreputation as a profound scholar and pious saint stood him in good\nstead. This was his method: He seated an impious man next to a pious\nman, and then said to each couple: \"Will you put your signature to\nanything I intend to do?\" The two would give an affirmative answer. \"Do\nyou want me as king?\" he would then ask, only to receive and\naffirmative answer again. \"And you will do whatever I order?\" he\ncontinued. \"Yes,\" was the reply. \"I am to infer, then, that you will\neven pay worship to idols if I command it?\" said Jeroboam. \"God forbid\n!\" the pious member of the couple would exclaim, whereupon his impious\ncompanion, who was in league with the king, would turn upon him: \"Canst\nthou really suppose for an instant that a man like Jeroboam would serve\nidols? He only wishes to put our loyalty to the test.\" Through such\nmachinations he succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the most\npious, even the signature of the prophet Ahijah. Now Jeroboam had the\npeople is his power. He could exact the vilest deeds from them. (9)\n\nSo entrenched, Jeroboam brought about the division between Judah and\nIsrael, a consummation which his father, Sheba the son of Bichri, had\nnot been able to compass under David, because God desired to have the\nTemple erected before the split occurred. (10) Not yet satisfied,\nJeroboam sought to involve the Ten Tribes in a war against Judah and\nJerusalem. But the people of the northern kingdom refused to enter into\nhostilities with their brethren, and with the ruler of their brethren,\na descendant of David. Jeroboam appealed to the elders of the\nIsraelites, and they referred him to the Danites, the most efficient of\ntheir warriors; but they swore by the head of Dan, the ancestor of\ntheir tribe, that they would never consent to shed blood of their\nbrethren. They were even on the point of rising against Jeroboam, and\nthe clash between them and the followers of Jeroboam was prevented only\nbecause God prompted the Danites to leave Palestine.\n\nTheir first plan was to journey to Egypt and take possession of the\nland. They gave it up when their princes reminded them of the Biblical\nprohibition (11) against dwelling in Egypt. Likewise they were\nrestrained from attacking the Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, for\nthe Torah commands considerate treatment of them. Finally they decided\nto go to Egypt, but not to stay there, only to pass through to\nEthiopia. The Egyptians were in great terror of the Danites, and their\nhardiest warriors occupied the roads travelled by them. Arrived in\nEthiopia, the Danites slew a part of the population, and exacted\ntribute from the rest. (12)\n\nThe departure of the Danites relieved Judah from the apprehended\ninvasion by Jeroboam, but danger arose from another quarter. Shishak,\n(13) the ruler of Egypt, who was the father-in-law of Solomon, came to\nJerusalem and demanded his daughter's jointure. He carried off the\nthrone of Solomon, (14) and also the treasure which the Israelites had\ntaken from the Egyptians at the time of the exodus. So the Egyptian\nmoney returned to its source. (15)\n\nTHE TWO ABIJAHS\n\nJeroboam did not entirely forego his plan of a campaign against Judah,\nbut it was not executed until Abijah had succeeded his father Rehoboam\non the throne of Jerusalem. The Judean king was victorious. However, he\ncould not long enjoy the fruits of his victory. Shortly after occurred\nhis death, brought on by his own crimes. In his war against Jeroboam he\nhad indulged in excessive cruelty; he ordered the corpses of the enemy\nto be mutilated, and permitted them to be buried only after\nputrefaction had set in. Such savagery was all the more execrable as it\nprevented many widows from entering into a second marriage. Mutilating\nthe corpses had made identification impossible, and so it was left\ndoubtful whether their husbands were among the dead.\n\nMoreover, Abijah used most disrespectful language about the prophet\nAbijah the Shilonite; he called him a \"son of Belial\" in his address to\nthe people on Mount Zemaraim. That in itself merited severe punishment.\nFinally, his zeal for true worship of God, which Abijah had urged as\nthe reason of the war between himself and Jeroboam, cooled quickly.\nWhen he obtained possession of Beth-el, he failed to do away with the\ngolden calves. (16)\n\nIn this respect his namesake, the Israelitish king Abijah, the son of\nJeroboam, was by far his superior. By removing the guards stationed at\nthe frontier, he bade defiance to the command of his father, who had\ndecreed the death penalty for pilgrimages to Jerusalem. More than this,\nhe himself ventured to go up to Jerusalem in fulfilment of his\nreligious duty. (17)\n\nASA\n\nAsa, the son of Abijah of Judah, was a worthier and a more pious ruler\nthan his father had been. He did away with the gross worship of\nPriapus, (18) to which his mother was devoted. To reward him for his\npiety, God gave him the victory over Zerah, the king of the Ethiopians.\nAs a result of this victory he came again into possession of the throne\nof Solomon and of the treasures Shishak had taken from his grandfather,\nwhich Zerah in turn had wrested form Shishak. (19) Asa himself did not\nlong keep them. Baasha, the king of Israel, together with Ben-hadad,\nthe Aramean king, attacked Asa, who tried to propitiate Ben-hadad by\ngiving him his lately re-acquired treasures. (20) The prophet justly\nrebuked him for trusting in princes rather than in God, and that in\nspite of the fact that Divine help had been visible in his conflicts\nwith the Ethiopians and the Lubim; for there had been no need for him\nto engage in battle with them; in response to his mere prayer God had\nslain the enemy. (21) In general, Asa showed little confidence in God;\nhe rather trusted his own skill. Accordingly, he made even the scholars\nof his realm enlist in the army sent out against Baasha. He was\npunished by being afflicted with gout, he of all men, who was\ndistinguished on account of the strength residing in his feet. (22)\nFurthermore, the division between Judah and Israel was made permanent,\nthough God had at first intended to limit the exclusion of David's\nhouse from Israel to only thirty-six years. Had Asa shown himself\ndeserving, he would have been accorded dominion over the whole of\nIsrael. (23) In point of fact, Asa, through his connection by marriage\nwith the house of Omri, contributed to the stability of the Israelitish\ndynasty, for as a result of the support given by the southern ruler\nOmri succeeded in putting his rival Tibni out of the way. Then it was\nthat God resolved that the descendants of Asa should perish\nsimultaneously with the descendants of Omri. This doom was accomplished\nwhen Jehu killed the king of Judah on account of his friendship and\nkinship with Joram the king of Samaria. (24)\n\nJEHOSHAPHAT AND AHAB\n\nThe successors of Omri and Asa, each in his way, were worthy of their\nfathers. Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, was very wealthy. The treasures\nwhich his father had sent to the Aramean ruler reverted to him in\nconsequence of his victory over the Ammonites, themselves the\nconquerors of the Arameans, whom they had despoiled of their\npossessions. (25) His power was exceedingly great; each division of his\narmy counted no less than one hundred and sixty thousand warriors. (26)\nYet rich and powerful as he was, he was so modest that he refused to\ndon his royal apparel when he went to the house of the prophet Elisha\nto consult him; he appeared before him in the attire of one of the\npeople. (27) Unlike his father, who had little consideration for\nscholars, Jehoshaphat was particularly gracious toward them. When a\nscholar appeared before him, he arose, hastened to meet him, and\nkissing and embracing him, greeted him with \"Rabbi, Rabbi!\" (28)\n\nJehoshaphat concerned himself greatly about the purity and\nsanctification of the Temple. He was the author of the ordinance\nforbidding any one to ascend the Temple mount whose term of uncleanness\nhad not expired, even though he had taken the ritual bath. (29) His\nimplicit trust in God made him a complete contrast to his skeptical\nfather. He turned to God and implored His help when to human reason\nhelp seemed an utter impossibility. In the war with the Arameans, an\nenemy held his sword at Jehoshaphat's very throat, ready to deal the\nfatal blow, but the king entreated help of God, and it was granted.\n(30)\n\nIn power and wealth, Ahab, king of Samaria, outstripped his friend\nJehoshaphat, for Ahab is one of that small number of kings who have\nruled over the whole world. (31) No less than two hundred and fifty-two\nkingdoms acknowledged his dominion. (32) As for his wealth, it was so\nabundant that each of his hundred and forty children possessed several\nivory palaces, summer and winter residences. (33) But what gives Ahab\nhis prominence among the Jewish kings is neither his power nor his\nwealth, but his sinful conduct. For him the gravest transgressions\ncommitted by Jeroboam were slight peccadilloes. At his order the gates\nof Samaria bore the inscription: \"Ahab denies the God of Israel.\" He\nwas so devoted to idolatry, to which he was led astray by his wife\nJezebel, that the fields of Palestine were full of idols. But he was\nnot wholly wicked, he possessed some good qualities. He was liberal\ntoward scholars, and he showed great reverence for the Torah, which he\nstudied zealously. When Ben-hadad exacted all he possessed   his\nwealth, his wives, his children   he acceded to his demands regarding\neverything except the Torah; that he refused peremptorily to surrender.\n(34) In the war that followed between himself and the Syrians, he was\nso indignant at the presumptuousness of the Aramean upstart that he\nhimself saddled his warhorse for the battle. His zeal was rewarded by\nGod; he gained a brilliant victory in a battle in which no less than a\nhundred thousand of the Syrians were slain, as the prophet Micaiah had\nforetold to him. (35) The same seer (36) admonished him not to deal\ngently with Ben-hadad. God's word to him had been: \"Know that I had to\nset many a pitfall and trap to deliver him into thy hand. If thou\nlettest him escape, thy life will be forfeit for his.\" (37)\n\nNevertheless the disastrous end of Ahab is not to be ascribed to his\ndisregard of the prophet's warning   for he finally liberated\nBen-hahad,   but chiefly to the murder of his kinsman Naboth, whose\nexecution on the charge of treason he had ordered, so that he might put\nhimself in possession of Naboth's wealth. (38) His victim was a pious\nman, and in the habit of going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem on the\nfestivals. As he was a great singer, his presence in the Holy City\nattracted many other pilgrims thither. Once Naboth failed to go on his\ncustomary pilgrimage. Then it was that his false conviction took place \n a very severe punishment for the transgression, but not wholly\nunjustifiable. (39) Under Jehoshaphat's influence and counsel, Ahab did\npenance for his crime, and the punishment God meted out to him was\nthereby mitigated to the extent that his dynasty was not cut off from\nthe throne at this death. (40) In the heavenly court of justice, (41)\nat Ahab's trial, the accusing witnesses and his defenders exactly\nbalanced each other in number and statements, until the spirit of\nNaboth appeared and turned the scale against Ahab. The spirit of Naboth\nit had been, too, that had let astray the prophets of Ahab, making them\nall use the very same words in prophesying a victory at Ramothgilead.\nThis literal unanimity aroused Jehoshaphat's suspicion, and caused him\nto ask for \"a prophet of the Lord,\" for the rule is: \"The same thought\nis revealed to many prophets, but no two prophets express it in the\nsame words.\" (42) Jehoshaphat's mistrust was justified by the issue of\nwar. Ahab was slain in a miraculous way by Naaman, at the time only a\ncommon soldier of the rank and file. God permitted Naaman's missile to\npenetrate Ahab's armor, though the latter was harder than the former.\n(43)\n\nThe mourning for Ahab was so great that the memory of it reached\nposterity. (44) The funeral procession was unusually impressive; no\nless than thirty-six thousand warriors, their shoulders bared, marched\nbefore his bier. (45) Ahab is one of the few in Israel who have no\nportion in the world to come. (46) He dwells in the fifth division of\nthe nether world, which is under the supervision of the angel Oniel.\nHowever, he is exempt from the tortures inflicted upon his heathen\nassociates. (47)\n\nJEZEBEL\n\nWicked as Ahab was, his wife Jezebel was incomparably worse. Indeed,\nshe is in great part the cause of his suffering, and Ahab realized it.\nOnce Rabbi Levi expounded the Scriptural verse in which the iniquity of\nAhab and the influence of his wife over him are discussed, dwelling\nupon the first half for two months. Ahab visited him in a dream, and\nreproached him with expatiating on the first half of the verse to the\nexclusion of the latter half. Thereupon the Rabbi took the second half\nof the verse as the text of his lectures for the next two months,\ndemonstrating all the time that Jezebel was the instigator of Ahab's\nsins. (48) Her misdeed are told in the Scriptures. To those there\nrecounted must be added her practice of attaching unchaste images to\nAhab's chariot for the purpose of stimulating his carnal desires.\nTherefore those parts of his chariot were spattered with his blood when\nhe fell at the hand of the enemy. (49) She had her husband weighed\nevery day, and the increase of his weight in gold she sacrificed to the\nidol. (50) Jezebel was not only the daughter and the wife of a king,\nshe was also co-regent with her husband, the only reigning queen in\nJewish history except Athaliah. (51)\n\nHardened sinner though Jezebel was, even she had good qualities. One of\nthem was her capacity for sympathy with others in joy and sorrow.\nWhenever a funeral cortege passed the royal palace, Jezebel would\ndescend and join the ranks of the mourners, and, also, when a marriage\nprocession went by, she took part in the merry-making in honor of the\nbridal couple. By way of reward the limbs and organs with which she had\nexecuted these good deeds were left intact by the horses that trampled\nher to death in the portion of Jezreel. (52)\n\nJORAM OF ISRAEL\n\nOf Joram, the son of Ahab, it can only be said that he had his father's\nfaults without his father's virtues. Ahab was liberal, Joram miserly,\nnay, he even indulged in usurious practices. From Obadiah, the pious\nprotector of the prophets in hiding, he exacted a high rate of interest\non the money needed for their support. As a consequence, at his death\nhe fell pierced between his arms, the arrow going out at his heart, for\nhe had stretched out his arms to receive usury, and had hardened his\nheart against compassion. (53) In his reign only one event deserves\nmention, his campaign against Moab, undertaken in alliance with the\nkings of Judah and Edom, and ending with a splendid victory won by the\nallied kings. Joram and his people, it need hardly be said, failed to\nderive the proper lesson from the war. Their disobedience to God's\ncommands went on as before. The king of Moab, on the other hand, in his\nway sought to come nearer to God. He assembled his astrologers and\ninquired of them, why it was that the Moabites, successful in their\nwarlike enterprises against other nations, could not measure up to the\nstandard of the Israelites. They explained that God was gracious to\nIsrael, because his ancestor Abraham had been ready to sacrifice Isaac\nat His bidding. Then the Moabite king reasoned, that if God set so high\na value upon mere good intention, how much greater would be the reward\nfor its actual execution, and he, who ordinarily was a sun worshipper,\nproceeded to sacrifice his son, the successor to the throne, to the God\nof Israel. God said: \"The heathen do not know Me, and their wrong-doing\narises from ignorance; but you, Israelites, know Me, and yet you act\nrebelliously toward Me.\" (54)\n\nAs a result of the seven years' famine, conditions in Samaria were\nfrightful during the great part of Joram's reign. In the first year\neverything stored in the houses was eaten up. In the second, the people\nsupported themselves with what they could scrape together in the\nfields. The flesh of the clean animals sufficed for the third year; in\nthe fourth the sufferers resorted to the unclean animals; in the fifth,\nthe reptiles and insects; and in the sixth the monstrous thing happened\nthat women crazed by hunger consumed their own children as food. But\nthe acme of distress was reached in the seventh year, when men sought\nto gnaw the flesh from their own bones. (55) To these occurrences the\nprophecies of Joel apply, for he lived in the awful days of the famine\nin Joram's reign.\n\nLuckily, God revealed to Joel at the same time how Israel would be\nrescued from the famine. The winter following the seven years of dearth\nbrought no relief, for the rain held back until the first day of the\nmonth of Nisan. When it began to fall, the prophet said to the people,\n\"Go forth and sow seed!\" But they remonstrated with him, \"Shall one who\nhath saved a measure of wheat or two measures of barely not use his\nstore for food and live, rather than for seed and die?\" But the prophet\nurged them, \"Nay, go forth and sow seed.\" And a miracle happened. In\nthe ant hills and mouse holes, they found enough grain for seed, and\nthey cast it upon the ground on the second, the third, and the fourth\nday of Nisan. On the fifth day of the month rain fell again. Eleven\ndays later the grain was ripe, and the offering of the 'Omer could be\nbrought at the appointed time, on the sixteenth of the month. Of this\nthe Psalmist was thinking when he said, \"They that sow in tears shall\nreap in joy.\" (56)\n\n\n\n\nVII.\nELIJAH\n\nELIJAH BEFORE HIS TRANSLATION\n\nThe Biblical account of the prophet Elijah, (1) of his life and work\nduring the reigns of Ahab and his son Joram, gives but a faint idea of\na personage whose history begins with Israel's sojourn in Egypt, and\nwill end only when Israel, under the leadership of the Messiah, shall\nhave taken up his abode again in Palestine.\n\nThe Scripture tells us only the name of Elijah's home, (2) but it must\nbe added that he was a priest, identical with Phinehas, (3) the priest\nzealous for the honor of God, who distinguished himself on the journey\nthrough the desert, and played a prominent role again in the time of\nthe Judges. (4)\n\nElijah's first appearance in the period of the Kings was his meeting\nwith Ahab in the house of Hiel, the Beth-elite, the commander-in-chief\nof the Israelitish army, whom he was visiting to condole with him for\nthe loss of his sons. God Himself had charged the prophet to offer\nsympathy to Hiel, whose position demanded that honor be paid him.\nElijah at first refused to seek out the sinner who had violated the\nDivine injunction against rebuilding Jericho, for he said that the\nblasphemous talk of such evil-doers always called forth his rage.\nThereupon God promised Elijah that fulfilment should attend whatever\nimprecation might in his wrath escape him against the godless for their\nunholy speech. As the prophet entered the general's house, he heard\nHiel utter these words: \"Blessed be the Lord God of the pious, who\ngrants fulfilment to the words of the pious.\" Hiel thus acknowledged\nthat he had been justly afflicted with Joshua's curse against him who\nshould rebuild Jericho.\n\nAhab mockingly asked him: \"Was not Moses greater than Joshua, and did\nhe not say that God would let no rain descend upon the earth, if Israel\nserved and worshipped idols? There is not an idol known to which I do\nnot pay homage, yet we enjoy all that is goodly and desirable. Dost\nthou believe that if the words of Moses remain unfulfilled, the words\nof Joshua will come true?\" Elijah rejoined: \"Be it as thou sayest: 'As\nthe Lord, the God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall\nnot be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.'\" In\npursuance of His promise, God could not but execute the words of\nElijah, and neither dew nor rain watered the land. (5)\n\nA famine ensued, and Ahab sought to wreak his vengeance upon the\nprophet. To escape the king's persecutions, Elijah hid himself. He was\nsustained with food brought from the larder of the pious king\nJehoshaphat by ravens, (6) which at the same time would not approach\nnear to the house of the iniquitous Ahab. (7)\n\nGod, who has compassion even upon the impious, tried to induce the\nprophet to release Him from His promise. To influence him He made the\nbrook run dry (8) whence Elijah drew water for his thirst. As this\nfailed to soften the inflexible prophet, God resorted to the expedient\nof causing him pain through the death of the son of the widow with whom\nElijah was abiding, and by whom he had been received with great honor.\nWhen her son, who was later to be known as the prophet Jonah, (9) died,\nshe thought God had formerly been gracious to her on account of her\ngreat worthiness as compared with the merits of her neighbors and of\nthe inhabitants of the city, and now He had abandoned her, because her\nvirtues had become as naught in the presence of the great prophet. (10)\nIn his distress Elijah supplicated God to revive the child. (11) Now\nGod had the prophet in His power. He could give heed unto Elijah's\nprayer only provided the prophet released Him from the promise about a\ndrought, for resuscitation from death is brought about by means of dew,\nand this remedy was precluded so long as Elijah kept God to His word\nwithholding dew and rain from the earth. (12) Elijah saw there was\nnothing for it but to yield. However, he first betook himself to Ahab\nwith the purpose of overcoming the obduracy of the people, upon whom\nthe famine had made no impression. Manifest wonders displayed before\ntheir eyes were to teach them wisdom. The combat between God and Baal\ntook place on Carmel. The mount that had esteemed itself the proper\nplace for the greatest event in Israelitish history, the revelation of\nthe law, was compensated, by the many miracles now performed upon it,\nfor its disappointment at Sinai's having been preferred to it. (13)\n\nThe first wonder occurred in connection with the choice of the\nbullocks. According to Elijah's arrangement with Ahab, one was to be\nsacrificed to God, and then one to Baal. A pair to twins, raised\ntogether, were brought before the contestants, and it was decided by\nlot which belonged to God and which to Baal. Elijah had no difficulty\nwith his offering; quickly he led it to his altar. But all the priests\nof Baal, eight hundred and fifty in number, could not make their victim\nstir a foot. When Elijah began to speak persuasively to the bullock of\nBaal, urging it to follow the idolatrous priests, it opened its mouth\nand said: \"We two, yonder bullock and myself, came forth from the same\nwomb, we took our food from the same manger, and now he has been\ndestined for God, as an instrument for the glorification of the Divine\nName, while I am to be used for Baal, as an instrument to enrage my\nCreator.\" Elijah urged: \"Do thou but follow the priests of Baal that\nthey may have no excuse, and then thou wilt have a share in that\nglorification of God for which my bullock will be used.\" The bullock:\n\"So dost thou advise, but I swear I will not move from the spot, unless\nthou with thine own hands wilt deliver me up.\" Elijah thereupon led the\nbullock to the priests of Baal. (14)\n\nIn spite of this miracle, the priests sought to deceive the people.\nThey undermined the altar, and Hiel hid himself under it with the\npurpose of igniting a fire at the mention of the word Baal. But God\nsent a serpent to kill him. (15) In vain the false priests cried and\ncalled, Baal! Baal!   the expected flame did not shoot up. To add to\nthe confusion of the idolaters, God had imposed silence upon the whole\nworld. The powers of the upper and of the nether regions were dumb, the\nuniverse seemed deserted and desolate, as if without a living creature.\nIf a single sound had made itself heard, the priests would have said,\n\"It is the voice of Baal.\" (16)\n\nThat all preparations might be completed in one day,   the erection of\nthe altar, the digging of the trench, and whatever else was necessary, \n Elijah commanded the sun to stand still. \"For Joshua,\" he said, \"thou\ndidst stand still that Israel might conquer his enemies; now stand thou\nstill, neither for my sake, nor for the sake of Israel, but that the\nName of God may be exalted.\" And the sun obeyed his words. (17)\n\nToward evening Elijah summoned his disciple Elisha, and bade him pour\nwater over his hands. A miracle happened. Water flowed out from\nElijah's fingers until the whole trench was filled. (18) Then the\nprophet prayed to God to let fire descend, but in such wise that the\npeople would know it to be a wonder from heaven, and not think it a\nmagician's trick. (19) He spoke: \"Lord of the world, Thou wilt send me\nas a messenger 'at the end of time,' but if my words do not meet with\nfulfilment now, the Jews cannot be expected to believe me in the latter\ndays.\" (20) His pleading was heard on high, and fire fell from heaven\nupon the altar, a fire that not only consumed what it touched, but also\nlicked up the water. (21) Nor was that all; his prayer for rain was\nalso granted. Scarcely had these words dropped from his lips, \"Though\nwe have no other merits, yet remember the sign of the covenant which\nthe Israelites bear upon their bodies,\" when the rain fell to earth.\n(22)\n\nIn spite of all these miracles, the people persisted in their\nidolatrous ways and thoughts. Even the seven thousand who had not bowed\ndown unto Baal were unworthy sons of Israel, for they paid homage to\nthe golden calves of Jeroboam. (23)\n\nThe misdeeds of the people had swelled to such number that they could\nno longer reckon upon \"the merits of the fathers\" to intercede for\nthem; they had overdrawn their account. (24) When they sank to the\npoint of degradation at which they gave up the sign of the covenant,\nElijah could control his wrath no longer, and he accused Israel before\nGod. (25) In the cleft of the rock in which God had once aforetimes\nappeared to Moses, and revealed Himself as compassionate and\nlong-suffering, He now met with Elijah, (26) and conveyed to him, by\nvarious signs, that it had been better to defend Israel than accuse\nhim. But Elijah in his zeal for God was inexorable. Then God commanded\nhim to appoint Elisha as his successor, for He said: \"I cannot do as\nthou wouldst have me.\" (27) Furthermore God charged him: \"Instead of\naccusing My children, journey to Damascus, where the Gentiles have an\nidol for each day of the year. Though Israel hath thrown down My altars\nand slain My prophets, what concern is it of thine?\" (28)\n\nThe four phenomena that God sent before His appearance   wind, (29)\nearthquake, fire, and a still small voice   were to instruct Elijah\nabout the destiny of man. God told Elijah that these four represent the\nworlds through which man must pass: the first stands for this world,\nfleeting as the wind; the earthquake is the day of death, which makes\nthe human body to tremble and quake; fire is the tribunal in Gehenna,\nand the still small voice is the Last Judgment, when there will be none\nbut God alone. (30)\n\nAbout three years (31) later, Elijah was taken up into heaven, (32) but\nnot without first undergoing a struggle with the Angel of Death. He\nrefused to let Elijah enter heaven at his translation, on the ground\nthat he exercised jurisdiction over all mankind, Elijah not excepted.\nGod maintained that at the creation of heaven and earth He had\nexplicitly ordered the Angel of Death to grant entrance to the living\nprophet, but the Angel of Death insisted that by Elijah's translation\nGod had given just cause for complaint to all other men, who could not\nescape the doom of death. Thereupon God: \"Elijah is not like other men.\nHe is able to banish thee from the world, only thou dost not recognize\nhis strength.\" With the consent of God, a combat took place between\nElijah and the Angel of Death. The prophet was victorious, and, if God\nhad not restrained him, he would have annihilated his opponent. Holding\nhis defeated enemy under his feet, Elijah ascended heavenward. (33)\n\nIn heaven he goes on living for all time. (34) There he sits recording\nthe deeds of men (35) and the chronicles of the world. (36) He has\nanother office besides. He is the Psychopomp, whose duty is to stand at\nthe cross-ways in Paradise and guide the pious to their appointed\nplaces; (37) who brings the souls of sinners up from Gehenna at the\napproach of the Sabbath, and leads them back again to their merited\npunishment when the day of rest is about to depart; and who conducts\nthese same souls, after they have atoned for their sins, to the place\nof everlasting bliss. (38)\n\nElijah's miraculous deeds will be better understood if we remember that\nhe had been an angel from the very first, even before the end of his\nearthly career. When God was about to create man, Elijah said to Him:\n\"Master of the world! If it be pleasing in Thine eyes, I will descend\nto earth, and make myself serviceable to the sons of men.\" Then God\nchanged his angel name, and later, under Ahab, He permitted him to\nabide among men on earth, that he might convert the world to the belief\nthat \"the Lord is God.\" His mission fulfilled, God took him again into\nheaven, and said to him: \"Be thou the guardian spirit of My children\nforever, and spread the belief in Me abroad in the whole world.\" (39)\n\nHis angel name is Sandalphon, (40) one of the greatest and mightiest of\nthe fiery angel host. As such it is his duty to wreathe garlands for\nGod out of the prayers sent aloft by Israel. (41) Besides, he must\noffer up sacrifices in the invisible sanctuary, for the Temple was\ndestroyed only apparently; in reality, it went on existing, hidden from\nthe sight of ordinary mortals. (42)\n\nAFTER HIS TRANSLATION\n\nElijah's removal from earth, so far being an interruption to his\nrelations with men, rather marks the beginning of his real activity as\na helper in time of need, as a teacher and as a guide. At first his\nintervention in sublunar affairs was not frequent. Seven years after\nhis translation, (43) he wrote a letter to the wicked king Jehoram, who\nreigned over Judah. The next occasion on which he took part in an\nearthly occurrence was at the time of Ahasuerus, when he did the Jews a\ngood turn by assuming the guise of the courtier Harbonah, (44) in a\nfavorable moment inciting the king against Haman. (45)\n\nIt was reserved for later days, however, for Talmudic times, the golden\nage of the great scholars, the Tannaim and the Amoraim, to enjoy\nElijah's special vigilance as protector of the innocent, as a friend in\nneed, who hovers over the just and the pious, ever present to guard\nthem against evil or snatch them out of danger. With four strokes of\nhis wings Elijah can traverse the world. (46) Hence no spot on earth is\ntoo far removed for his help. As an angel (47) he enjoys the power of\nassuming the most various appearances to accomplish his purposes.\nSometimes he looks like an ordinary man, sometimes he takes the\nappearance of an Arab, sometimes of a horseman, now he is a Roman\ncourt-official, now he is a harlot.\n\nOnce upon a time it happened that when Nahum, the great and pious\nteacher, was journeying to Rome on a political mission, he was without\nknowledge robbed of the gift he bore to the Emperor as an offering from\nthe Jews. When he handed the casket to the ruler, it was found to\ncontain common earth, which the thieves had substituted for the jewels\nthey had abstracted. The Emperor thought the Jews were mocking at him,\nand their representative, Nahum, was condemned to suffer death. In his\npiety the Rabbi did not lose confidence in God; he only said: \"This too\nis for good.\" (48) And so it turned out to be. Suddenly Elijah\nappeared, and, assuming the guise of a court-official, he said:\n\"Perhaps the earth in this casket is like that used by Abraham for\npurposes of war. A handful will do the work of swords and bows.\" At his\ninstance the virtues of the earth were tested in the attack upon a city\nthat had long resisted Roman courage and strength. His supposition was\nverified. The contents of the casket proved more efficacious than all\nthe weapons of the army, and the Romans were victorious. Nahum was\ndismissed, laden with honors and treasures, and the thieves, who had\nbetrayed themselves by claiming the precious earth, were executed, for,\nnaturally enough, Elijah works no wonder for evil-doers. (49)\n\nAnother time, for the purpose of rescuing Rabbi Shila, Elijah pretended\nto be a Persian. An informer had announced the Rabbi with the Persian\nGovernment, accusing him of administering the law according to the\nJewish code. Elijah appeared as witness for the Rabbi and against the\ninformer, and Shila was honorably dismissed. (50)\n\nWhen the Roman bailiffs were pursuing Rabbi Meir, Elijah joined him in\nthe guise of a harlot. The Roman emissaries desisted from their\npursuit, for they could not believe that Rabbi Meir would choose such a\ncompanion. (51)\n\nA contemporary of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Simon ben Yohai, who spent thirteen\nyears in a cave to escape the vengeance of the Romans, was informed by\nElijah of the death of the Jew-baiting emperor, so that he could leave\nhis hiding-place. (52)\n\nEqually characteristic is the help Elijah afforded the worthy poor.\nFrequently he brought them great wealth. Rabbi Kahana was so needy that\nhe had to support himself by peddling with household utensils. Once a\nlady of high standing endeavored to force him to commit an immoral act,\nand Kahana, preferring death to iniquity, threw himself from a loft.\nThough Elijah was at a distance of four hundred parasangs, he hastened\nto the post in time to catch the Rabbi before he touched the ground.\nBesides, he gave him means enough to enable him to abandon an\noccupation beset with perils. (53)\n\nRabba bar Abbahu likewise was a victim of poverty. He admitted to\nElijah that on account of his small means he had no time to devote to\nhis studies. Thereupon Elijah led him into Paradise, bade him remove\nhis mantle, and fill it with leaves grown in the regions of the\nblessed. When the Rabbi was about to quit Paradise, his garment full of\nleaves, a voice was heard to say: \"Who desires to anticipate his share\nin the world to come during his earthly days, as Rabba bar Abbahu is\ndoing?\" The Rabbi quickly cast the leaves away; nevertheless he\nreceived twelve thousand denarii for his upper garment, because it\nretained the wondrous fragrance of the leaves of Paradise. (54)\n\nElijah's help was not confined to poor teachers of the law; all who\nwere in need, and were worthy of his assistance, had a claim upon him.\nA poor man, the father of a family, in his distress once prayed to God:\n\"O Lord of the world, Thou knowest, there is none to whom I can tell my\ntale of woe, none who will have pity upon me. I have neither brother\nnor kinsman nor friend, and my starving little ones are crying with\nhunger. Then do Thou have mercy and be compassionate, or let death come\nand put an end to our suffering.\" His words found a hearing with God,\nfor, as he finished, Elijah stood before the poor man, and\nsympathetically inquired why he was weeping. When the prophet had heard\nthe tale of his troubles, he said: \"Take me and sell me as a slave; the\nproceeds will suffice for thy needs.\" At first the poor man refused to\naccept the sacrifice, but finally yielded, and Elijah was sold to a\nprince for eighty denarii. This sum formed the nucleus of the fortune\nwhich the poor man amassed and enjoyed until the end of his days. The\nprince who had purchased Elijah intended to build a palace, and he\nrejoiced to hear that his new slave was an architect. He promised\nElijah liberty if within six months he completed the edifice. After\nnightfall of the same day, Elijah offered a prayer, and instantaneously\nthe palace stood in its place in complete perfection. Elijah\ndisappeared. The next morning the prince was not a little astonished to\nsee the palace finished. But when he sought his slave to reward him,\nand sought him in vain, he realized that he had had dealings with an\nangel. Elijah meantime repaired to the man who had sold him, and\nrelated his story to him, that he might know he had not cheated the\npurchaser out of his price; on the contrary, he had enriched him, since\nthe palace was worth a hundred times more than the money paid for the\npretended slave. (55)\n\nA similar thing happened to a well-to-do man who lost his fortune, and\nbecame so poor that he had to do manual labor in the field of another.\nOnce, when he was at work, he was accosted by Elijah, who had assumed\nthe appearance of an Arab: \"Thou art destined to enjoy seven good\nyears. When dost thou want them now, or as the closing years of thy\nlife?\" The man replied: \"Thou art a wizard; go in peace, I have nothing\nfor thee.\" Three times the same question was put, three times the same\nreply was given. Finally the man said: \"I shall ask the advice of my\nwife.\" When Elijah came again, and repeated his question, the man,\nfollowing the counsel of his wife, said: \"See to it that seven good\nyears come to us at once.\" Elijah replied: \"Go home. Before thou\ncrossest thy threshold, thy good fortune will have filled thy house.\"\nAnd so it was. His children had found a treasure in the ground, and, as\nhe was about to enter his house, his wife met him and reported the\nlucky find. His wife was an estimable, pious woman, and she said to her\nhusband: \"We shall enjoy seven good years. Let us use this time to\npractice as much charity as possible; perhaps God will lengthen out our\nperiod of prosperity.\" After the lapse of seven years, during which man\nand wife used every opportunity of doing good, Elijah appeared again,\nand announced to the man that the time had come to take away what he\nhad given him. The man responded: \"When I accepted thy gift, it was\nafter consultation with my wife. I should not like to return it without\nfirst acquainting her with what is about to happen.\" His wife charged\nhim to say to the old man who had come to resume possession of his\nproperty: \"If thou canst find any who will be more conscientious\nstewards of the pledges entrusted to us than we have been, I shall\nwillingly yield them up to thee.\" God recognized that these people had\nmade a proper use of their wealth, and He granted it to them as a\nperpetual possession. (56)\n\nIf Elijah was not able to lighten the poverty of the pious, he at least\nsought to inspire them with hope and confidence. Rabbi Akiba, the great\nscholar, lived in dire poverty before he became the famous Rabbi. His\nrich father-in-law would have nothing to do with him or his wife,\nbecause the daughter had married Akiba against her father's will. On a\nbitter cold winter night, Akiba could offer his wife, who had been\naccustomed to the luxuries wealth can buy, nothing but straw as a bed\nto sleep upon, and he tried to comfort her with assurances of his love\nfor the privations she was suffering. At that moment Elijah appeared\nbefore their hut, and cried out in supplicating tones: \"O good people,\ngive me, I pray you, a little bundle of straw. My wife has been\ndelivered of a child, and I am so poor I haven't even enough straw to\nmake a bed for her.\" Now Abika could console his wife with the fact\nthat their own misery was not so great as it might have been, and thus\nElijah had attained his end, to sustain the courage of the pious. (57)\n\nIn the form of an Arab, he once appeared before a very poor man, whose\npiety equalled his poverty. He gave him two shekels. These two coins\nbrought him such good fortune that he attained great wealth. But in his\nzeal to gather worldly treasures, he had no time for deeds of piety and\ncharity. Elijah again appeared before him and took away the two\nshekels. In a short time the man was as poor as before. A third time\nElijah came to him. He was crying bitterly and complaining of his\nmisfortune, and the prophet said: \"I shall make thee rich once more, if\nthou wilt promise me under oath thou wilt not let wealth ruin they\ncharacter.\" He promised, the two shekels were restored to him, he\nregained his wealth, and he remained in possession of it for all time,\nbecause his piety was not curtailed by his riches. (58)\n\nPoverty was not the only form of distress Elijah relieved. He exercised\nthe functions of a physician upon Rabbi Shimi bar Ashi, who had\nswallowed a noxious reptile. Elijah appeared to him as an awe-inspiring\nhorseman, and forced him to apply the preventives against the disease\nto be expected in these circumstances.\n\nHe also cured Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi of long-continued toothache by laying\nhis hand on the sufferer, and at the same time he brought about the\nreconciliation of Rabbi Judan with Rabbi Hayyah, whose form he had\nassumed. Rabbi Judah paid the highest respect to Rabbi Hayyah after he\nfound out that Elijah had considered him worthy of taking his\nappearance. (59)\n\nOn another occasion, Elijah re-established harmony between a husband\nand his wife. The woman had come home very late on Friday evening,\nhaving allowed herself to be detained by the sermon preached by Rabbi\nMeir. Her autocratic husband swore she should not enter the house until\nshe had spat in the very face of the highly-esteemed Rabbi. Meantime\nElijah went to Rabbi Meir, and told him a pious woman had fallen into a\nsore predicament on his account. To help the poor woman, the Rabbi\nrestored to a ruse. He announced that he was looking for one who knew\nhow to cast spells, which was done by spitting into the eye of the\nafflicted one. When he caught sight of the woman designated by Elijah,\nhe asked her to try her power upon him. Thus she was able to comply\nwith her husband's requirement without disrespect to the Rabbi; and\nthrough the instrumentality of Elijah conjugal happiness was restored\nto an innocent wife. (60)\n\nElijah's versatility is shown in the following occurrence. A pious man\nbequeathed a spice-garden to his three sons. They took turns in\nguarding it against thieves. The first night the oldest son watched the\ngarden. Elijah appeared to him and asked him: \"My son, what wilt thou\nhave   knowledge of the Torah, or great wealth, or a beautiful wife?\"\nHe chose wealth, great wealth. Accordingly Elijah gave him a coin, and\nhe became rich. The second son, to whom Elijah appeared the second\nnight, chose knowledge of the Torah. Elijah gave him a book, and \"he\nknew the whole Torah.\" The third son, on the third night, when Elijah\nput the same choice before him as before his brothers, wished for a\nbeautiful wife. Elijah invited this third brother to go on a journey\nwith him. Their first night was passed at the house of a notorious\nvillain, who had a daughter. During the night Elijah overheard the\nchickens and the geese say to one another: \"What a terrible sin that\nyoung may must have committed, that he should be destined to marry the\ndaughter of so great a villain!\" The two travellers journeyed on. The\nsecond night the experiences of the first were repeated. The third\nnight they lodged with a man who had a very pretty daughter. During the\nnight Elijah heard the chickens and the geese say to one another: \"How\ngreat must be the virtues of this young man, if he is privileged to\nmarry so beautiful and pious a wife.\" In the morning, when Elijah\narose, he at once became a matchmaker, the young man married the pretty\nmaiden, and husband and wife journeyed homeward in joy. (61)\n\nIf it became necessary, Elijah was ready to do even the services of a\nsexton. When Rabbi Akiba died in prison, Elijah betook himself to the\ndead man's faithful disciple, Rabbi Joshua, and the two together went\nto the prison. There was none to forbid their entrance; a deep sleep\nhad fallen upon the turnkeys and the prisoners alike. Elijah and Rabbi\nJoshua took the corpse with them, Elijah bearing it upon his shoulder.\nRabbi Joshua in astonishment demanded how he, a priest, dared defile\nhimself upon a corpse. The answer was: \"God forbid! the pious can never\ncause defilement.\" All night the two walked on with their burden. At\nbreak of day they found themselves near Caesarea. A cave opened before\ntheir eyes, and within they saw a bed, a chair, a table, and a lamp.\nThey deposited the corpse upon the bed, and left the cave, which closed\nup behind them. Only the light of the lamp, which had lit itself after\nthey left, shone through the chinks. Whereupon Elijah said: \"Hail, ye\njust, hail to you who devote yourselves to the study of the law. Hail\nto you, ye God-fearing men, for your places are set aside, and kept,\nand guarded, in Paradise, for the time to come. Hail to thee, Rabbi\nAkiba, that thy lifeless body found lodgment for a night in a lovely\nspot.\" (62)\n\nCENSOR AND AVENGER\n\nHelpfulness and compassion do not paint the whole of the character of\nElijah. He remained the stern and inexorable censor whom Ahab feared.\nThe old zeal for the true and the good he never lost, as witness, he\nonce struck a man dead because he failed to perform his devotions with\ndue reverence. (63)\n\nThere were two brothers, one of them rich and miserly, the other poor\nand kind-hearted. Elijah, in the garb of an old beggar, approached the\nrich man, and asked him for alms. Repulsed by him, he turned to the\npoor brother, who received him kindly, and shared his meagre supper\nwith him. On bidding farewell to him and his equally hospitable wife,\nElijah said: \"May God reward you! The first thing you undertake shall\nbe blessed, and shall take no end until you yourselves cry out Enough!\"\nPresently the poor man began to count the few pennies he had, to\nconvince himself that they sufficed to purchase bread for his next\nmeal. But the few became many, and he counted and counted, and still\ntheir number increased. He counted a whole day, and the following\nnight, until he was exhausted, and had to cry out Enough! And, indeed,\nit was enough, for he had become a very wealthy man. His brother was\nnot a little astonished to see the fortunate change in his kinsman's\ncircumstances, and when he heard how it had come about, he determined,\nif the opportunity should present itself again, to show his most\namiable side to the old beggar with the miraculous power of blessing.\nHe had not long to wait. A few days later he saw the old man pass by.\nHe hastened to accost him, and, excusing himself for his unfriendliness\nat their former meeting, begged him to come into his house. All that\nthe larder afforded was put before Elijah, who pretended to eat of the\ndainties. At his departure, he pronounced a blessing upon his hosts:\n\"May the first thing you do have no end, until it is enough.\" The\nmistress of the house thereupon said to her husband: \"That we may count\ngold upon gold undisturbed, let us first attend to our most urgent\nphysical needs.\" So they did   and they had to continue to do it until\nlife was extinct. (64)\n\nThe extreme of his rigor Elijah displayed toward teachers of the law.\nFrom them he demanded more than obedience to the mere letter of a\ncommandment. For instance, he pronounced severe censure upon Rabbi\nIshmael ben Jose because he was willing to act as bailiff in\nprosecuting Jewish thieves and criminals. He advised Rabbi Ishmael to\nfollow the example of his father and leave the country. (65)\n\nHis estrangement from his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi is\ncharacteristic. One who was sought by the officers of the law took\nrefuge with Rabbi Joshua. His pursuers were informed of his place of\nconcealment. Threatening to put all the inhabitants of the city to the\nsword if he was not delivered up, they demanded his surrender. The\nRabbi urged the fugitive from justice to resign himself to his fate.\nBetter for one individual to die, he said, than for a whole community\nto be exposed to peril. The fugitive yielded to the Rabbi's argument,\nand gave himself up to the bailiffs. Thereafter Elijah, who had been in\nthe habit of visiting Rabbi Joshua frequently, stayed away from his\nhouse, and he was induced to come back only by the Rabbi's long fasts\nand earnest prayers. In reply to the Rabbi's question, why he had\nshunned him, he said: \"Dost thou suppose I care to have intercourse\nwith informers?\" The Rabbi quoted a passage from the Mishnah to justify\nhis conduct, but Elijah remained unconvinced. \"Dost thou consider this\na law for a pious man?\" he said. \"Other people might have been right in\ndoing as thou didst; thou shouldst have done otherwise.\" (66)\n\nA number of instances are known which show how exalted a standard\nElijah set up for those who would be considered worthy of intercourse\nwith him. Of two pious brothers, one provided for his servants as for\nhis own table, while the other permitted his servants to eat abundantly\nonly of the first course; of the other courses they could have nothing\nbut the remnants. Accordingly, with the second brother Elijah would\nhave nothing to do, while he often honored the former with his visits.\n\nA similar attitude Elijah maintained toward another pair of pious\nbrothers. One of them was in the habit of providing for his servants\nafter his own needs were satisfied, while the other of them attended to\nthe needs of his servants first. To the latter it was that Elijah gave\nthe preference. (67)\n\nHe dissolved an intimacy of many years' standing, because his friend\nbuilt a vestibule which was so constructed that the supplications of\nthe poor could be heard but faintly by those within the house. (68)\n\nRabbi Joshua ben Levi incurred the displeasure of Elijah a second time,\nbecause a man was torn in pieces by a lion in the vicinity of his\nhouse. In a measure Elijah held Rabbi responsible, because he did not\npray for the prevention of such misfortunes. (69)\n\nThe story told of Elijah and Rabbi Anan forms the most striking\nillustration of the severity of the prophet. Someone brought Rabbi Anan\na mess of little fish as a present, and at the same time asked the\nRabbi to act as judge in a lawsuit he was interested in. Anan refused\nin these circumstances to accept a gift from the litigant. To\ndemonstrate his single-mindedness, the applicant urged the Rabbit to\ntake the fish and assign the case to another judge. Anan acquiesced,\nand he requested one of his colleagues to act for him, because he was\nincapacitated from serving as a judge. His legal friend drew the\ninference, that the litigant introduced to him was a kinsman of Rabbi\nAnan's, and accordingly he showed himself particularly complaisant\ntoward him. As a result, the other party to the suit was intimidated.\nHe failed to present his side as convincingly as he might otherwise\nhave done, and so lost the case. Elijah, who had been the friend of\nAnan and his teacher as well, thenceforth shunned his presence, because\nhe considered that the injury done the second party to the suit was due\nto Anan's carelessness. Anan in his distress kept many fasts, and\noffered up many prayers, before Elijah would return to him. Even then\nthe Rabbi could not endure the sight of him; he had to content himself\nwith listening to Elijah's words without looking upon his face. (70)\n\nSometimes Elijah considered it his duty to force people into abandoning\na bad habit. A rich man was once going to a cattle sale, and he carried\na snug sum of money to buy oxen. He was accosted by a stranger   none\nother than Elijah   who inquired the purpose of his journey. \"I go to\nbuy cattle,\" replied the would-be purchaser. \"Say, it if please God,\"\nurged Elijah. \"Fiddlesticks! I shall buy cattle whether it please God\nor not! I carry the money with me, and the business will be\ndispatched.\" \"But not with good fortune,\" said the stranger, and went\noff. Arrived at the market, the cattle-buyer discovered the loss of his\npurse, and he had to return home to provide himself with other money.\nHe again set forth on his journey, but this time he took another road\nto avoid the stranger of ill omen. To his amazement he met an old man\nwith whom he had precisely the same adventure as with the first\nstranger. Again he had to return home to fetch money. By this time had\nlearned his lesson. When a third stranger questioned him about the\nobject of his journey, he answered: \"If it please God, I intend to buy\noxen.\" The stranger wished him success, and the wish was fulfilled. To\nthe merchant's surprise, when a pair of fine cattle were offered him,\nand their price exceeded the sum of money he had about his person, he\nfound the two purses he had lost on his first and second trips. Later\nhe sold the same pair of oxen to the king for a considerable price, and\nhe became very wealthy. (71)\n\nAs Elijah coerced this merchant into humility toward God, so he carried\nhome a lesson to the great Tanna Eliezer, the son of Rabbi Simon ben\nYohai. This Rabbi stood in need of correction on account of his\noverweening conceit. Once, on returning from the academy, he took a\nwalk on the sea-beach, his bosom swelling with pride at the thought of\nhis attainments in the Torah. He met a hideously ugly man, who greeted\nhim with the words: \"Peace be with thee, Rabbi.\" Eliezer, instead of\ncourteously acknowledging the greeting, said: \"O thou wight, (72) how\nugly thou art! Is it possible that all the residents of thy town are as\nugly as thou?\" \"I know not,\" was the reply, \"but it is the Master\nArtificer who created me that thou shouldst have said: 'How ugly is\nthis vessel which Thou hast fashioned.'\" The Rabbi realized the wrong\nhe had committed, and humbly begged pardon of the ugly man   another of\nthe protean forms adopted by Elijah. The latter continued to refer him\nto the Master Artificer of the ugly vessel. The inhabitants of the\ncity, who had hastened to do honor to the great Rabbi, earnestly urged\nthe offended man to grant pardon, and finally he declared himself\nappeased, provided the Rabbi promised never again to commit the same\nwrong. (73)\n\nThe rigor practiced by Elijah toward his friends caused one of them,\nthe Tanna Rabbi Jose, to accuse him of being passionate and irascible.\nAs a consequence, Elijah would have nothing to do with him for a long\ntime. When he reappeared, and confessed the cause of his withdrawal,\nRabbi Jose said he felt justified, for his charge could not have\nreceived a more striking verification. (74)\n\nINTERCOURSE WITH THE SAGES\n\nElijah's purely human relations to the world revealed themselves in\ntheir fulness, neither in his deeds of charity, nor in his censorious\nrigor, but rather in his gentle and scholarly intercourse with the\ngreat in Israel, especially the learned Rabbis of the Talmudic time. He\nis at once their disciple and their teacher. To one he resorts for\ninstruction on difficult points, to another he himself dispenses\ninstruction. As a matter of course, his intimate knowledge of the\nsupernatural world makes him appear more frequently in the role of\ngiver than receiver. Many a bit of secret lore the Jewish teachers\nlearnt from Elijah, and he it was who, with the swiftness of lightning,\ncarried the teachings of one Rabbi to another sojourning hundreds of\nmiles away. (75)\n\nThus it was Elijah who taught Rabbi Jose the deep meaning hidden in the\nScriptural passage in which woman is designated as the helpmeet of man.\nBy means of examples he demonstrated to the Rabbi how indispensable\nwoman is to man. (76)\n\nRabbi Nehorai profited by his exposition of why God created useless,\neven noxious insects. The reason for their existence is that the sight\nof superfluous and harmful creatures prevents God from destroying His\nworld at times when, on account of the wickedness and iniquity\nprevailing in it, it repents Him of having created it. If He preserves\ncreatures that at their best are useless, and at their worst injurious,\nhow much more should He preserve human beings with all their\npotentialities for good.\n\nThe same Rabbi Nehorai was told by Elijah, that God sends earthquakes\nand other destructive phenomena when He sees places of amusement\nprosperous and flourishing, while the Temple lies a heap of dust and\nashes. (77)\n\nTo Rabbi Judah he communicated the following three maxims: Let not\nanger master thee, and thou wilt not fall into sin; let not drink\nmaster thee, and thou wilt be spared pain; before thou settest out on a\njourney, take counsel with thy Creator. (78)\n\nIn case of a difference of opinion among scholars, Elijah was usually\nquestioned as to how the moot point was interpreted in the heavenly\nacademy. (79) Once, when the scholars were not unanimous in their views\nas to Esther's intentions when she invited Haman to her banquets with\nthe king, Elijah, asked by Rabba bar Abbahu to tell him her real\npurpose, said that each and every one of the motives attributed to her\nby various scholars were true, for her invitations to Haman had many a\npurpose. (80)\n\nA similar answer he gave the Amora Abiathar, who disputed with his\ncolleagues as to why the Ephraimite who cause the war against the tribe\nof Benjamin first cast off his concubine, and then became reconciled to\nher. Elijah informed Rabbi Abiathar that in heaven the cruel conduct of\nthe Ephraimite was explained in two ways, according to Abiathar's\nconception and according to his opponent Jonathan's as well. (81)\n\nRegarding the great contest between Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and the\nwhole body of scholars, in which the majority maintained the validity\nof its opinion, though a heavenly voice pronounced Rabbi Eliezer's\ncorrect, Elijah told Rabbi Nathan, that God in His heaven had cried\nout: \"My children have prevailed over Me!\" (82)\n\nOn one occasion Elijah fared badly for having betrayed celestial events\nto his scholars. He was a daily attendant at the academy of Rabbi Judah\nha-Nasi. One day, it was the New Moon Day, he was late. The reason for\nhis tardiness, he said, was that it was his daily duty to awaken the\nthree Patriarchs, (83) wash their hands for them, so that they might\noffer up their prayers, and after their devotions lead them back to\ntheir resting-places. On this day their prayers took very long, because\nthey were increased by the Musaf service on account of the New Moon\ncelebration, and hence he did not make his appearance at the academy in\ngood time. Elijah did not end his narrative at this point, but went on\nto tell the Rabbi, that this occupation of his was rather tedious, for\nthe three Patriarchs were not permitted to offer up their payers at the\nsame time. Abraham prayed first, then came Isaac, and finally Jacob. If\nthey all were to pray together, the united petitions of three such\nparagons of piety would be so efficacious as to force God to fulfil\nthem, and He would be induced to bring the Messiah before his time.\nThen Rabbi Judah wanted to know whether there were any among the pious\non earth whose prayer possessed equal efficacy. Elijah admitted that\nthe same power resided in the prayers of Rabbi Hayyah and his two sons.\nRabbi Judah lost no time in proclaiming a day of prayer and fasting and\nsummoning Rabbi Hayyah and his sons to officiate as the leaders in\nprayer. They began to chant the Eighteen Benedictions. Then they\nuttered the word for wind, a storm arose; when they continued and made\npetition for rain, the rain descended at once. But as the readers\napproached the passage relating to the revival of the dead, great\nexcitement arose in heaven, and when it became known that Elijah had\nrevealed the secret of the marvellous power attaching to the prayers of\nthe three men, he was punished with fiery blows. To thwart Rabbi\nJudah's purpose, Elijah assumed the form of a bear, and put the praying\ncongregation to flight. (84)\n\nContrariwise, Elijah was also in the habit of reporting earthly events\nin the celestial regions. He told Rabba bar Shila that the reason Rabbi\nMeir was never quoted in the academy on high was because he had had so\nwicked a teacher as Elisha ben Abuyah. Rabba explained Rabbi Meir's\nconduct by an apologue. \"Rabbi Meir,\" he said, \"found a pomegranate; he\nenjoyed the heart of the fruit, and cast the skin aside.\" Elijah was\npersuaded of the justness of this defense, and so were all the\ncelestial powers. Thereupon one of Rabbi Meir's interpretations was\nquoted in the heavenly academy. (85)\n\nElijah was no less interested in the persons of the learned than in\ntheir teachings, especially when scholars were to be provided with the\nmeans of devoting themselves to their studies. It was he who, when\nRabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, later a great celebrity, resolved to devote\nhimself to the law, advised him to repair to Jerusalem and sit at the\nfeet of Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai. (86)\n\nHe once met a man who mocked at his exhortations to study, and he said\nthat on the great day of reckoning he would excuse himself for his\nneglect of intellectual pursuits by the fact that he had been granted\nneither intelligence nor wisdom. Elijah asked him what his calling was.\n\"I am a fisherman,\" was the reply. \"Well, my son,\" questioned Elijah,\n\"who taught thee to take flax and make nets and throw them into the sea\nto catch fish?\" He replied: \"For this heaven gave me intelligence and\ninsight.\" Hereupon Elijah: \"If thou possessest intelligence and insight\nto cast nets and catch fish, why should these qualities desert thee\nwhen thou dealest with the Torah, which, thou knowest, is very nigh\nunto man that he may do it?\" The fisherman was touched, and he began to\nweep. Elijah pacified him by telling him that what he had said applied\nto many another beside him. (87)\n\nIn another way Elijah conveyed the lesson of the great value residing\nin devotion to the study of the Torah. Disguised as a Rabbi, he was\napproached by a man who promised to relieve him of all material cares\nif he would but abide with him. Refusing to leave Jabneh, the centre of\nJewish scholarship, he said to the tempter: \"Wert thou to offer me a\nthousand million gold denarii, I would not quit the abode of the law,\nand dwell in a place in which there is no Torah.\" (88)\n\nBy Torah, of course, is meant the law as conceived and interpreted by\nthe sages and the scholars, for Elijah was particularly solicitous to\nestablish the authority of the oral law, (89) as he was solicitous to\ndemonstrate the truth of Scriptural promises that appeared incredible\nat first sight. For instance, he once fulfilled Rabbi Joshua ben Levi's\nwish to see the precious stones which would take the place of the sun\nin illuminating Jerusalem in the Messianic time. A vessel in mid-ocean\nwas nigh unto shipwreck. Among a large number of heathen passengers\nthere was a single Jewish youth. To him Elijah appeared and said, he\nwould rescue the vessel, provided the boy went to Rabbi Joshua ben\nLevi, and took him to a certain place far removed from the town and\nfrom human habitation, and showed him the gems. The boy doubted that so\ngreat a man would consent to follow a mere slip of a youth to a remote\nspot, but, reassured by Elijah, who told him of Rabbi Joshua's\nextraordinary modesty, he undertook the commission, and the vessel with\nits human freight was saved. The boy came to the Rabbi, besought him to\ngo whither he would lead, and Joshua, who was really possessed of great\nmodesty, followed the boy three miles without even inquiring the\npurpose of the expedition. When they finally reached the cave, the boy\nsaid: \"See, here are the precious stones!\" The Rabbi grasped them, and\na flood of light spread as far as Lydda, the residence of Rabbi Joshua.\nStartled, he cast the precious stones away from him, and they\ndisappeared. (90)\n\nThis Rabbi was a particular favorite of Elijah, who even secured him an\ninterview with the Messiah. The Rabbi found the Messiah among the crowd\nof afflicted poor gathered near the city gates of Rome, and he greeted\nhim with the words: \"Peace be with thee, my teacher and guide!\"\nWhereunto the Messiah replied: \"Peace be with thee, thou son of Levi!\"\nThe Rabbi then asked him when he would appear, and the Messiah said,\n\"To-day.\" Elijah explained to the Rabbi later that what the Messiah\nmeant by \"to-day\" was, that he for his part was ready to bring Israel\nredemption at any time. If Israel but showed himself worthy, he would\ninstantly fufil his mission. (91)\n\nElijah wanted to put Rabbi Joshua into communication with the departed\nRabbi Simon ben Yohai also, but the later did not consider him of\nsufficient importance to honor him with his conversation. Rabbi Simon\nhad addressed a question to him, and Rabbi Joshua in his modesty had\nmade a reply not calculated to give one a high opinion of him. (92) In\nreality Rabbi Joshua was the possessor of such sterling qualities, that\nwhen he entered Paradise Elijah walked before him calling out: \"Make\nroom for the son of Levi.\" (93)\n\nGOD'S JUSTICE VINDICATED\n\nAmong the many and various teachings dispensed by Elijah to his\nfriends, there are none so important as his theodicy, the teachings\nvindicating God's justice in the administration of earthly affairs. He\nused many an opportunity to demonstrate it by precept and example. Once\nhe granted his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi the fulfilment of any wish\nhe might express, and all the Rabbi asked for was, that he might be\npermitted to accompany Elijah on his wanderings through the world.\nElijah was prepared to gratify this wish. He only imposed the\ncondition, that, however odd the Rabbi might think Elijah's actions, he\nwas not to ask any explanation of them. If ever he demanded why, they\nwould have to part company. So Elijah and the Rabbi fared forth\ntogether, and they journeyed on until they reached the house of a poor\nman, whose only earthly possession was a cow. The man and his wife were\nthoroughly good-hearted people, and they received the two wanderers\nwith a cordial welcome. They invited the strangers into their house,\nset before them food and drink of the best they had, and made up a\ncomfortable couch for them for the night. When Elijah and the Rabbi\nwere ready to continue their journey on the following day, Elijah\nprayed that the cow belonging to his host might die. Before they left\nthe house, the animal had expired. Rabbi Joshua was so shocked by the\nmisfortune that had befallen the good people, he almost lost\nconsciousness. He thought: \"Is that to be the poor man's reward for all\nhis kind services to us?\" And he could not refrain from putting the\nquestion to Elijah. But Elijah reminded him of the condition imposed\nand accepted at the beginning of their journey, and they travelled on,\nthe Rabbi's curiosity unappeased. That night they reached the house of\na wealthy man, who did not pay his guest the courtesy of looking them\nin the face. Though they passed the night under his roof, he did not\noffer them food or drink. This rich man was desirous of having a wall\nrepaired that had tumbled down. There was no need for him to take any\nsteps to have it rebuilt, for, when Elijah left the house, he prayed\nthat the wall might erect itself, and, lo! it stood upright. Rabbi\nJoshua was greatly amazed, but true to his promise he suppressed the\nquestion that rose to his lips. So the two travelled on again, until\nthey reached an ornate synagogue, the seats in which were made of\nsilver and gold. But the worshippers did not correspond in character to\nthe magnificence of the building, for when it came to the point of\nsatisfying the needs of the way-worn pilgrims, one of those present\nsaid: \"There is not dearth of water and bread, and the strange\ntravellers can stay in the synagogue, whither these refreshments can be\nbrought to them.\" Early the next morning, when they were departing,\nElijah wished those present in the synagogue in which they had lodged,\nthat God might raise them all to be \"heads.\" Rabbi Joshua again had to\nexercise great self-restraint, and not put into words the question that\ntroubled him profoundly. In the next town, they were received with\ngreat affability, and served abundantly with all their tired bodies\ncraved. On these kind hosts Elijah, on leaving, bestowed the wish that\nGod might give them but a single head. Now the Rabbi could not hold\nhimself in check any longer, and he demanded an explanation of Elijah's\nfreakish actions. Elijah consented to clear up his conduct for Joshua\nbefore they separated from each other. He spoke as follows: \"The poor\nman's cow was killed, because I knew that on the same day the death of\nhis wife had been ordained in heaven, and I prayed to God to accept the\nloss of the poor man's property as a substitute for the poor man's\nwife. As for the rich man, there was a treasure hidden under the\ndilapidated wall, and, if he had rebuilt it, he would have found the\ngold; hence I set up the wall miraculously in order to deprive the\ncurmudgeon of the valuable find. I wished that the inhospitable people\nassembled in the synagogue might have many heads, for a place of\nnumerous leaders is bound to be ruined by reason of multiplicity of\ncounsel and disputes. To the inhabitants of our last sojourning place,\non the other hand, I wished a 'single head,' for the one to guide a\ntown, success will attend all its undertakings. Know, then, that if\nthou seest an evil-doer prosper, it is not always unto his advantage,\nand if a righteous man suffers need and distress, think not God is\nunjust.\" After these words Elijah and Rabbi Joshua separated from each\nother, and each went his own way. (94)\n\nHow difficult it is to form a true judgment with nothing but external\nappearances as a guide, Elijah proved to Rabbi Baroka. They were once\nwaling in a crowded street, and the Rabbi requested Elijah to point out\nany in the throng destined to occupy places in Paradise. Elijah\nanswered that there was none, only to contradict himself and point to a\npasser-by the very next minute. His appearance was such that in him\nleast of all the Rabbi would have suspected a pious man. His garb did\nnot even indicate that he was a Jew. Later Rabbi Baroka discovered by\nquestioning him that he was a prison guard. In the fulfilment of his\nduties as such he was particularly careful that the virtue of chastity\nshould not be violated in the prison, in which both men women were kept\nin detention. Also, his position often brought him into relations with\nthe heathen authorities, and so he was enabled to keep the Jews\ninformed of the disposition entertained toward them by the powers that\nbe. The Rabbi was thus taught that no station in life precluded its\noccupant from doing good and acting nobly.\n\nAnother time Elijah designated two men to whom a great future was\nassigned in Paradise. Yet these men were nothing more than clowns! They\nmade it their purpose in life to dispel discontent and sorrow by their\njokes and their cheery humor, and they used the opportunities granted\nby their profession to adjust the difficulties and quarrels that\ndisturb the harmony of people living in close contact with each other.\n(95)\n\nELIJAH AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH\n\nAmong the many benevolent deeds of Elijah, special mention ought to be\nmade of his rescue of those doomed by a heavenly decree to fall into\nthe clutches of the Angel of Death. He brought these rescues about by\nwarning the designated victims of their impending fate, and urging them\nto do good deeds, which would prove protection against death.\n\nThere was once a pious and rich man with a beautiful and saintly\ndaughter. She had had the misfortune of losing three husbands in\nsuccession, each on the day after the wedding. These sorrows determined\nher never again to enter into the marriage state. A cousin of hers, the\nnephew of her father, induced by the poverty of his parents, journeyed\nfrom his distant home to apply for help to his rich uncle. Scarcely had\nhe laid eyes upon his lovely cousin when he fell victim to her charms.\nIn vain her father sought to dissuade his nephew from marrying his\ndaughter. But the fate of his predecessors did not affright him, and\nthe wedding took place. While he was standing under the wedding canopy,\nElijah came to him in the guise of an old man, and said: \"My son, I\nwant to give thee a piece of advice. While thou are seated at the\nwedding dinner, thou wilt be approached by a ragged, dirty beggar, with\nhair like nails. As soon as thou catchest sight of him, hasten to seat\nhim beside thee, set food and drink before him, and be ready to grant\nwhatever he may ask of thee. Do as I say, and thou wilt be protected\nagainst harm. Now I shall leave thee and go my way.\" At the wedding\nfeast, a stranger as described by Elijah appeared, and the bridegroom\ndid according to Elijah's counsel. After the wedding the stranger\nrevealed his identity, introducing himself as the messenger of the Lord\nsent to take the young husband's life. The supplications of the\nbridegroom failed to move him; he refused to grant a single day's\nrespite. All he yielded was permission to the young husband to bid\nfarewell to his newly-wed wife. When the bride saw that what she had\nfeared was coming to pass, she repaired to the Angel of Death and\nargued with him: \"The Torah distinctly exempts the newly-wed from all\nduties for a whole year. If thou deprivest my husband of life, thou\nwilt give the lie to the Torah.\" Thereupon God commanded the Angel of\nDeath to desist, and, when the relatives of the bride came to prepare\nthe grave of the groom, they found him well and unharmed. (96)\n\nA similar thing befell the son of the great and extremely pious scholar\nRabbi Reuben. To him came the Angel of Death and announced that his\nonly son would have to die. The pious man was resigned: \"We mortals can\ndo nothing to oppose a Divine decree,\" he said, \"but I pray there, give\nhim thirty days' respite, that I may see him married.\" The Angel of\nDeath acquiesced. The Rabbi told no one of this encounter, waited until\nthe appointed time was drawing to a close, and, on the very last day,\nthe thirtieth, he arranged his son's wedding feast. On that day, the\nbridegroom-to-be met Elijah, who told him of his approaching death. A\nworthy son of his father, he said: \"Who may oppose God? And am I better\nthan Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They, too, had to die.\" Elijah told him\nfurthermore, that the Angel of Death would appear to him in the guise\nof a ragged, dirty beggar, and he advised him to receive him in the\nkindliest possible manner, and in particular he was to insist upon his\ntaking food and drink from him. All happened as Elijah had predicted,\nand his advice, too, proved efficacious, for the heart of the Angel of\nDeath, who finally revealed his identity with the beggar, was softened\nby the entreaties of the father, combined with the tears of the young\nwife, who resorted to the argument cited above, of the year of\nexemption from duty granted to the newly-married. The Angel of Death,\ndisarmed by the amiable treatment accorded to him, himself went before\nthe throne of God and presented the young wife's petition. The end was\nGod added seventy years to the life of Rabbi Reuben's son. (97)\n\nTEACHER OF THE KABBALAH\n\nThe frequent meetings between Elijah and the teachers of the law of the\nTalmudic time were invested with personal interest only. Upon the\ndevelopment of the Torah they had no influence whatsoever. His relation\nto the mystic science was of quite other character. It is safe to say\nthat what Moses was to the Torah, Elijah was to the Kabbalah.\n\nHis earliest relation to it was established through Rabbi Simon ben\nYohai and his son Rabbi Eliezer. For thirteen years he visited them\ntwice daily in their subterranean hiding-place, and imparted the\nsecrets of the Torah to them. (98) A thousand years later, Elijah again\ngave the impetus to the development of the Kabbalah, for it was he that\nrevealed mysteries, first to the Nazarite Rabbi Jacob, then to his\ndisciple of the latter, Abraham ben David. The mysteries in the books\n\"Peliah\" and \"Kanah,\" the author Elkanah owed wholly to Elijah. He had\nappeared to him in the form of a venerable old man, and had imparted to\nhim the secret lore taught in the heavenly academy. Besides, he led him\nto a fiery rock whereon mysterious characters were engraved, which were\ndeciphered by Elkanah.\n\nAfter his disciple had thus become thoroughly impregnated with mystical\nteachings, Elijah took him to the tomb of the Patriarchs, and thence to\nthe heavenly academy. But the angels, little pleased by the intrusion\nof one \"born of woman,\" inspired him with such terror that he besought\nElijah to carry him back to earth. His mentor allayed his fears, and\nlong continued to instruct him in the mystical science, according to\nthe system his disciple has recorded in his two works. (99)\n\nThe Kabbalists in general were possessed of the power to cite Elijah,\nto conjure him up by means of certain formulas. (100) One of them,\nRabbi Joseph della Reyna, once called upon Elijah in this way, but it\nproved his own undoing. He was a saintly scholar, and he had conceived\nno less a purpose than to bring about the redemption of man by the\nconquest of the angel Samael, the Prince of Evil. After many prayers\nand vigils and long indulgence in fasting, and other ascetic practices,\nRabbi Joseph united himself with his five disciples for the purpose of\nconjuring up Elijah. When the prophet, obeying the summons, suddenly\nstood before him, Rabbi Joseph spoke as follows: \"Peace be with thee,\nour master! True prophet, bearer of salvation, be not displeased with\nme that I have troubled thee to come hither. God knows, I have not done\nit for myself, and not for mine own honor. I am zealous for the name\nand the honor of God, and I know thy desire is the same as mine, for it\nis thy vocation to make the glory of God to prevail on earth. I pray\nthee, therefore, to grant my petition, tell me with what means I can\nconquer Satan.\" Elijah at first endeavored to dissuade the Rabbi from\nhis enterprise. He described the great power of Satan, ever growing as\nit feeds upon the sins of mankind. But Rabbi Joseph could not be made\nto desist. Elijah then enumerated what measures and tactics he would\nhave to observe in his combat with the fallen angel. He enumerated the\npious, saintly deeds that would win the interest of the archangel\nSandalphon in his undertaking, and from this angel he would learn the\nmethod of warfare to be pursued. The Rabbi followed out Elijah's\ndirections carefully, and succeeded in summoning Sandalphon to his\nassistance. If he had continued to obey instructions implicitly, and\nhad carried out all Sandalphon advised, the Rabbi would have triumphed\nover Satan and hastened the redemption of the world. Unfortunately, at\none point the Rabbi committed an indiscretion, and he lost the great\nadvantages he had gained over Satan, who used his restored power to\nbring ruin upon him and his disciples. (101)\n\nThe radical transformation in the character of Kabbalistic teaching\nwhich is connected with the name of Rabbi Isaac Loria likewise is an\nevidence of Elijah's activity. Elijah sought out this \"father of the\nKabbalistic Renaissance,\" and revealed the mysteries of the universe to\nhim. Indeed, he had shown his interest in him long before any one\nsuspected the future greatness of Rabbi Isaac. Immediately after his\nbirth, Elijah appeared to the father of the babe, and enjoined him not\nto have the rite of circumcision performed until he should be told by\nElijah to proceed. The eighth day of the child's life arrived, the\nwhole congregation was assembled at the synagogue (102) to witness the\nsolemn ceremonial, but to the great astonishment of his fellow-townsmen\nthe father delayed it. The people naturally did not know he was waiting\nfor Elijah to appear, and he was called upon once and again to have the\nceremony take place. But he did not permit the impatience of the\ncompany to turn him from his purpose. Suddenly, Elijah, unseen, of\ncourse, by the others, appeared to him, and bade him have the ceremony\nperformed. Those present were under the impression that the father was\nholding the child on his knees during the circumcision; in reality,\nhowever it was Elijah. After the rite was completed, Elijah handed the\ninfant back to the father with the words: \"Here is thy child. Take good\ncare of it, for it will spread a brilliant light over the world.\" (103)\n\nIt was also Elijah who in a similar way informed Rabbit Eliezer, the\nfather of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tob,   the father of him whose name is\nunrivalled in the annals of the Hasidic Kabbalah that a son would be\nborn to him who should enlighten the eyes of Israel. This Rabbi Eliezer\nwas justly reputed to be very hospitable. He was in the habit of\nstationing guards at the entrances to the village in which he lived,\nand they were charged to bring all strangers to his house. In heaven it\nwas ordained that Rabbi Eliezer's hospitable instincts should be put to\na test. Elijah was chosen for the experiment. On a Sabbath afternoon,\narrayed in the garb of a beggar, he entered the village with knapsack\nand staff. Rabbi Eliezer, taking no notice of the fact that the beggar\nwas desecrating the Sabbath, received him kindly, attended to his\nbodily wants, and the next morning, on parting with him, gave him some\nmoney besides. Touched by his kind-heartedness, Elijah revealed his\nidentity and the purpose of his disguise, and told him that, as he had\nborne the trial so well, he would be rewarded by the birth of a son who\nshould \"enlighten the eyes of Israel.\" (104)\n\nFORERUNNER OF THE MESSIAH\n\nMany-sided though Elijah's participation in the course of historical\nevents is, it cannot be compared with what he is expected to do in the\ndays of the Messiah. He is charged with the mission of ordering the\ncoming time aright and restoring the tribes of Jacob. (105) His\nMessianic activity thus is to be twofold: he is to be the forerunner of\nthe Messiah, yet in part he will himself realize the promised scheme of\nsalvation. His first task will be to induce Israel to repent when the\nMessiah is about to come, (106) and to establish peace and harmony in\nthe world. (107) Hence he will have to settle all legal difficulties,\nand solve all legal problems, that have accumulated since days\nimmemorial, (108) and decide vexed questions of ritual concerning which\nauthors entertain contradictory views. In short, all difference of\nopinion must be removed from the path of the Messiah. (109) This office\nof expounder of the law Elijah will continue to occupy even after the\nreign of peace has been established on earth, and his relation to Moses\nwill be the same Aaron once held. (110)\n\nElijah's preparatory work will be begun three days before the advent of\nthe Messiah. Then he will appear in Palestine, and will utter a lament\nover the devastation of the Holy Land, and his wail will be heard\nthroughout the world. The last words of his elegy will be: \"Now peace\nwill come upon earth!\" When the evil-doers hear this message, they will\nrejoice. On the second day, he will appear again and proclaim: \"Good\nwill come upon earth!\" And on the third his promise will be heard:\n\"Salvation will come upon earth.\" (111) Then Michael will blow the\ntrumpet, and once more Elijah will make his appearance, this time to\nintroduce the Messiah. (112) To make sure of the identity of the\nMessiah, the Jews will demand that he perform the miracle of\nresurrection before their eyes, reviving such of the dead as they had\nknown personally. (113) But the Messiah will do the following seven\nwonders: He will bring Moses and the generation of the desert to life;\nKorah and his band he will raise from out of the earth; he will revive\nthe Ephraimitic Messiah, who was slain; he will show the three holy\nvessels of the Temple, the Ark, the flask of manna, and the cruse of\nsacred oil, all three of which disappeared mysteriously; he will wave\nthe sceptre given him by God; he will grind the mountains of the Holy\nLand into powder like straw, and he will reveal the secret of\nredemption. Then the Jews will believe that Elijah is the Elijah\npromised to them, and the Messiah introduced by him is the true\nMessiah. (114)\n\nThe Messiah (115) will have Elijah blow the trumpet, and, at the first\nsound, the primal light, which shone before the week of Creation, will\nreappear; at the second sound the dead will arise, and with the\nswiftness of wind assemble around the Messiah from all corners of the\nearth; at the third sound, the Shekinah will become visible to all; the\nmountains will be razed at the fourth sound, and the Temple will stand\nin complete perfection as Ezekiel described it. (116)\n\nDuring the reign of peace, Elijah will be one of the eight princes\nforming the cabinet of the Messiah. (117) Even the coming of the great\njudgment day will not end his activity. On that day the children of the\nwicked who had to die in infancy on account of the sins of their\nfathers will be found among the just, while their fathers will be\nranged on the other side. The babes will implore their fathers to come\nto them, but God will not permit it. Then Elijah will go to the little\nones, and teach them how to plead in behalf of their fathers. They will\nstand before God and say: \"Is not the measure of good, the mercy of\nGod, larger than the measure of chastisements? If, then, we died for\nthe sins of our fathers, should they not now for our sakes be granted\nthe good, and be permitted to join us in Paradise?\" God will give\nassent to their pleadings, and Elijah will have fulfilled the word of\nthe prophet Malachi; he will have brought back the fathers to the\nchildren. (118)\n\nThe last act of Elijah's brilliant career will be the execution of\nGod's command to slay Samael, and so banish evil forever. (119)\n\n\n\n\nVIII.\nELISHA AND JONAH\n\nELISHA THE DISCIPLE OF ELIJAH\n\nThe voices of the thousands of prophets of his time were stilled when\nElijah was translated from earth to heaven. With him vanished the\nprophetical spirit of those who in former times had in no wise been his\ninferiors. (1) Elisha was the only one among them whose prophetical\npowers were not diminished. On the contrary, they were strengthened, as\na reward for the unhesitating readiness with which he obeyed Elijah's\nsummons, and parted with the field he was ploughing, and with all else\nhe possessed, in favor of the community. Thenceforward he remained\nElijah's unwearying companion. When the angel descended from heaven to\ntake Elijah from earth, he found the two so immersed in a learned\ndiscussion that he could not attract their attention, and he had to\nreturn, his errand unfulfilled. (2)\n\nElijah's promise to bestow a double portion of his wondrous spirit upon\nhis disciple was realized instantaneously. During his life Elisha\nperformed sixteen miracles, and eight was all his master had performed.\nThe first of them, the crossing of the Jordan, was more remarkable than\nthe corresponding wonder done by Elijah, for Elisha traversed the river\nalone, and Elijah had been accompanied by Elisha. Two saints always\nhave more power than one by himself. (3)\n\nHis second miracle, the \"healing\" of the waters of Jericho, so that\nthey became fit to drink, resulted in harm to himself, for the people\nwho had earned their livelihood by the sale of wholesome water were\nvery much incensed against the prophet for having spoiled their trade.\nElisha, whose prophetic powers enabled him to read both the past and\nthe future of these tradesmen, knew that they , their ancestors, and\ntheir posterity had \"not even the aroma of good about them.\" Therefore\nhe cursed them. Suddenly a forest sprang up and the bears that infested\nit devoured the murmuring traders. The wicked fellows were not\nundeserving of the punishment they received, yet Elisha was made to\nundergo a very serious sickness, by way of correction for having\nyielded to passion. (4) In this he resembled his master Elijah; he\nallowed wrath and zeal to gain the mastery over him. God desired that\nthe two great prophets might be purged of this fault. Accordingly, when\nElisha rebuked King Jehoram of Israel, the spirit of prophecy forsook\nhim, and he had to resort to artificial means to re-awaken it within\nhimself. (5)\n\nLike his teacher, Elisha was always ready to help the poor and needy,\nas witness his sympathy with the widow of one of the sons of the\nprophets, and the effective aid he extended to her. Her husband had\nbeen none other than Obadiah, who, though a prophet, had at the same\ntime been one of the highest officials at the court of the sinful king\nAhab. By birth an Edomite, Obadiah had been inspired by God to utter\nthe prophecy against Edom. In his own person he embodied the accusation\nagainst Esau, who had lived with his pious parents without following\ntheir example, while Obadiah, on the contrary, lived in constant\nintercourse with the iniquitous King Ahab and his still more iniquitous\nspouse Jezebel without yielding to the baneful influence they\nexercised. (6) This same Obadiah not only used his own fortune, but\nwent to the length of borrowing money on interest from the future king,\nin order to have the wherewithal to support the prophets who were in\nhiding. On his death, the king sought to hold the children responsible\nfor the debt of the father. In her despair the pious wife of Obadiah\n(7) went to the graveyard, and there she cried out: \"O thou God-fearing\nman!\" At once a heavenly voice was heard questioning her: \"There are\nfour God-fearing men, Abraham, Joseph, Job, and Obadiah. To which of\nthem does thou desire to speak?\" \"To him of whom it is said, \"He feared\nthe Lord greatly.'\"\n\nShe was led to the grave of the prophet Obadiah, where she poured out\nthe tale of her sorrow. Obadiah told her to take the small remnant of\noil she still had to the prophet Elisha and request him to intercede\nfor him with God, \"for God,\" he said, \"is my debtor, seeing that I\nprovided a hundred prophets, not only with bread and water, but also\nwith oil to illuminate their hiding-place, for do not the Scriptures\nsay: 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord'?\"\nForthwith the woman carried out his behest. She went to Elisha, and he\nhelped her by making her little cruse of oil fill vessels upon vessels\nwithout number, and when the vessels gave out, she fetched potsherds,\nsaying, \"May the will that made empty vessels full, make broken vessels\nperfect.\" So it was. The oil ceased to flow only when the supply of\npotsherds as well as vessels gave out. In her piety the woman wanted to\npay her tithe-offering, but Elisha was of the opinion that, as the oil\nhad been bestowed upon her miraculously, she could keep it wholly and\nentirely for her own use. Furthermore, Elisha reassured her as to the\npower of the royal princes to do her harm: \"The God who will close the\njaws of the lions set upon Daniel, and who did close the jaws of the\ndogs in Egypt, the same God will blind the eyes of the sons of Ahab,\nand deafen their ears, so that they can do thee no harm.\" (8) Not only\nwas the poor widow helped out of her difficulties, her descendants unto\nall times were provided for. The oil rose in price, and it yielded so\nmuch profit that they never suffered want. (9)\n\nTHE SHUNAMMITE\n\nThe great woman of Shunem, the sister of Abishag and wife of the\nprophet Iddo, (10) also had cause to be deeply grateful to Elisha. When\nElisha came to Shunem on his journey through the land of Israel, his\nholiness made a profound impression upon the Shunammite. Indeed, the\nprophet's eye was so awe-inspiring that now woman could look him in the\nface and live. (11) Contrary to the habit of most women, who are intent\nupon diminishing their expenses and their toil, the Shunammite took\ndelight in the privilege of welcoming the prophet to her house as a\nguest. She observed that not even a fly dared approach close to the\nholy man, and a grateful fragrance exhaled from his person. \"If he were\nnot so great a saint,\" she said, \"and the holiness of the Lord did not\ninvest him, there were no such pleasant fragrance about him.\" That he\nmight be undisturbed, she assigned the best chambers in the house to\nthe prophet. He on his part, desiring to show his appreciation of her\nhospitality, knew no better return for her kindness than to promise\nthat she should be blessed with a child within a year. (12) The woman\nprotested: \"O, my husband is an old man, nor am I of an age to bear\nchildren; the promise cannot be fulfilled.\" Yet it happened as the\nprophet had foretold. Before a twelvemonth had passed, she was a\nmother.\n\nA few years later her child died a sudden death. The mother repaired to\nthe prophet, and lamented before him: \"O that the vessel had remained\nempty, rather than it should be filled first, and then be left void.\"\nThe prophet admitted that, though as a rule he was acquainted with all\nthings that were to happen, God had left him in the dark about the\nmisfortune that had befallen her. With trust in God, he gave his staff\nto his disciple Gehazi, and sent him to bring the boy back to life. But\nGehazi was unworthy of his master. His conduct toward the Shunammite\nwas not becoming a disciple of the prophet, and, above all, he had no\nfaith in the possibility of accomplishing the mission entrusted to him.\nInstead of obeying the behest of Elisha, not to speak a word on his way\nto the child of the Shunammite, Gehazi made sport of the task laid upon\nhim. To whatever man he met he addressed the questions: \"Dost thou\nsuppose this staff can bring the dead back to life?\" The result was\nthat he forfeited the power of executing the errand with which he had\nbeen charged. Elisha himself had to perform the miracle. The prophet\nuttered the prayer: \"O Lord of the world! As Thou didst wonders through\nmy master Elijah, and didst permit him to bring the dead to life, so, I\npray Thee, do Thou perform a wonder through me, and let me restore life\nto this lad.\" (13) The prayer was granted, and the child was revived.\nThe act of the prophet proves the duty of gratitude in return for\nhospitality. Elisha did not attempt to resuscitate his own kith and kin\nwho had been claimed by death; he invoked a miracle for the sake of the\nwoman who had welcomed him kindly to her house. (14)\n\nGEHAZI\n\nGehazi, proved untrustworthy by his conduct on this occasion, again\naroused the ire of the prophet when he disregarded the order not to\naccept money from Naaman, the Syrian captain. He did not succeed in\ndeceiving the prophet. On his return from Naaman he found Elisha\noccupied with the study of the chapter in the Mishnah Shabbat which\ndeals with the eight reptiles. The prophet Elisha greeted him with the\nrebuke: \"Thou villain! the time has come for me to be rewarded for the\nstudy of the Mishnah about the eight reptiles. May my reward be that\nthe disease of Naaman afflict thee and thy descendants for evermore.\"\nScarcely had these words escaped his lips, when he saw the leprosy come\nout on Gehazi's face. (15) Gehazi deserved the punishment on account of\nhis base character. He was sensual and envious, and did not believe in\nthe resurrection of the dead. His unworthy qualities were displayed in\nhis conduct toward the Shunammite and toward the disciples of Elisha.\nWhen the pretty Shunammite came to the prophet in her grief over the\ndeath of her child, Gehazi took her passionately in his arms, under the\npretext of forcing her away from the prophet, on whom she had laid hold\nin her supplications.\n\nAs for the other disciples of Elisha, he endeavored to keep them away\nfrom the house of the prophet. He was in the habit of standing without\nthe door. This induced many to turn away and go home, for they reasoned\nthat, if the house were not full to overflowing, Gehazi would not be\nstanding outside. Only after Gehazi's dismissal did the disciples of\nElisha increase marvellously. That Gehazi had no faith in the\nresurrection of the dead, is shown by his incredulity with regard to\nthe child of the Shunammite. (16)\n\nIn spite of all these faults, Elisha regretted that he had cast off his\ndisciple, who was a great scholar in the law, especially as Gehazi\nabandoned himself to a sinful life after leaving the prophet. By means\nof magnetism he made the golden calves at Beth-el float in the air, and\nmany were brought to believe in the divinity of these idols. Moreover,\nhe engraved the great and awful Name of God in their mouth. Thus they\nwere enabled to speak, and they gave forth the same words God had\nproclaimed from Sinai: \"I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt have no other\ngods before Me.\" Elisha accordingly repaired to Damascus to lead Gehazi\nback to the paths of righteousness. But he remained impenitent, for he\nsaid: \"From thyself I have learned that there is no return for him who\nnot only sins himself, but also induces others to sin.\" (17) So Gehazi\ndied without having done aught to atone for his transgressions, which\nwere so great that he is one of the few Jews who have no share in\nParadise. (18) His children inherited his leprosy. He and his three\nsons are the four leprous men who informed the king of Israel of the\nprecipitate flight of the Syrian host. (19)\n\nElisha's excessive severity toward his servant Gehazi and toward the\nmocking boys of Jericho did not go unpunished. He had to endure two\nperiods of disease, and the third sickness that befell him cause his\ndeath. He is the first known to history who survived a sickness. Before\nhim death had been the inevitable companion of disease. (20)\n\nA great miracle marked the end of a life rich in miraculous deeds: a\ndead man revived at the touch of Elisha's bier, and stood on his feet.\nIt was a worthy character for whom the wonder was accomplished  \nShallum the son of Tikvah, the husband of Huldah the prophetess, a man\nof noble descent, who had led a life of lovingkindness. He was in the\nhabit of going daily beyond the city bearing the pitcher of water, from\nwhich he gave every traveller to drink, a good deed that received a\ndouble reward. His wife became a prophetess, and when he died and his\nfuneral, attended by a large concourse of people, was disturbed by the\ninvasion of the Arameans, he was given new life by contact with the\nbones of Elisha. He lived to have a son, Hanamel by name. (21)\n\nThe death of Elisha was a great misfortune for the Israelites. So long\nas he was alive, no Aramean troops entered Palestine. The first\ninvasion by them happened on the day of his burial. (22)\n\nTHE FLIGHT OF JONAH\n\nAmong the many thousands (23) of disciples whom Elisha gathered about\nhim during the sixty years (24) and more of his activity, the most\nprominent was the prophet Jonah. While the master was still alive,\nJonah was charged with the important mission of anointing Jehu king.\n(25) The next task laid upon him was to proclaim their destruction to\nthe inhabitants of Jerusalem. (26) The doom did not come to pass,\nbecause they repented of their wrong-doing, and God had mercy upon\nthem. Among the Israelites Jonah was, therefore, known as \"the false\nprophet.\" When he was sent to Nineveh to prophesy the downfall of the\ncity, he reflected: \"I know to a certainly that the heathen will do\npenance, the threatened punishment will not be executed, and among the\nheathen, too, I shall gain the reputation of being a false prophet.\"\n(27) To escape this disgrace, he determined to take up his abode on the\nsea, where there were none to whom prophecies never to be fulfilled\nwould have to be delivered.\n\nOn his arrival at Joppa, there was no vessel in port. To try him, God\ncause a storm to arise, and it carried a vessel back to Joppa, which\nhad made a two days' journey away from the harbor. The prophet\ninterpreted this chance to mean that God approved his plan. He was so\nrejoiced at the favorable opportunity for leaving land that he paid the\nwhole amount for the entire cargo in advance, no less a sum than four\nthousand gold denarii. After a day's sailing out from shore, a terrific\nstorm (28) broke loose. Wonderful to relate, it injured no vessel but\nJonah's. Thus he was taught the lesson that God is Lord over heaven and\nearth and sea, and man can hide himself nowhere from His face.\n\nOn the same vessel were representatives of the seventy nations of the\nearth, each with his peculiar idols. They all resolved to entreat their\ngods for succor, and the god from whom help would come should be\nrecognized and worshipped at the only one true God. But help came from\nnone. Then it was that the captain of the vessel approached Jonah where\nhe lay asleep, and said to him: \"We are suspended 'twixt life and\ndeath, and thou liest here asleep. Pray, tell me, to what nation dost\nthou belong?\" \"I am a Hebrew,\" replied Jonah. \"We have heard,\" said the\ncaptain, \"that the God of the Hebrews is the most powerful. Cry to Him\nfor help. Perhaps He will perform such miracles for us as He did in\ndays of old for the Jews at the Red Sea.\"\n\nJonah confessed to the captain that he was to blame for the whole\nmisfortune, and he besought him to cast him adrift, and appease the\nstorm. The other passengers refused to consent to so cruel an act.\nThough the lot decided against Jonah, they first tried to save the\nvessel by throwing the cargo overboard. Their efforts were in vain.\nThen they placed Jonah at the side of the vessel and spoke: \"O Lord of\nthe world, reckon this not up against us as innocent blood, for we know\nnot the case of this man, and he himself bids us throw him into the\nsea.\" Even then they could not make up their minds to let him drown.\nFirst they immersed him up to his knees in the water of the sea, and\nthe storm ceased; they drew him back into the vessel, and forthwith the\nstorm raged in its old fury. Two more trials they made. They lowered\nhim into the water up to his navel, and raised him out of the depths\nwhen the storm was assuaged. Again, when the storm broke out anew, they\nlowered him to his neck, and a second time they took him back into the\nvessel when the wind subsided. (29) But finally the renewed rage of the\nstorm convinced them that their danger was due to Jonah's\ntransgressions, and they abandoned him to his fate. He was thrown into\nthe water, and on the instant the sea grew calm. (30)\n\nJONAH IN THE WHALE\n\nAt the creation of the world, God made a fish intended to harbor Jonah.\nHe as so large that the prophet was as comfortable inside of him as in\na spacious synagogue. The eyes of the fish served Jonah as windows,\nand, besides, there was a diamond, which shone as brilliantly as the\nsun at midday, so that Jonah could see all things in the sea down to\nits very bottom.\n\nIt is a law that when their time has come, all the fish of the sea must\nbetake themselves to leviathan, and let the monster devour them. The\nlife term of Jonah's fish was about to expire, and the fish warned\nJonah of what was to happen. When he, with Jonah in his belly, came to\nleviathan, the prophet said to the monster: \"For thy sake I came\nhither. It was meet that I should know thine abode, for it is my\nappointed task to capture thee in the life to come and slaughter thee\nfor the table of the just and pious.\" When leviathan observed the sign\nof the covenant on Jonah's body, he fled affrighted, and Jonah and the\nfish were saved. To show his gratitude, the fish carried Jonah\nwhithersoever there was a sight to be seen. He showed him the river\nfrom which the ocean flows, showed him the spot at which the Israelites\ncrossed the Red Sea, showed him Gehenna and Sheol, and many other\nmysterious and wonderful place.\n\nThree days Jonah had spent in the belly of the fish, and he still felt\nso comfortable that he did not think of imploring God to change his\ncondition. But God sent a female fish big with three hundred and\nsixty-five thousand little fish to Jonah's host, to demand the\nsurrender of the prophet, else she would swallow both him and the guest\nhe harbored. The message was received with incredulity, and leviathan\nhad to come and corroborate it; he himself had heard God dispatch the\nfemale fish on her errand. So it came about that Jonah was transferred\nto another abode. His new quarters, which he had to share with all the\nlittle fish, were far from comfortable, and from the bottom of his\nheart a prayer for deliverance arose to God on high. (31) The last\nwords of his long petition were, \"I shall redeem my vow,\" (32)\nwhereupon God commanded the fish to spew Jonah out. At a distance of\nnine hundred and sixty-five parasangs from the fish he alighted on dry\nland. These miracles induced the ship's crew to abandon idolatry, and\nthey all became pious proselytes in Jerusalem. (33)\n\nTHE REPENTANCE OF NINEVEH\n\nJonah went straightway to Nineveh, the monster city covering forty\nsquare parasangs and containing a million and half of human beings. He\nlost no time in proclaiming their destruction to the inhabitants. The\nvoice of the prophet was so sonorous that it reached to every corner of\nthe great city, and all who heard his words resolved to turn aside from\ntheir ungodly ways. At the head of the penitents was King Osnappar of\nAssyria. (34) He descended from his throne, removed his crown, strewed\nashes on his head instead, took off his purple garments, and rolled\nabout in the dust of the highways. In all the streets royal heralds\nproclaimed the king's decree bidding the inhabitants fast three days,\nwear sackcloth, and supplicate God with tears and prayers to avert the\nthreatened doom. The people of Nineveh fairly compelled to God's mercy\nto descend upon them. They held their infants heavenward, and amid\nstreaming tears they cried: \"For the sake of these innocent babes, hear\nour prayers.\" The young of their stalled cattle they separated from the\nmother beasts, the young were left within the stable, the old were put\nwithout. So parted from one another, the young and the old began to\nbellow aloud. Then the Ninevites cried: \"If Thou wilt not have mercy\nupon us, we will not have mercy upon these beasts.\"\n\nThe penance of the Ninevites did not stop at fasting and praying. Their\ndeeds showed that they had determined to lead a better life. If a man\nhad usurped another's property, he sought to make amends for his\niniquity; some went so far as to destroy their palaces in order to be\nable to give back a single brick to the rightful owner. Of their own\naccord others appeared before the courts of justice, and confessed\ntheir secret crimes and sins, known to none beside themselves, and\ndeclared themselves ready to submit to well-merited punishment, though\nit be death that was decreed against them.\n\nOne incident that happened at the time will illustrate the contrition\nof the Ninevites. A man found a treasure in the building lot he had\nacquired from his neighbor. Both buyer and seller refused to assume\npossession of the treasure. The seller insisted that the sale of the\nlot carried with it the sale of all it contained. The buyer held that\nhe had bought the ground, not the treasure hidden therein. Neither\nrested satisfied until the judge succeeded in finding out who had\nhidden the treasure and where were his heirs, and the joy of the two\nwas great when they could deliver the treasure up to its legitimate\nowners. (35)\n\nSeeing that the Ninevites had undergone a real change of heart, God\ntook mercy upon them, and pardoned them. Thereupon Jonah likewise felt\nencouraged to plead for himself with God, that He forgive him for his\nflight. God spoke to him: \"Thou wast mindful of Mine honor,\"   the\nprophet had not wanted to appear a liar, so that men's trust in God\nmight not be shaken   \"and for this reason thou didst take to sea.\nTherefore did I deal mercifully with thee, and rescue thee from the\nbowels of Sheol.\"\n\nHis sojourn in the inside of the fish the prophet could not easily\ndismiss from his mind, nor did it remain without visible consequences.\nThe intense heat in the belly of the fish had consumed his garments,\nand made his hair fall out, (36) and he was sore plagued by swarms of\ninsects. To afford Jonah protection, God caused the kikayon to grow up.\nWhen he opened his eyes one morning, he saw a plant with two hundred\nand seventy-five leaves, each leaf measuring more than a span, so that\nit afforded relief from the heat of the sun. But the sun smote the\ngourd that it withered, and Jonah was again annoyed by the insects. He\nbegan to weep and wish for death to release him from his troubles. But\nwhen God led him to the plant, and showed him what lesson he might\nderive from it, how, though he had not labored for the plant, he had\npity on it,   he realized his wrong in desiring God to be relentless\ntoward Nineveh, the great city, with its many inhabitants, rather than\nhave his reputation as a prophet suffer taint. He prostrated himself\nand said: \"O God, guide the world according to Thy goodness.\"\n\nGod was gracious to the people of Nineveh so long as they continued\nworthy of His lovingkindness. But at the end of forty days they\ndeparted from the path of piety, and they became more sinful than ever.\nThen the punishment threatened by Jonah overtook them, and they were\nswallowed up by the earth. (37)\n\nJonah's suffering in the watery abyss had been so severe that by way of\ncompensation of God exempted him from death: living he was permitted to\nenter Paradise. (38) Like Jonah, his wife was known far and wide for\nher piety. She had gained fame particularly through her pilgrimage to\nJerusalem, a duty which, by reason of her sex, she was not obliged to\nfulfil. (39) On one of these pilgrimages it was that the prophetical\nspirit first descended upon Jonah. (40)\n\n\n\n\nIX.\nTHE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH\n\nJOASH\n\nWhen the prophet Jonah, doing the behest of his master Elisha, anointed\nJehu king over Israel, (1) he poured the oil out of a pitcher, not out\nof a horn, to indicate that the dynasty of Jehu would not occupy the\nthrone long. (2) At first Jehu, though a somewhat foolish (3) king, was\nat least pious, but he abandoned his God-fearing ways from the moment\nhe saw the document bearing the signature of the prophet Ahijah of\nShilo, which bound the signers to pay implicit obedience to Jeroboam.\nThe king took this as evidence that the prophet had approved the\nworship of the golden calves. So it came to pass that Jehu, the\ndestroyer of Baal worship, did nothing to oppose the idolatrous service\nestablished by Jeroboam at Beth-el. (4) The successors of Jehu were not\nbetter; on the contrary, they were worse, and therefore in the fifth\ngeneration (5) an end was put to the dynasty of Jehu by the hand of the\nassassin.\n\nThe kings of Judah differed in no essential particular from their\ncolleagues in the north. Ahaziah, whom Jehu killed, was a shameless\nsinner; he had the Name of God expurged from every passage in which it\noccurred in the Holy Scriptures, and the names of idols inserted in its\nplace. (6)\n\nUpon the death of Ahaziah followed the reign of terror under the queen\nAthaliah, when God exacted payment from the house of David for his\ntrespass in connection with the extermination of the priest at Nob. As\nAbiathar had been the only male descendant of Abimelech to survive the\npersecution of Saul, so the sole representative of the house of David\nto remain after the sword of Athaliah had raged (7) was Joash, the\nchild kept in hiding, in the Holy of Holies in the Temple, by the high\npriest Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba. (8) Later Jehoiada vindicated\nthe right of Joash upon the throne, and installed him as king of Judah.\nThe very crown worn by the rulers of the house of David testified to\nthe legitimacy of the young prince, for it possessed the peculiarity of\nfitting none but the rightful successors to David. (9)\n\nAt the instigation of Jehoiada, King Joash undertook the restoration of\nthe Temple. The work was completed so expeditiously that one living at\nthe time the Temple was erected by Solomon was permitted to see the new\nstructure shortly before his death. (10) This good fortune befell\nJehoiada (11) himself, the son of Benaiah, commander-in-chief of the\narmy under Solomon. So long as Joash continued under the tutelage of\nJehoiada, he was a pious king. When Jehoiada departed this life, the\ncourtiers came to Joash and flattered him: \"If thou wert not a god,\nthou hadst not been able to abide for six years in the Holy of Holies,\na spot which even the high priest is permitted to enter but once a\nyear.\" The king lent ear to their blandishments, and permitted the\npeople to pay him Divine homage. (12) But when the folly of the king\nwent to the extreme of prompting him to set up an idol in the Temple,\nZechariah, the son of Jehoiada, placed himself at the entrance, and\nbarring the way said: \"Thou shalt not do it so long as I live.\" (13)\nHigh priest, prophet, and judge though Zechariah was, and son-in-law of\nJoash to boot, the king still did not shrink from having him killed for\nhis presumptuous words, not was he deterred by the fact that it\nhappened on a Day of Atonement which fell on the Sabbath. (14) The\ninnocent blood crimsoning the hall of the priests did not remain\nunavenged. For two hundred and fifty-two years it did not leave off\nseething and pulsating, until, finally, Nebuzaradan, captain of\nNebuchadnezzar's guard, ordered a great carnage among the Judeans, to\navenge the death of Zechariah. (15)\n\nJoash himself, the murderer of Zechariah, met with an evil end. He fell\ninto the hands of the Syrians, and they abused him in their barbarous,\nimmoral way. Before he could recover from the suffering inflicted upon\nhim, his servants slew him. (16)\n\nAmaziah, the son and successor of Joash, in many respects resembled his\nfather. At the beginning of his reign he was God-fearing, but when,\nthrough the aid of God, he had gained a brilliant victory over the\nEdomites, he knew no better way of manifesting his gratitude than to\nestablish in Jerusalem the cult of the idol worshipped by his conquered\nenemies. To compass his chastisement, God inspired Amaziah with the\nidea of provoking a war with Joash, the ruler of the northern kingdom.\nAmaziah demanded that Joash should either recognize the suzerainty of\nthe southern realm voluntarily, or let the fate of battle decide the\nquestion. (17) At first Joash sought to turn Amaziah aside from his\npurpose by a parable reminding him of the fate of Shechem, which the\nsons of Jacob had visited upon him for having done violence to their\nsister Dinah. (18) Amaziah refused to be warned. He persisted in his\nchallenge, and a war ensued. The fortune of battle decided against\nAmaziah. He suffered defeat, and later he was tortured to death by his\nown subjects. (19)\n\nTHREE GREAT PROPHETS\n\nThe reign of Uzziah, who for a little while occupied the throne during\nhis father Amaziah's lifetime, is notable particularly because it marks\nthe beginning of the activity of three of the prophets, Hosea, Amos,\nand Isaiah. The oldest of the three was Hosea, (20) the son of the\nprophet and prince Beeri, the Beeri who later was carried away captive\nby Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria. (21) Of Beeri's prophecies we\nhave but two verses, preserved for us by Isaiah. (22)\n\nThe peculiar marriage contracted by Hosea at the command of God Himself\nwas not without a good reason. When God spoke to the prophet about the\nsins of Israel, expecting him to defend or excuse his people, Hosea\nsaid severely: \"O Lord of the world! Thine is the universe. In place of\nIsrael choose another as Thy peculiar people from among the nations of\nthe earth.\" To make the true relation between God and Israel known to\nthe prophet, he was commanded to take to wife a woman with a dubious\npast. After she had borne him several children, God suddenly put the\nquestion to him: \"Why followest thou not the example of thy teacher\nMoses, who denied himself the joys of family life after his call to\nprophecy?\" Hosea replied: \"I can neither send my wife away nor divorce\nher, for she has borne me children.\" \"If, now,\" said God to him, \"thou\nwho hast a wife of whose honesty thou art so uncertain that thou canst\nnot even be sure that her children are thine, and yet thou canst not\nseparate from her, how, then can I separate Myself from Israel, from My\nchildren, the children of My elect, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!\" Hosea\nentreated God to pardon him. But God said: \"Better were it that thou\nshouldst pray for the welfare of Israel, for thou art the cause that I\nissued three fateful decrees against them.\" Hosea prayed as he was\nbidden, and his prayer averted the impending threefold doom. (23)\n\nHosea died at Babylon at a time in which a journey thence to Palestine\nwas beset with many perils. Desirous of having his earthly remains rest\nin sacred ground, he requested before his death that his bier be loaded\nupon a camel, and the animal permitted to make its way as it would.\nWherever it stopped, there his body was to be buried. As he commanded,\nso it was done. Without a single mishap the camel arrived at Safed. In\nthe Jewish cemetery of the town it stood still, and there Hosea was\nburied in the presence of a large concourse. (24)\n\nThe prophetical activity of Amos commenced after Hosea's had closed,\nand before Isaiah's began. Though he had an impediment in his speech,\n(25) he obeyed the call of God, and betook himself to Beth-el to\nproclaim to the sinful inhabitants thereof the Divine message with\nwhich he had been charged. The denunciation of the priest Amaziah, of\nBeth-el, who informed against the prophet before King Jeroboam of\nIsrael, did him no harm, for the king, idolater though he was,\nentertained profound respect for Amos. He said to himself: \"God forbid\nI should think the prophet guilty of cherishing traitorous plans, and\nif he were, it would surely be at the bidding of God.\" (26) For this\npious disposition Jeroboam was rewarded; never had the northern kingdom\nattained to such power as under him. (27)\n\nHowever, the fearlessness of Amos finally caused his death. King Uzziah\ninflicted a mortal blow upon his forehead with a red-hot iron. (28)\n\nTwo years after Amos ceased to prophesy, Isaiah was favored with his\nfirst Divine communication. It was the day on which King Uzziah,\nblinded by success and prosperity, arrogated to himself the privileges\nof the priesthood. He tried to offer sacrifices upon the altar, and\nwhen the high priest Azariah (29) ventured to restrain him, he\nthreatened to slay him and any priest sympathizing with him unless they\nkept silent. Suddenly the earth quaked so violently that a great breach\nwas torn in the Temple, through which a brilliant ray of sunlight\npierced, falling upon the forehead of the king and causing leprosy to\nbreak forth upon him. Nor was that all the damage done by the\nearthquake. On the west side of Jerusalem, half of the mountain was\nsplit off and hurled to the east, into a road, at a distance of four\nstadia. (30) And not heaven and earth alone were outraged by Uzziah's\natrocity and sought to annihilate him; even the angels of fire, the\nseraphim, were on the point of descending and consuming him, when a\nvoice from on high proclaimed, that the punishment appointed for Uzziah\nwas unlike that meted out to Korah and his company despite the\nsimilarity of their crimes. (31)\n\nWhen Isaiah beheld the august throne of God on this memorable day, (32)\nhe was sorely affrighted, for he reproached himself with not having\ntried to turn the king away from his impious desire. (33) Enthralled he\nhearkened to the hymns of praise sung by the angels, and lost in\nadmiration he failed to join his voice with theirs. \"Woe is me,\" he\ncried out, \"that I was silent! Woe is me that I did not join the chorus\nof the angels praising God! Had I done it, I, too, like the angels,\nwould have become immortal, seeing I was permitted to look upon sights\nto behold which had brought death to other men.\" (34) Then he began to\nexcuse himself: \"I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst\nof people of unclean lips.\" At once resounded the voice of God in\nrebuke: \"Of thyself thou art the master, and of thyself thou mayest say\nwhat thou choosest, but who gave thee the right to calumniate My\nchildren of Israel and call them 'a people of unclean lips'?\" And\nIsaiah heard God bid one of the seraphim touch his lips with a live\ncoal as a punishment for having slandered Israel. Though the coal was\nso hot that the seraph needed tongs to hold the tongs with which he had\ntaken the coal from the altar, the prophet yet escaped unscathed, but\nhe learned the lesson, that it was his duty to defend Israel, not\ntraduce him. Thenceforth the championship of his people was the\nmainspring of the prophet's activity, and he was rewarded by having\nmore revelations concerning Israel and the other nations vouchsafed him\nthan any other prophet before or after him. Moreover God designated\nIsaiah to be \"the prophet of consolation.\" Thus it happened that the\nvery Isaiah whose early prophecies foretold the exile and the\ndestruction of the Temple, (35) later described and proclaimed, in\nplainer terms than any other prophet, (36) the brilliant destiny in\nstore for Israel.\n\nTHE TWO KINGDOMS CHASTISED\n\nAfflicted with leprosy, Uzziah was unfit to reign as king, and Jotham\nadministered the affairs of Judah for twenty-five years before the\ndeath of his father. (37) Jotham possessed so much piety that his\nvirtues added to those of two other very pious men suffice to atone for\nall the sins of the whole of mankind committed from the hour of\ncreation until the end of all time. (38)\n\nAhaz, the son of Jotham; was very unlike him. \"From first to last he\nwas a sinner.\" (39) He abolished the true worship of God, forbade the\nstudy of the Torah, set up an idol in the upper room of the Temple, and\ndisregarded the Jewish laws of marriage. (40) His transgressions are\nthe less pardonable, because he sinned against God knowing His grandeur\nand power, as appears from his reply to the prophet. Isaiah said to\nhim: \"Ask a sign of God, as, for instance, that the dead should arise,\nKorah come up from Sheol, or Elijah descend from heaven.\" The king's\nanswer was: \"I know thou hast the power to do any of these, but I do\nnot wish the Name of God to be glorified through me.\" (41)\n\nThe only good quality possessed by Ahaz was respect for Isaiah. (42) To\navoid his reproaches, Ahaz would disguise himself when he went abroad,\nso that the prophet might not recognize him. (43) Only to this\ncircumstance, joined to the fact he was the father of a pious son and\nthe son of an equally pious father, is it to be ascribed that, in spite\nof his wickedness, Ahaz is not one of those who have forfeited their\nportion in the world to come. But he did not escape punishment; on the\ncontrary, his chastisement was severe, not only as king but also as\nman. In the ill-starred war against Pekah, the king of the northern\nkingdom, he lost his first-born son, a great hero. (44)\n\nPekah, however, was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his victory,\nfor the king of Assyria invaded his empire, captured the golden calf at\nDan, and led the tribes on the east side of Jordan away into exile. The\ndismemberment of the Israelitish kingdom went on apace for some years.\nThen the Assyrians, in the reign of Hoshea, carried off the second\ngolden calf together with the tribes of Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, and\nNaphtali, leaving but one-eighth of the Israelites in their own land.\nThe larger portion of the exiles was taken to Damascus. After that\nIsrael's doom overtook it with giant strides, and the last ruler of\nIsrael actually hastened the end of his kingdom by a pious deed. After\nthe golden calves were removed by the Assyrians, Hoshea, the king of\nthe north, abolished the institution of stationing the guards on the\nfrontier between Judah and Israel to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem.\nBut the people made no use of the liberty granted them. They persisted\nin their idolatrous cult, and this quickened their punishment. So long\nas their kings had put obstacles in their path, they could excuse\nthemselves before God for not worshipping Him in the true way. The\naction taken by their king Hoshea left them no defense. When the\nAssyrians made their third incursion into Israel, the kingdom of the\nnorth was destroyed forever, and the people, one and all, were carried\naway into exile. (45)\n\nThe heathen nations settled in Samaria by the Assyrians instead of the\ndeported Ten Tribes were forced by God to accept the true religion of\nthe Jews. Nevertheless they continued to worship their olden idols: the\nBabylonians paid devotion to a hen, the people of Cuthah to a cock,\nthose of Hamath to a ram, the dog and the ass were the gods of the\nAvvites, and the mule and the horse the gods of the Sepharvites. (46)\n\nHEZEKIAH\n\nWhile the northern kingdom was rapidly descending into the pit of\ndestruction, a mighty upward impulse was given to Judah, both\nspiritually and materially, by its king Hezekiah. In his infancy the\nking had been destined as a sacrifice to Moloch. His mother had saved\nhim from death only by rubbing him with the blood of a salamander,\nwhich made him fire-proof. (47) In every respect he was the opposite of\nhis father. As the latter is counted among the worst of sinners, so\nHezekiah is counted among the most pious of Israel. His first act as\nking is evidence that he held the honor of God to be his chief concern,\nimportant beyond all else. He refused to accord his father regal\nobsequies; his remains were buried as though he had been poor and of\nplebeian rank. Impious as he was, Ahaz deserved nothing more dignified.\n(48) God had Himself made it known to Hezekiah, by a sign, that his\nfather was to have no consideration paid him. On the day of the dead\nking's funeral daylight lasted but two hours, and his body had to be\ninterred when the earth was enveloped in darkness. (49)\n\nThroughout his reign, Hezekiah devoted himself mainly to the task of\ndispelling the ignorance of the Torah which his father had caused.\nWhile Ahaz had forbidden the study of the law, Hezekiah's orders read:\n\"Who does not occupy himself with the Torah, renders himself subject to\nthe death penalty.\" The academies closed under Ahaz were kept open day\nand night under Hezekiah. The king himself supplied the oil needed for\nilluminating purposes. Gradually, under this system, a generation grew\nup so well trained that one could search the land from Dan even to\nBeer-sheba and not find a single ignoramus. The very women and the\nchildren, both boys and girls, knew the laws of \"clean and unclean.\"\n(50) By way of rewarding his piety, God granted Hezekiah a brilliant\nvictory over Sennacherib.\n\nThis Assyrian king, who had conquered the whole world, (51) equipped an\narmy against Hezekiah like unto which there is none, unless it be the\narmy of the four kings whom Abraham routed, or the army to be raised by\nGod and Magog in the Messianic time. Sennacherib's army consisted of\nmore than two millions and a half of horsemen, among them forty-five\nthousand princes sitting in chariots and surrounded by their paramours,\nby eighty thousand armor-clad soldiers, and sixty thousand swordsmen.\nThe camp extended over a space of four hundred parasangs, and the\nsaddle-beasts standing neck to neck formed a line forty parasangs long.\nThe host was divided into four divisions. After the first of them had\npassed the Jordan, it was well nigh dry, for the soldiers had all\nslaked their thirst with water of the river. The second division found\nnothing to quench their thirst except the water gathered under the\nhoofs of the horses. The third division was forced to dig wells, and\nwhen the fourth division crossed the Jordan, they kicked up great\nclouds of dust. (52)\n\nWith this vast army Sennacherib hastened onward, in accordance with the\ndisclosures of the astrologers, who warned him that he would fail in\nhis object of capturing Jerusalem, if he arrived there later than the\nday set by them. His journey having lasted but one day instead of ten,\nas he had expected, he rested at Nob. A raised platform was there\nerected for Sennacherib, whence he could view Jerusalem. On first\nbeholding the Judean capital, the Assyrian king exclaimed: \"What! Is\nthis Jerusalem, the city for whose sake I gathered together my whole\narmy, for whose sake I first conquered all other lands? Is it not\nsmaller and weaker than all the cities of the nations I subdued with my\nstrong hand?\" He stretched himself and shook his head, and waved his\nhand contemptuously toward the Temple mount and the sanctuary crowning\nit. When his warriors urged him to make his attack upon Jerusalem, he\nbade them take their ease for one night, and be prepared to storm the\ncity the next day. It seemed no great undertaking. Each warrior would\nbut have to pick up as much mortar from the wall as is needed to seal a\nletter and the whole city would disappear. But Sennacherib made the\nmistake of not proceeding directly to the attack upon the city. If he\nhad made the assault at once, it would have been successful, for the\nsin of Saul against the priest at Nob had not yet been wholly expiated;\non that very day it was fully atoned for. (53) In the following night,\nwhich was the Passover night, when Hezekiah and the people began to\nsing the Hallel Psalms, (54) the giant host was annihilated. The\narchangel Gabriel (55) sent by God to ripen the fruits of the field,\nwas charged to address himself to the task of making away with the\nAssyrians, and he fulfilled his mission so well that of all the\nmillions of the army, Sennacherib alone was saved with his two sons,\nhis son-in-law (56) Nebuchadnezzar, and Nebuzaradan. (57) The death of\nthe Assyrians happened when the angel permitted them to hear the \"song\nof the celestials.\" (58) Their souls were burnt, though their garments\nremained intact. (59) Such an end was too good for Sennacherib. To him\na disgraceful death was apportioned. On his flight away from Jerusalem,\nhe met a Divine apparition in the guise of an old man. He questioned\nSennacherib as to what he would say to the kings allied with him, in\nreply to their inquiry about the fate of their sons at Jerusalem.\nSennacherib confessed his dread of a meeting with those kings. The old\nman advised him to have his hair cut off, which would change his\nappearance beyond recognition. Sennacherib assented, and his advisor\nsent him to a house in the vicinity to fetch a pair of shears. Here he\nfound some people   angels in disguise   busying themselves with a\nhand-mill. They promised to give him the shears, provided he ground a\nmeasure of grain for them. So it grew late and dark by the time\nSennacherib returned to the old man, and he had to procure a light\nbefore his hair could be cut. As he fanned the fire into a flame, a\nspark flew into his beard and singed it, and he had to sacrifice his\nbeard as well as his hair. On his return to Assyria, Sennacherib found\na plank, which he worshipped as an idol, because it was part of the ark\nwhich had saved Noah from the deluge. He vowed that he would sacrifice\nhis sons to this idol if he prospered in his next ventures. But his\nsons heard his vows, and they killed their father, (60) and fled to\nKardu where they released the Jewish captives confined there in great\nnumbers. With these they marched to Jerusalem, and became proselytes\nthere. The famous scholars Shemaiah and Abtalion were the descendants\nof these two sons of Sennacherib. (61)\n\nMIRACLES WROUGHT FOR HEZEKIAH\n\nThe destruction of the Assyrian host delivered Hezekiah from an inner\nas well as an outer enemy, for he had opponents in Jerusalem, among\nthem the high priest Shebnah. (62) Shebnah had a more numerous\nfollowing in the city than the king himself, (63) and they and their\nleader had favored peace with Sennacherib. Supported by Joah, another\ninfluential personage, Shebnah had fastened a letter to a dart, and\nshot the dart into the Assyrian camp. The contents of the letter were:\n\"We and the whole people of Israel wish to conclude peace with thee,\nbut Hezekiah and Isaiah will not permit it.\" (64) Shebnah's influence\nwas so powerful that Hezekiah began to show signs of yielding. Had it\nnot been for the prophet Isaiah, the king would have submitted to\nSennacherib's demands.\n\nShebnah's treachery and his other sins did not go unpunished. When he\nand his band of adherents left Jerusalem to join the Assyrians, the\nangel Gabriel closed the gate as soon as Shebnah had passed beyond it,\nand so he was separated from his followers. To the inquiry of\nSennacherib about the many sympathizers he had written of, he could\ngive no reply but that they had changed their mind. The Assyrian king\nthought Shebnah had made sport of him. He, therefore, ordered his\nattendants to bore a hole through his heels, tie him to the tail of a\nhorse by them, and spur the horse on to run until Shebnah was dragged\nto death. (65)\n\nThe unexpected victory won by Hezekiah over the Assyrians, to whom the\nkingdom of Samaria had fallen a prey but a short time before, showed\nhow wrong they had been who had mocked at Hezekiah for his frugal ways.\nA king whose meal consisted of a handful of vegetables could hardly be\ncalled a dignified ruler, they had said. These critics would gladly\nhave seen his kingdom pass into the hands of Pekah, the king of\nSamaria, whose dessert, to speak of nothing else, consisted of forty\nseim of young pigeons. (66)\n\nIn view of all the wonders God had done for him, it was unpardonable\nthat Hezekiah did not feel himself prompted at least to sing a song of\npraise to God. Indeed, when the prophet Isaiah urged him to it, he\nrefused, saying that the study of the Torah, to which he devoted\nhimself with assiduous zeal, was a substitute for direct expressions of\ngratitude. Besides, he thought God's miracles would become known to the\nworld without action on his part, (67) in such ways as these: After the\ndestruction of the Assyrian army, when the Jews searched the abandoned\ncamps, they found Pharaoh the king of Egypt and the Ethiopian king\nTirhakah. These kings had hastened to the aid of Hezekiah, and the\nAssyrians had taken them captive and clapped them in irons, in which\nthey were languishing when the Jews came upon them. Liberated by\nHezekiah, the two rulers returned to their respective realms, spreading\nthe report of the greatness of God everywhere. And again, all the\nvassal troops in Sennacherib's army, set free by Hezekiah, accepted the\nJewish faith, and on their way home they proclaimed the kingdom of God\nin Egypt and in many other lands. (68)\n\nBy failing in gratitude Hezekiah lost a great opportunity. The Divine\nplan had been to make Hezekiah the Messiah, and Sennacherib was to be\nGod and Magog. Justice opposed this plan, addressing God thus: \"O Lord\nof the world! David, king of Israel, who sang so many songs and hymns\nof praise to Thee, him Thou didst not make the Messiah, and now Thou\nwouldst confer the distinction upon Hezekiah, who has no word of praise\nfor Thee in spite of the manifold wonders Thou hast wrought for him?\"\nThen the earth appeared before God, and said: \"Lord of the world! I\nwill song Thee a song in place of this righteous man; make him to be\nthe Messiah,\" and the earth forthwith intoned a song of praise.\nLikewise spake the Prince of the World: (69) \"Lord of the world! Do the\nwill of this righteous man.\" But a voice from heaven announced: \"This\nis my secret, this is my secret.\" And again, when the prophet exclaimed\nsorrowfully, \"Woe is me! How long, O Lord, how long!\" the voice\nreplied: \"The time of the Messiah will arrive when the 'treacherous\ndealers and the treacherous dealers' shall have come.\" (70)\n\nThe sin committed by Hezekiah asleep, he had to atone for awake. If he\nrefused to devote a song of praise to God for his escape from the\nAssyrian peril, he could not refrain from doing it after his recovery\nfrom the dangerous sickness that befell him. (71) This sickness was a\npunishment for another sin beside ingratitude. He had \"peeled off\" the\ngold from the Temple, and sent it to the king of the Assyrians;\ntherefore the disease that afflicted him caused his skin to \"peel off.\"\n(72) Moreover, this malady of Hezekiah's was brought upon him by God,\nto afford an opportunity for the king and the prophet Isaiah to come\nclose to each other. The two had had a dispute on a point of etiquette.\n(73) The king adduced as a precedent the action of Elijah, who \"went to\nshow himself unto Ahab,\" and demanded that Isaiah, too, should appear\nbefore him. The prophet, on the other hand, modelled his conduct after\nElisha's, who permitted the kings of Israel, and Judah, and Edom, to\ncome to him. But God settled the dispute by afflicting Hezekiah with\nsickness, and then He bade Isaiah go to the king and pay the visit due\nto the sick. The prophet did the bidding of God. When he appeared in\nthe presence of the ailing king, he said: \"Set thine house in order,\nfor thou wilt die in this world and not live in the next\"   a fate\nwhich Hezekiah incurred because he had failed to take unto himself a\nwife and bring forth posterity. The king's defense, that he had\npreferred a celibate's life because he had seen in the holy spirit that\nhe was destined to have impious children, the prophet did not consider\nvalid. He rebutted it with the words: \"Why does thou concern thyself\nwith the secrets of the All-Merciful? Thou hast but to do thy duty. God\nwill do whatsoever it pleases Him.\" Thereupon Hezekiah asked the\ndaughter of the prophet in marriage, saying: \"Perchance my merits\njoined to thine will cause my children to be virtuous.\" But Isaiah\nrejected the proposal of marriage, because he knew that the decree of\nGod ordaining the king's death was unalterable. Whereupon the king:\n\"Thou son of thus has it been transmitted to me from the house of my\nancestor: (74) Even if a sharp sword rests at the very throat of a man,\nhe may yet not refrain from uttering a prayer for mercy.\" (75)\n\nAnd the king was right. Though death had been decreed against him, his\nprayer averted it. In his prayer he supplicated God to keep him alive\nfor the sake of the merits of his ancestors, who had built the Temple\nand brought many proselytes into the Jewish fold, and for the sake of\nhis own merits, for, he said, \"I searched out all the two hundred and\nforty-eight members of my body which Thou didst give me, and I found\nnone which I had used in a manner contrary to Thy will.\" (76)\n\nHis prayer was heard. God added fifteen years to his life, but He made\nhim understand very clearly, that he owed the mercy solely to the\nmerits of David, not at all to his own, as Hezekiah fondly believed.\n(77) Before Isaiah left the court of the palace, God instructed him to\nreturn to the king, and announce his recovery to him. Isaiah feared\nlest Hezekiah should place little trust in his words, as he had but a\nshort while before predicted his swiftly approaching end. But God\nreassured the prophet. In his modesty and piety, the king would harbor\nno doubt derogatory to the prophet's trustworthiness. (78) The remedy\nemployed by Isaiah, a cake of figs applied to the boil, increased the\nwonder of Hezekiah's recovery, for it was apt to aggravate the malady\nrather than alleviate it. (79)\n\nA number of miracles besides were connected with the recovery of\nHezekiah. In itself it was remarkable, as being the first case of a\nrecovery on record. Previously illness had been inevitably followed by\ndeath. Before he had fallen sick, Hezekiah himself had implored God to\nchange this order of nature. He held that sickness followed by\nrestoration to health would induce men to do penance. God had replied:\n\"Thou art right, and the new order shall be begun with thee.\" (80)\nFurthermore, the day of Hezekiah's recovery was marked by the great\nmiracle that the sun shone ten hours longer than its wonted time. The\nremotest lands were amazed thereat, and Baladan, the ruler of Babylon,\nwas prompted by it to send an embassy to Hezekiah, which was to carry\nhis felicitations to the Jewish king upon his recovery. Baladan, it\nshould be said by the way, was not the real king of Babylon. The throne\nwas occupied by his father, whose face had changed into that of a dog.\nTherefore the son had to administer the affairs of state, and he was\nknown by his father's name as well as his own. (81) This Baladan was in\nthe habit of dining at noon, and then he took a nap until three o'clock\nof the afternoon. On the day of Hezekiah's recovery, when he awoke from\nhis sleep, and saw the sun overhead, he was on the point of having his\nguards executed, because he thought they had permitted him to sleep a\nwhole afternoon and the night following it. He desisted only when he\nwas informed of Hezekiah's miraculous recovery, and realised that the\nGod of Hezekiah was greater than his own god, the sun. (82) He at once\nset about sending greetings to the Jewish king. His letter read as\nfollows: \"Peace be with Hezekiah, peace with his great God, and peace\nwith Jerusalem.\" After the letter was dispatched, it occurred to\nBaladan that it had not been composed properly. Mention of Hezekiah had\nbeen made before mention of God. He had the messengers called back, and\nordered another letter to be written, in which the oversight was made\ngood. As a reward for his punctiliousness, three of his descendants,\nNebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach, and Belshazzar, were appointed by God to\nbe world monarchs. God said: \"Thou didst arise from thy throne, and\ndidst take three steps to do Me honor, by having thy letter re-written,\ntherefore will I grant thee three descendants who shall be known from\none end of the world to the other.\" (83)\n\nThe embassy sent by the Babylonian monarch was an act of homage to God\nfor his miracle-working power. Hezekiah, however, took it to be an act\nof homage toward himself, and it had the effect of making him arrogant.\nNot only did he eat and drink with the heathen who made up the embassy,\nbut also, in his haughtiness of mind, he displayed before them all the\ntreasures which he had captured from Sennacherib, and many other\ncuriosities besides, among them magnetic iron, a peculiar sort of\nivory, and honey as solid as stone.\n\nWhat was worse, he had his wife partake of the meal in honor of the\nembassy, and, most heinous crime of all, (84) he opened the holy Ark,\nand pointing to the tables of law within it, said to the heathen: \"With\nthe help of these we undertake wars and win victories.\" (85) God sent\nIsaiah to reproach Hezekiah for these acts. The king, instead of\nconfessing his wrong at once, answered the prophet haughtily. (86) Then\nIsaiah announced to him that the treasures taken from Sennacherib (87)\nwould revert to Babylon some time in the future, and his descendants,\nDaniel and the three companions of Daniel, would serve the Babylonia\nruler as eunuchs. (88)\n\nDespite his pride in this case, Hezekiah was one of the most pious\nkings of Judah. Especially he is deserving of praise for his efforts to\nhave Hebrew literature put into writing, for it was Hezekiah who had\ncopies made of the books of Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and\nProverbs. (89) On the other hand, he had concealed the books containing\nmedical remedies. (90)\n\nGreat was the mourning over him at his death. No less than thirty-six\nthousand men with bared shoulders marched before his bier, and, rarer\ndistinction still, a scroll of the law was laid upon his bier, for it\nwas said: \"He who rests in this bier, has fulfilled all ordained in\nthis book.\" (91) He was buried next to David and Solomon. (92)\n\nMANASSEH\n\nHezekiah had finally yielded to the admonitions of Isaiah, and had\ntaken a wife unto himself, (93) the daughter of the prophet. But he\nentered upon marriage with a heavy heart. His prophetic spirit foretold\nto him that the impiousness of the sons he would beget would make their\ndeath to be preferable to their life. These fears were confirmed all\ntoo soon. His two sons, Rabshakeh and Manasseh, showed their complete\nunlikeness to their parents in early childhood. Once, when Hezekiah was\ncarrying his two little ones on his shoulders to the Bet ha-Midrash, he\noverheard their conversation. The one said: \"Our father's bald head\nmight do for frying fish.\" The other rejoined: \"It would do well for\noffering sacrifices to idols.\" Enraged by these words, Hezekiah let his\nsons slip from his shoulders. Rabshakeh was killed by the fall, but\nManasseh escaped unhurt. (94) Better had it been if Manasseh had shared\nhis brother's untimely fate. He was spared for naught but murder,\nidolatry, and other abominable atrocities. (95)\n\nAfter Hezekiah had departed this life, Manasseh ceased to serve the God\nof his father. He did whatever his evil imagination prompted. The altar\nwas destroyed, and in the inner space of the Temple he set up an idol\n(96) with four faces, copied from the four figures on the throne of\nGod. It was so placed that from whatever direction one entered the\nTemple, a face of the idol confronted him. (97)\n\nAs Manasseh was sacrilegious toward God, he was malevolent toward his\nfellows. He had fashioned an image so large that it required a thousand\nmen to carry it. Daily a new force was employed on this task, because\nManasseh had each set of porters killed off at the end of the day's\nwork. All his acts were calculated to cast contempt upon Judaism and\nits tenets. It did not satisfy his evil desire to obliterate the name\nof God from the Holy Scriptures; (98) he went so far as to deliver\npublic lectures whose burden was to ridicule the Torah. (99) Isaiah and\nthe other prophets, Micah, Joel, and Habakkuk, (100) left Jerusalem and\nrepaired to a mountain in the desert, that they might be spared the\nsight of the abominations practiced by the king. Their abiding-place\nwas disclosed to the king. A Samaritan, a descendant of the false\nprophet Zedekiah, had taken refuge in Jerusalem after the destruction\nof the Temple. But he did not remain there long; charges were made\nagainst him before the pious king Hezekiah, and he withdrew to\nBethlehem, where he gathered hangers-on about him. This Samaritan it\nwas who traced the prophets to their retreat, and lodged accusations\nagainst them before Manasseh. (101) The impious king sat in judgment on\nIsaiah, and condemned him to death. The indictment against him was that\nhis prophecies contained teachings in contradiction with the law of\nMoses. God said unto Moses: \"Thou canst not see My face; for man shall\nnot see Me and live\"; while Isaiah said: \"I saw the Lord sitting upon a\nthrone, high and lifted up.\" Again, Isaiah compared the princes of\nIsrael and the people with the impious inhabitants of Sodom and\nGomorrah, and he prophesied the downfall of Jerusalem and the\ndestruction of the Temple. (102) The prophet offered no explanation. He\nwas convinced of the uselessness of defending himself, and he preferred\nManasseh should act from ignorance rather than from wickedness.\nHowever, he fled for safety. When he heard the royal bailiffs in\npursuit of him, he pronounced the Name of God, and a cedar-tree\nswallowed him up. The king ordered the tree to be sawn in pieces. When\nthe saw was applied to the portion of the bark under which the mouth of\nIsaiah lay concealed, he died. His mouth was the only vulnerable part\nof his body, because at the time when he was called to his prophetical\nmission, (103) it had made use of the contemptuous words \"a people of\nunclean lips,\" regarding Israel. Isaiah died at the age of one hundred\nand twenty years, (104) by the hands of his own grandchild. (105)\n\nGod is long-suffering, but in the end Manasseh received the deserved\npunishment for his sins and crimes. In the twenty-second year of his\nrulership, the Assyrians came and carried him off to Babylon in\nfetters, him together with the old Danite idol, Micah's image. (106) In\nBabylonia, the king was put into an oven which was heated from below.\nFinding himself in this extremity, Manasseh began to call upon god\nafter god to help him out of his straits. As this proved inefficacious,\nhe resorted to other means. \"I remember,\" he said, \"my father taught me\nthe verse: 'When thou art in tribulation, if in the latter days thou\nshalt return to the Lord thy God, and hearken unto His voice, He will\nnot fail thee.' Now I cry to God. If He inclines His ear unto me, well\nand good; if not, then all kinds of god are alike.\" The angels stopped\nup the windows of heaven, that the prayer of Manasseh might not ascend\nto God, and they said: \"Lord of the world! Art Thou willing to give\ngracious hearing to one who has paid worship to idols, and set up an\nidol in the Temple?\" \"If I did not accept the penance of this man,\"\nreplied God, \"I should be closing the door in the face of all repentant\nsinners.\" God made a small opening under the Throne of His Glory, and\nreceived the prayer of Manasseh through it. Suddenly a wind arose, and\ncarried Manasseh back to Jerusalem. (107) His return to God not only\nhelped him in his distress, but also brought him pardon for all his\nsins, so that not even his share in the future world was withdrawn from\nhim. (108)\n\nThe people of this time were attracted to idolatry with so irresistible\na force that the vast learning of Manasseh, who knew fifty-two\ndifferent interpretations of the Book of Leviticus, (109) did not give\nhim enough moral strength to withstand its influence. Rab Ashi, the\nfamous compiler of the Talmud, once announced a lecture on Manasseh\nwith the words: \"To-morrow I shall speak about our colleague Manasseh.\"\nAt night the king appeared to Ashi in a dreams, and put a ritual\nquestion to him, which the Rabbi could not answer. Manasseh told him\nthe solution, and Ashi, in amazement at the king's scholarship, asked\nwhy one so erudite had served idols. Manasseh's reply was: \"Hadst thou\nlived at my time, thou wouldst have caught hold of the hem of my\ngarment and run after me.\" (110)\n\nAmon, the son of Manasseh, surpassed his father in wickedness. He was\nin the habit of saying: \"My father was a sinner from early childhood,\nand in his old age he did penance. I shall do the same. First I shall\nsatisfy the desires of my heart, and afterward I shall return to God.\"\n(111) Indeed, he was guilty of more grievous sins than his predecessor;\nhe burned the Torah; under him the place of the altar was covered with\nspiderwebs; and, as though of purpose to set at naught the Jewish\nreligion, he committed the worst sort of incest, a degree more heinous\nthan his father's crime of a similar nature. (112) Thus he executed the\nfirst half of his maxim literally. For repentance, however, he was\ngiven no time; death cut him off in the fulness of his sinful ways.\n\nJOSIAH AND HIS SUCCESSORS\n\nThat the full measure of punishment was not meted out to Amon his evil\ndeeds were such that he should have forfeited his share in the world to\ncome   was due to the circumstance that he had a pious and righteous\nson. (113) Josiah offers a shining model of true, sincere repentance.\n(114) Though at first he followed in the footsteps of his father Amon,\nhe soon gave up the ways of wickedness, and became one of the most\npious kings of Israel, whose chief undertaking was the effort to bring\nthe whole people back to the true faith. It dates from the time when a\ncopy of the Torah was found in the Temple, a copy that had escaped the\nholocaust kindled by his father and predecessor Amon for the purpose of\nexterminating the Holy Scriptures. (115) When he opened the Scriptures,\nthe first verse to strike his eye was the one in Deuteronomy: \"The Lord\nshall bring thee and thy king into exile, unto a nation which thou hast\nnot known.\" Josiah feared this doom of exile was impending, and he\nsought to conciliate God through the reform of his people. (116)\n\nHis first step was to enlist the intercession of the prophets in his\nbehalf. He addressed his request, not to Jeremiah, but to the\nprophetess Huldah, knowing that women are more easily moved to\ncompassion. As Jeremiah was a kinsman of the prophetess   their common\nancestors were Joshua and Rahab   the king felt no apprehension that\nthe prophet take his preference for Huldah amiss. The proud, dignified\nanswer of the prophetess was, that the misfortune could not be averted\nfrom Israel, but the destruction of the Temple, she continued\nconsolingly, would not happen until after the death of Josiah. (117) In\nview of the imminent destruction of the Temple, Josiah hid the holy Ark\nand all its appurtenances, in order to guard them against desecration\nat the hands of the enemy. (118)\n\nThe efforts of the king in behalf of God and His law found no echo with\nthe great majority of the people. Though the king was successful in\npreventing the worship of idols in public, his subjects knew how to\ndeceive him. Josiah sent out his pious sympathizers to inspect the\nhouses of the people, and he was satisfied with their report, that they\nhad found no idols, not suspecting that the recreant people has\nfastened half an image on each wing of the doors, so that the inmates\nfaced their household idols as they closed the door upon Josiah's\ninspectors.\n\nThis godless generation contemporaneous with Josiah was to blame for\nhis death. When King Pharaoh, in his campaign against the Assyrians,\nwanted to travel through Palestine, Jeremiah advised the king not to\ndeny the Egyptians the passage through his land. He cited a prophecy by\nhis teacher Isaiah, who had foreseen the war between Assyria and Egypt.\nBut Josiah retorted: \"Moses, thy teacher's teacher, spake: 'I will give\npeace in the land, and no sword shall go through your land,' not even\nthe sword that is not raised against Israel with hostile intent.\" The\nking, innocent of the deception practiced by the people, knew not that\nthey were idol worshippers, to whom the promises of the Torah have no\napplication. In the engagement that ensued between the Jews and the\nEgyptians, no less than three hundred darts struck the king. In his\ndeath agony he uttered no word of complaint; he only said: \"The Lord is\nrighteous, for I have rebelled against His commandment,\" thus admitting\nhis guilt in not having heeded the advice of the prophet. (119)\n\nSo ended the days of this just king after a brilliant career, the only\nking since Solomon to rule over both Judah and Israel, for Jeremiah had\nbrought back to Palestine the ten exiled tribes of the north, and made\nthem subject to Josiah. (120) The mourning for him was profound. (121)\nEven Jeremiah perpetuated his memory in his Lamentations. (122)\n\nPharaoh of Egypt was not permitted to enjoy the results of his victory\nto the full, for it was soon after this that, in attempting to ascend\nthe wondrous throne of Solomon, he was stuck down by the lions and\nrendered lame by the blow. (123)\n\nThe people put Jehoahaz on the throne of Judah to succeed Josiah,\nthough his brother Jehoiakim was the older by two years. To silence the\nlegitimate claims of Jehoiakim, the new king underwent the ceremony of\nanointing. (124) But his reign was very brief. At the end of three\nmonths Pharaoh carried him off into exile in Egypt, and Jehoiakim ruled\nin his stead.\n\nJehoiakim was another of the sinful monarchs of the Jews, uncharitable\ntoward men and disobedient to God and the laws of God. His garments\nwere of two kinds of stuff mingled together, his body was tattooed with\nthe names of idols, and in order that he might appear as a non-Jew, he\nperformed the operation of an epipost upon himself. Various forms of\nincest were committed by him, and, besides, he was in the habit of\nputting men to death that he might violate their wives, and confiscate\ntheir possessions. (125) Blasphemous as he was, he spoke: \"My\npredecessors did not know how to provoke the wrath of God. As for me, I\nsay frankly, we have no need whatsoever of Him; the very light He gives\nus we can dispense with, for the gold of Parvaim can well replace it.\"\n(126)\n\nSeeing such abominations, God desired to resolve the world into its\noriginal chaos. If He desisted from His purpose, it was only because\nthe people led a God-fearing life during the time of Jehoiakim. (127)\nAfter he had reigned eleven years, Nebuchadnezzar put an end to his\ndominion. Advancing with his army, the Babylonian king halted at\nDaphne, a suburb of Antioch. Here he was met by the Sanhedrin of\nJerusalem, who desired to know whether he was coming with the purpose\nof destroying the Temple. Nebuchadnezzar assured them, that all he\nwanted was the surrender of Jehoiakim, who had rebelled against his\nauthority. Returned to Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin informed Jehoiakim of\nNebuchadnezzar's intention. The king asked the elders, whether it was\nethical to purchase their lives by sacrificing his. For answer they\nreferred him to the story of the way Joab dealt with the city of Abel\nof Beth-maacah, which had saved itself by surrendering the rebel Sheba,\nthe son of Bichri. The king's objections did not deter the Sanhedrin\nfrom following the example of Joab acting under the direction of David.\nThey made Jehoiakim glide down from the city walls of Jerusalem by a\nchain. Below, the Babylonians stood ready to receive him.\nNebuchadnezzar took Jehoiakim in fetters to all the cities of Judah,\nthen he slew him, and, his rage still unabated, threw his corpse to the\ndogs after having stuck it into the carcass of an ass. (128) The dogs\nleft nothing of Jehoiakim's body over except his skull, on which were\nwritten the words: \"This and something besides.\" Many centuries later\nit was found by a Rabbi near the gates of Jerusalem. He tried in vain\nto give it burial; the earth refused to retain it, and the Rabbi\nconcluded therefrom that it belonged to the corpse of Jehoiakim. He\nwrapped the skull in a cloth, and laid it in a closet. One day the wife\nof the Rabbi discovered it there, and she burnt it, thinking the skull\nbelonged to a former wife of her husband, so dear to him even after her\ndeath that he could not separate himself from this relic. (129)\n\nWhen Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylonia from his Palestinian\nexpedition, the people received him with great pomp and solemnity. He\nannounced to them that in place of Jehoiakim, whom he had slain, he had\ninstalled Mattaniah, the rebel's son, called Jehoiachin, as king over\nJudah, and the people uttered the warning: \"One cannot educate a\nwell-behaved puppy whose dam was ill-conditioned; let alone an\nill-conditioned puppy whose dam was ill-conditioned.\"\n\nNebuchadnezzar returned to Daphne, and informed the Sanhedrin, who\nhastened from Jerusalem to meet him, that he desired the surrender of\nJehoiachin. If they refused to satisfy his demand, he would destroy the\nTemple. When the Jewish king was told the threat of his Babylonian\nadversary, he mounted upon the roof of the Temple, and, holding all the\nkeys of its chambers in his hand, he spoke thus to God: \"Until now Thou\ndidst consider us worthy of confidence, and Thou didst entrust Thy keys\nto us. Since Thou no longer dost esteem us trustworthy, here, take back\nThy keys.\" He was held to his word: a hand was stretched forth from\nheaven, and it received the keys. (130)\n\nJehoiachin, good and pious, did not desire the city of Jerusalem to be\nexposed to peril for his sake. So he delivered himself to the\nBabylonian leaders, after they swore that neither city nor people\nshould suffer harm. But the Babylonians did not keep their oath. A\nshort while thereafter they carried into exile, not only the king, but\nalso his mother, and ten thousand (131) of the Jewish nobility and of\nthe great scholars. (132) This was the second attempt made by\nNebuchadnezzar to deport the Jews. On taking the former king Jehoiakim\ncaptive, he had exiled three hundred of the noblest of the people,\namong them the prophet Ezekiel. (133)\n\nThe king Jehoiachin was incarcerated for life, a solitary prisoner,\nseparated from his wife and his family. The Sanhedrin, who were among\nthose deported with the king, feared that the house of David die out.\nThey therefore besought Nebuchadnezzar not to separate Jehoiachin from\nhis wife. They succeeded in enlisting the sympathy of the queen's\nhairdresser, and through her of the queen herself, Semiramis, the wife\nof Nebuchadnezzar, who in turn prevailed upon the king to accord mild\ntreatment to the unfortunate prince exiled from Judea. Suffering had\ncompletely changed the once sinful king, so that, in spite of his great\njoy over his reunion with his wife, he still paid regard to the\nprescriptions of the Jewish law regulating conjugal life. He was\nprepared to deny himself every indulgence, when the purchase price was\nan infringement of the word of God. Such steadfastness pleaded with God\nto pardon the king for his sins, and the heavenly Sanhedrin absolved\nGod from His oath, to crush Jehoiachin and deprive his house of\nsovereignty. (134) By way of reward for his continence he was blessed\nwith distinguished posterity. Not only was Zerubbabel, the first\ngovernor of Palestine after the destruction of the Temple, a grandson\nof Jehoiachin's, (135) but also the Messiah himself will be a\ndescendant of his. (136)\n\n\n\n\nX.\nTHE EXILE\n\nZEDEKIAH\n\nThe execution of one king and the deportation of another were but\npreludes to the great national catastrophe in the time of Zedekiah, the\ndestruction of the Temple and the exile of the whole people. After\nNebuchadnezzar had led Jehoiachin and a portion of the people into\nbanishment, his commiseration was aroused for the Jews, and he\ninquired, whether any other sons of Josiah were still living. Only\nMattaniah was left. (1) He was re-named Zedekiah, in the hope that he\nwould be the father of pious sons. In reality the name became the omen\nof the disasters to happen in the time of this king.\n\nNebuchadnezzar, who invested Zedekiah with the royal office, demanded\nthat he swear fealty to him. Zedekiah was about to swear by his own\nsoul, but the Babylonian king, not satisfied, brought a scroll of the\nlaw, and made his Jewish vassal take the oath upon that. (2)\nNevertheless he did not keep faith with Nebuchadnezzar for long. Nor\nwas this his only treachery toward his suzerain. He had once surprised\nNebuchadnezzar in the act of cutting a piece from a living hare and\neating it, as is the habit of barbarians. Nebuchadnezzar was painfully\nembarrassed, and he begged the Jewish king to promise under oath not to\nmention what he had seen. Though Nebuchadnezzar treated him with great\nfriendliness, even making him sovereign lord over five vassal kings, he\ndid not justify the trust reposed in him. To flatter Zedekiah, the five\nkings once said: \"If all were as it should be, thou wouldst occupy the\nthrone of Nebuchadnezzar.\" Zedekiah could not refrain from exclaiming:\n\"O yes, Nebuchadnezzar, whom I once saw eating a live hare!\"\n\nThe five kings at once repaired to Nebuchadnezzar, and reported what\nZedekiah had said. Thereupon the king of Babylonia marched to Daphne,\nnear Antioch, with the purpose of chastising Zedekiah. At Daphne he\nfound the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem, who had hastened thither to receive\nhim. Nebuchadnezzar met the Sanhedrin courteously, ordered his\nattendants to bring state chairs for all the members, and requested\nthem to read the Torah to him and explain it. When they reached the\npassage in the Book of Numbers dealing with the remission of vows, the\nking put the question: \"If a man desires to be released from a vow,\nwhat steps must he take?\" The Sanhedrin replied: \"He must repair to a\nscholar, and he will absolve him from his vow.\" Whereupon\nNebuchadnezzar exclaimed: \"I verily believe it was you who released\nZedekiah from the vow he took concerning me.\" And he ordered the\nmembers of the Sanhedrin to leave their state chairs and sit on the\nground. (3) They were forced to admit, that they had not acted in\naccordance with the law, for Zedekiah's vow affected another beside\nhimself, and without the acquiescence of the other party, namely,\nNebuchadnezzar, the Sanhedrin had no authority to annul the vow. (4)\n\nZedekiah was duly punished for the grievous crime of perjury. When\nJerusalem was captured, he tried to escape through a cave extending\nfrom his house to Jericho. God sent a deer into the camp of the\nChaldeans, and in their pursuit of this game, the Babylonian soldiers\nreached the farther opening of the cave at the very moment when\nZedekiah was leaving it. (5) The Jewish king together with his ten sons\nwas brought before Nebuchadnezzar, who addressed Zedekiah thus: \"Were I\nto judge thee according to the law of thy God, thou wouldst deserve the\ndeath penalty, for thou didst swear a false oath by the Name of God; no\nless wouldst thou deserve death, if I were to judge thee according to\nthe law of the state, for thou didst fail in thy sworn duty to thy\noverlord.\"\n\nZedekiah requested the grace that his execution take place before his\nchildren's, and he be spared the sight of their blood. His children, on\nthe other hand, besought Nebuchadnezzar to slay them before he slew\ntheir father, that they might be spared the disgrace of seeing their\nfather executed. In his heartlessness Nebuchadnezzar had resolved worse\nthings than Zedekiah anticipated. In the sight of their father, the\nchildren of Zedekiah were killed, and then Zedekiah himself was\ndeprived of sight; his eyes were blinded. (6) He had been endowed with\neyes of superhuman strength,   they were the eyes of Adam,   and the\niron lances forced into them were powerless to destroy his sight.\nVision left him only because of the tears he shed over the fate of his\nchildren. (7) Now he realized how true Jeremiah had spoken when he had\nprophesied his exile to Babylonia. Though he should live there until\nhis death, he would never behold the land with his eyes. On account of\nits seeming contradictoriness, Zedekiah had thought the prophecy\nuntrue. For this reason he had not heeded Jeremiah's advice to make\npeace with Nebuchadnezzar. Now it had all been verified; he was carried\nto Babylonia a captive, yet, blind as he was, he did not see the land\nof his exile. (8)\n\nJEREMIAH\n\nThough Zedekiah besmirched his career by perjury, he was nevertheless\nso good and just a king that for his sake God relinquished his purpose\nof returning the world to its original chaos, as a punishment for the\nevil-doing of a wicked generation. (9) In this depraved time, it was\nfirst and foremost Jeremiah to whom was delegated the task of\nproclaiming the word of God. He was a descendant of Joshua and Rahab,\nand his father was the prophet (10) Hilkiah. He was born while his\nfather was fleeing (11) from the persecution of Jezebel, the murderess\nof prophets. At his very birth he showed signs that he was destined to\nplay a great part. He was born circumcised, (12) and scarcely had he\nleft his mother's womb when he broke into wailing, and his voice was\nthe voice, not of a babe, but of a youth. He cried: \"My bowels, my\nbowels tremble, the walls of my heart they are disquieted, my limbs\nquake, destruction upon destruction I bring upon earth.\" In this strain\nhe continued to moan and groan, complaining of the faithlessness of his\nmother, and when she expressed her amazement at the unseemly speech of\nher new-born son, Jeremiah said: \"Not thee do I mean, my mother, not to\nthee doth my prophecy refer; I speak of Zion, and against Jerusalem are\nmy words directed. She adorns her daughters, arrays them in purple, and\nputs golden crowns upon their heads. Robbers will come and strip them\nof their ornaments.\"\n\nAs a lad he received the call to be a prophet. But he refused to obey,\nsaying: \"O Lord, I cannot go as a prophet to Israel, for when lived\nthere a prophet whom Israel did not desire to kill? Moses and Aaron\nthey sought to stone with stones; Elijah the Tishbite they mocked at\nbecause his hair was grown long; and they called after Elisha, 'Go up,\nthou bald head'   no, I cannot go to Israel, for I am still naught but\na lad.\" God replied: \"I love youth, for it is innocent. When I carried\nIsrael out of Egypt, I called him a lad, and when I think of Israel\nlovingly, I speak of him as a lad. Say not, therefore, thou art only a\nlad, but thou shalt go on whatsoever errand I shall send thee. Now,\nthen,\" God, continued, \"take the 'cup of wrath,' and let the nations\ndrink of it.\" Jeremiah put the question which land was to drink first\nfrom the \"cup of wrath,\" and the answer of God was: \"First Jerusalem is\nto drink, the head of all earthly nations, and then the cities of\nJudah.\" When the prophet heard this, he began to curse the day of his\nbirth. \"I am like the high priest,\" he said, \"who has to administer the\n'water of bitterness' to a woman who is held under the suspicion of\nadultery, and when he approaches the woman with the cup, lo, he beholds\nhis own mother. And I, O Mother Zion, thought, when I was called to\nprophesy, that I was appointed to proclaim prosperity and salvation to\nthee, but now I see that my message forebodes thee evil.\"\n\nJeremiah's first appearance in public was during the reign of Josiah,\nwhen he announced to the people in the streets: \"If ye will give up\nyour wicked doings, God will raise you above all nations; if not, He\nwill deliver His house into the hands of the enemies, and they will\ndeal with it as seemeth best to them.\"\n\nThe prophets contemporary with Jeremiah in his early years were\nZechariah and Huldah. The province of the latter was among women, while\nZechariah was active in the synagogue. (13) Later, under Jehoiakim,\nJeremiah was supported by the prophets of his relative Uriah of\nKiriathjearim, a friend of the prophet Isaiah. (14) But Uriah was put\nto death by the ungodly king, the same who had the first chapter of\nLamentations burnt after obliterating the Name of God wherever it\noccurs in the whole book. But Jeremiah added four chapters. (15)\n\nThe prophet fell upon evil times under Zedekiah. He had both the people\nand the court against him. Nor was that surprising in a day when not\neven the high priests in the Temple bore the sign of the covenant upon\ntheir bodies. (16) Jeremiah had called forth general hostility by\ncondemning the alliance with Egypt against Babylonia, and favoring\npeace with Nebuchadnezzar; and this though to all appearances the help\nof the Egyptians would prove of good effect for the Jews. The hosts of\nPharaoh Necho had actually set forth from Egypt to join the Jews\nagainst Babylon. But when they were on the high seas, God commanded the\nwaters to cover themselves with corpses. Astonished, the Egyptians\nasked each other, whence the dead bodies. Presently the answer occurred\nto them: they were the bodies of their ancestors drowned in the Red Sea\non account of the Jews, who had shaken off Egyptian rule. \"What,\" said\nthe Egyptians thereupon, \"shall we bring help to those who drowned our\nfathers?\" So they returned to their own country, justifying the warning\nof Jeremiah, that no dependence could be put upon Egyptian promises.\n(17)\n\nA little while after this occurrence, when Jeremiah wanted to leave\nJerusalem to go to Anathoth and partake of his priestly portion there,\nthe watchman at the gate accused him of desiring to desert to the\nenemy. He was delivered to his adversaries at court, and they confined\nhim in prison. The watchman knew full well that it was a trumped up\ncharge he was bringing against Jeremiah, and the intention attributed\nto him was as far as possible from the mind of the prophet, but he took\nthis opportunity to vent an old family grudge. For this gateman was a\ngrandson of the false prophet Hananiah, the enemy of Jeremiah, the one\nwho had prophesied complete victory over Nebuchadnezzar within two\nyears. It were proper to say, he calculated the victory rather than\nprophesied it. He reasoned: \"If unto Elam, which is a mere ally of the\nBabylonians against the Jews, destruction has been appointed by God\nthrough Jeremiah, so much the more will the extreme penalty fall upon\nthe Babylonians themselves, who have inflicted vast evil upon the\nJews.\" (18) Jeremiah's prophecy had been the reverse: so far from\nholding forth any hope that a victory would be won over Nebuchadnezzar,\nthe Jewish state, he said, would suffer annihilation. Hananiah demanded\na sign betokening the truth of Jeremiah's prophecy. But Jeremiah\ncontended there could be no sign for such a prophecy as his, since the\nDivine determination to do evil can be annulled. On the other hand, it\nwas the duty of Hananiah to give a sign, for he was prophesying\npleasant things, and the Divine resolution for good is executed\nwithout. (19) Finally, Jeremiah advanced the clinching argument: \"I, a\npriest, may be well content with the prophecy; it is to my interest\nthat the Temple should continue to stand. As for thee, thou art a\nGibeonite, thou wilt have to do a slave's service in it so long as\nthere is a Temple. But instead of troubling thy mind with the future in\nstore for others, thou shouldst rather have thought of thine own\nfuture, for this very year thou wilt die.\" Hananiah, in very truth,\ndied on the last day of the year set as his term of life, but before\nhis death he ordered that it should be kept secret for two days, so to\ngive the lie to Jeremiah's prophecy. With his last words, addressed to\nhis son Shelemiah, he charged him to seek every possible way of taking\nrevenge upon Jeremiah, to whose curse his death was to be ascribed.\nShelemiah had no opportunity of fulfilling his father's last behest,\nbut it did not pass from his mind, and when he, in turn, lay upon his\ndeath-bed, he impressed the duty of revenge upon his son Jeriah. It was\nthe grandson of Hananiah who, when he saw Jeremiah leaving the city,\nhastened to take the opportunity of accusing the prophet of treason.\nHis purpose prospered. The aristocratic enemies of Jeremiah, enraged\nagainst him, welcomed the chance to put him behind prison bars, and\ngave him in charge of a jailer, Jonathan, who had been a friend of the\nfalse prophet Hananiah. Jonathan pleased himself by mocking at his\nprisoner: \"See,\" he would say, \"see what honor thy friend does thee, to\nput thee in so fine a prison as this; verily, it is a royal palace.\"\n\nDespite his suffering, Jeremiah did not hold back the truth. When the\nking inquired of him, whether he had a revelation from God, he replied:\n\"Yes, the king of Babylonia will carry thee off into exile.\" To avoid\nirritating the king, he went into no further detail. He only prayed the\nking to liberate him from prison, saying: \"Even wicked men   like\nHananiah and his descendants   at least cast about for a pretext when\nthey desire to take revenge, and their example ought not to be lost\nupon thee who art called Zedekiah, 'just man.'\" The king granted his\npetition, but Jeremiah did not enjoy liberty for long. Hardly out of\nprison, he again advised the people to surrender, and the nobility\nseized him and cast him into a lime pit filled with water, where they\nhoped he would drown. But a miracle happened. The water sank to the\nbottom, and the mud rose to the surface, and supported the prophet\nabove the water. Help came to him from Ebed-melech, a \"white raven,\"\nthe only pious man at court. Ebed-melech hastened to the king and\nspoke: \"Know, if Jeremiah perishes in the lime pit, Jerusalem will\nsurely be captured.\" With the permission of the king, Ebed-melech went\nto the pit, and cried out aloud several times, \"O my lord Jeremiah,\"\nbut no answer came. Jeremiah feared the words were spoken by his former\njailer Jonathan, who had not given up his practice of mocking at the\nprophet. He would come to the edge of the pit and call down jeeringly:\n\"Do not rest thy head on the mud, and take a little sleep, Jeremiah.\"\nTo such sneers Jeremiah made no reply, and hence it was that\nEbed-melech was left unanswered. Thinking the prophet dead, he began to\nlament and tear his clothes. Then Jeremiah, realizing that it was a\nfriend, and not Jonathan, asked: \"Who is it that is calling my name and\nweeps therewith?\" and he received the assurance that Ebed-melech had\ncome to rescue him from his perilous position. (20)\n\nNEBUCHADNEZZAR\n\nThe suffering to which Jeremiah was exposed was finally ended by the\ncapture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. This Babylonian king was a son\nof King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. (21) His first contact with the\nJews happened in the time of his father-in-law Sennacherib, whom he\naccompanied on his campaign against Hezekiah. The destruction of the\nAssyrian army before the walls of Jerusalem, the great catastrophe from\nwhich only Nebuchadnezzar and four others escaped with their life,\ninspired him with fear of God. (22) Later, in his capacity as secretary\nto the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan, it was he who called his\nmaster's notice to the mention of the Jewish king's name before the\nName of God. \"Thou callest Him 'the great God,' yet thou dost name Him\nafter the king,\" he said. Nebuchadnezzar himself hastened after the\nmessenger to bring back the letter and have it changed. He had advanced\nscarce three steps when he was restrained by the angel Gabriel, for\neven the few paces he had walked for the glory of God earned him his\ngreat power over Israel. A further step would have extended his ability\nto inflict harm immeasurably. (23)\n\nFor eighteen years daily a heavenly voice resounded in the palace of\nNebuchadnezzar, saying: \"O thou wicked slave, go and destroy the house\nof thy Lord, for His children hearken not unto Him.\" But Nebuchadnezzar\nwas beset with fears lest God prepare a fate for him similar to that of\nhis ancestor Sennacherib. He practiced belomancy and consulted other\nauguries, to assure himself that he was against Jerusalem would result\nfavorably. When he shook up the arrows, and questioned whether he was\nto go to Rome or Alexandria, not one arrow sprang up, but when he\nquestioned about Jerusalem, one sprang up. He sowed seeds and set out\nplanets; for Rome or Alexandria nothing came up; for Jerusalem\neverything sprouted and grew. He lighted candles and lanterns; for Rome\nor Alexandria they refused to burn, for Jerusalem they shed their\nlight. He floated vessels on the Euphrates; for Rome or Alexandria they\ndid not move, for Jerusalem they swam. (24)\n\nStill the fears of Nebuchadnezzar were not allayed. His determination\nto attack the Holy City ripened only after God Himself had shown him\nhow He had bound the hands of the archangel Michael, the patron of the\nJews, behind his back, in order to render him powerless to bring to his\nwards. So the campaign against Jerusalem was undertaken. (25)\n\nTHE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM\n\nIf the Babylonians thought that the conquest of Jerusalem was an easy\ntask, they were greatly mistaken. For three years God endured the\ninhabitants with strength to withstand the onslaughts of the enemy, in\nthe hope that the Jews would amend their evil ways and abandon their\ngodless conduct, so that the threatened punishment might be annulled.\n\nAmong the many heroes in the beleaguered city that was bidding defiance\nto the Babylonians, one by the name of Akiba was particularly\ndistinguished. The stones were hurled at the walls of the city from the\ncatapults wielded by the enemy without, he was wont to catch on his\nfeet, and throw them back upon the besiegers. Once it happened that a\nstone was so cast as to drop, not upon the wall, but in front of it. In\nhis swift race toward it, Akiba was precipitated into the space between\nthe inner and the outer wall. He quickly reassured his friends in the\ncity, that his fall had in no wise harmed him. He was only a little\nshaken up and weak; as soon as he had his accustomed daily meal, a\nroasted ox, he would be able to scale the wall and resume the struggle\nwith the Babylonians. But human strength and artifice avail naught\nagainst God. A gust of wind arose, and Akiba was thrown from the wall,\nand he died. Thereupon the Chaldeans made a breach in the wall, and\npenetrated into the city. (26)\n\nEqually fruitless were the endeavors of Hanamel, the uncle of Jeremiah,\nto save the city. He conjured the angels up, armed them, and had them\noccupy the walls. The Chaldeans retreated in terror at the sight of the\nheavenly host. But God changed the names of the angels, and brought\nthem back to heaven. Hanamel's exorcisms availed naught. When he called\nthe Angel of the Water, for instance, the response would come from the\nAngel of Fire, who bore the former name of his companion. Then Hanamel\nresorted to the extreme measure of summoning the Prince of the World,\nwho raised Jerusalem high up in the air. But God thrust the city down\nagain, and the enemy entered unhindered. (27)\n\nNevertheless, the capture of the city could not have been accomplished\nif Jeremiah had been present. His deeds were as a firm pillar for the\ncity, and his prayers as a stony wall. Therefore God sent the prophet\n(28) on an errand out of the city. He was made to go to his native\nplace, Anathoth, to take possession of a field, his by right of\ninheritance. Jeremiah rejoiced; he took this as a sign that God would\nbe gracious to Judah, else He would not have commanded him to take\npossession of a piece of land. Scarcely had the prophet left Jerusalem\nwhen an angel descended upon the wall of the city and caused a breach\nto appear, at the same time crying out: \"Let the enemy come and enter\nthe house, for the Master of the house is no longer therein. The enemy\nhas leave to despoil it and destroy it. Go ye into the vineyard and\nsnap the vines asunder, for the Watchman hath gone away and abandoned\nit. But let no man boast and say, he and his have vanquished the city.\nNay, a conquered city have ye conquered, a dead people have ye killed.\"\n\nThe enemy rushed in and ascended the Temple mount, and on the spot\nwhereon King Solomon had been in the habit of sitting when he took\ncounsel with the elders, the Chaldeans plotted how to reduce the Temple\nto ashes. During their sinister deliberations, they beheld four angels,\neach with a flaming torch in his hand, descending and setting fire to\nthe four corners of the Temple. The high priest, seeing the flames\nshoot up, cast the keys of the Temple heavenward, saying: \"Here are the\nkeys of Thy house; it seems I am an untrustworthy custodian,\" and, as\nhe turned, he was seized by the enemy and slaughtered in the very place\non which he had been wont to offer the daily sacrifice. With him\nperished his daughter, her blood mingling with her father's. The\npriests and the Levites threw themselves into the flames with their\nharps and trumpets, and, to escape the violence feared from the\nlicentious Chaldeans, (29) the virgins who wove the curtains for the\nsanctuary followed their example. Still more horrible was the carnage\ncaused among the people by Nebuzaradan, spurred on as he was by the\nsight of the blood of the murdered prophet Zechariah seething on the\nfloor of the Temple. At first the Jews sought to conceal the true story\nconnected with the blood. At length they had to confess, that it was\nthe blood of a prophet who had prophesied the destruction of the\nTemple, and for his candor had been slain by the people. Nebuzaradan,\nto appease the prophet, ordered the scholars of the kingdom to be\nexecuted first on the bloody spot, then the school children, and at\nlast the young priests, more than a million souls in all. But the blood\nof the prophet went on seething and reeking, until Nebuzaradan\nexclaimed: \"Zechariah, Zechariah, the good in Israel I have\nslaughtered. Dost thou desire the destruction of the whole people?\"\nThen the blood ceased to seethe.\n\nNebuzaradan was startled by the thought, if the Jews, who had a single\nlife upon their conscience, were made to atone so cruelly, what would\nbe his own fate! He left Nebuchadnezzar and became a proselyte. (30)\n\nTHE GREAT LAMENT\n\nOn his return from Anathoth, Jeremiah saw, at a distance, smoke curling\nupward from the Temple mount, and his spirit was joyful. He thought the\nJews had repented of their sins, and were bringing incense offerings.\nOnce within the city walls, he knew the truth, that the Temple had\nfallen a prey to the incendiary. Overwhelmed by grief, he cried out: \"O\nLord, Thou didst entice me, and I permitted myself to be enticed; Thou\ndidst send me forth out of Thy house that Thou mightest destroy it.\"\n(31)\n\nGod Himself was deeply moved by the destruction of the Temple, which He\nhad abandoned that the enemy might enter and destroy it. Accompanied by\nthe angels, He visited the ruins, and gave vent to His sorrow: \"Woe is\nMe on account of My house. Where are My children, where My priests,\nwhere My beloved? But what could I do for you? Did I not warn you? Yet\nyou would not mend your ways.\" \"To-day,\" God said to Jeremiah, \"I am\nlike a man who has an only son. He prepares the marriage canopy for\nhim, and his only beloved dies under it. Thou doest seem to feel but\nlittle sympathy with Me and with My children. Go, summon Abraham,\nIsaac, Jacob, and Moses from their graces. They know how to mourn.\"\n\"Lord of the world,\" replied Jeremiah, \"I know not where Moses is\nburied.\" \"Stand on the banks of the Jordan,\" said God, \"and cry: 'Thou\nson of Amram, son of Amram, arise, see how wolves have devoured thy\nsheep.'\"\n\nJeremiah repaired to the Double Cave, and spake to the Patriarchs:\n\"Arise, ye are summoned to appear before God.\" When they asked him the\nreason of the summons, he feigned ignorance, for he feared to tell them\nthe true reason; they might have cast reproaches upon him that so great\na disaster had overtaken Israel in his time. Then Jeremiah journeyed on\nto the banks of the Jordan, and there he called as he had been bidden:\n\"Thou son of Amram, son of Amram, arise, thou are cited to appear\nbefore God.\" \"What has happened this day, that God calls me unto Him?\"\nasked Moses. \"I know not,\" replied Jeremiah again. Moses thereupon went\nto the angels, and from them he learned that the Temple had been\ndestroyed, and Israel banished from his land. Weeping and mourning,\nMoses joined the Patriarchs, and together, rending their garments and\nwringing their hands, they betook themselves to the ruins of the\nTemple. Here their wailing was augmented by the loud lamentations of\nthe angels: (32) \"How desolate are the highways to Jerusalem, the\nhighways destined for travel without end! How deserted are the streets\nthat once were thronged at the seasons of the pilgrimages! O Lord of\nthe world, with Abraham the father of Thy people, who taught the world\nto know Thee as the ruler of the universe, Thou didst make a covenant,\nthat through him and his descendants the earth should be filled with\npeople, and now Thou hast dissolved Thy covenant with him. O Lord of\nthe world! Thou hast scorned Zion and Jerusalem, once Thy chosen\nhabitation. Thou hast dealt more harshly with Israel than with the\ngeneration of Enosh, the first idolaters.\"\n\nGod thereupon said to the angels: \"Why do ye array yourselves against\nMe with your complaints?\" \"Lord do the world,\" they replied, \"on\naccount of Abraham, Thy beloved, who has come into Thy house wailing\nand weeping, yet Thou payest no heed unto him.\" Thereupon God: \"Since\nMy beloved ended his earthly career, he has not been in My house. 'What\nhath My beloved to do in My house'?\" (33)\n\nNow Abraham entered into the conversation: \"Why, O Lord of the world,\nhast Thou exiled my children, delivered them into the hands of the\nnations, who torture them with all tortures, and who have rendered\ndesolate the sanctuary, where I was ready to bring Thee my son Isaac as\na sacrifice?\" \"Thy children have sinned,\" said God, \"they have\ntransgressed the whole Torah, they have offended against every letter\nof it.\" Abraham: \"Who is there that will testify against Israel, that\nhe has transgressed the Torah?\" God: \"Let the Torah herself appear and\ntestify.\" The Torah came, and Abraham addressed her: \"O my daughter,\ndost thou indeed come to testify against Israel, to say that he\nviolated thy commandments? Dost thou feel no shame? Remember the day on\nwhich God offered thee to all the peoples, all the nations of the\nearth, and they all rejected thee with disdain. (34) Then my children\ncame to Sinai, they accepted thee, and they honored thee. And now, on\nthe day of their distress, thou standest up against them?\" Hearing\nthis, the Torah stepped aside, and did not testify. \"Let the twenty-two\nletters of the Hebrew alphabet in which Torah is written come and\ntestify against Israel,\" said God. They appeared without delay, and\nAlef, the first letter, was about to testify against Israel, when\nAbraham interrupted it with the words: \"Thou chief of all letters, thou\ncomest to testify against Israel in the time of his distress? Be\nmindful of the day on which God revealed Himself on Mount Sinai,\nbeginning His words with thee: 'Anoki the Lord thy God.' No people, no\nnation accepted thee, only my children, and now thou comest to testify\nagainst them!\" Alef stepped aside and was silent. The same happened\nwith the second letter Bet, (35) and with the third, Gimel, and with\nall the rest   all of them retired abashed, and opened not their mouth.\nNow Abraham turned to God and said: \"O Lord of the world! When I was a\nhundred years old, Thou didst give me a son, and when he was in the\nflower of his age, thirty-seven years old, Thou didst command me to\nsacrifice him to Thee, and I, like a monster, without compassion, I\nbound him upon the altar with mine own hands. Let that plead with Thee,\nand have Thou pity on my children.\"\n\nThen Isaac raised his voice and spake: \"O Lord of the world, when my\nfather told me, 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt\noffering, my son,' I did not resist Thy word. Willingly I let myself be\ntied to the altar, my throat was raised to meet the knife. Let that\nplead with Thee, and have Thou pity on my children.\"\n\nThen Jacob raised his voice and spake: \"O Lord of the world, for twenty\nyears I dwelt in the house of Laban, and when I left it, I met with\nEsau, who sought to murder my children, and I risked my life for\ntheirs. And now they are delivered into the hands of their enemies,\nlike sheep led to the shambles, after I coddled them like fledglings\nbreaking forth from their shells, after I suffered anguish for their\nsake all the days of my life. Let that plead with Thee, and have Thou\npity on my children.\"\n\nAnd at last Moses raised his voice and spake: \"O Lord of the world, was\nI not a faithful shepherd unto Israel for forty long years? Like a\nsteed I ran ahead of him in the desert, and when the time came for him\nto enter the Promised Land, Thou didst command: 'Here in the desert\nshall thy bones drop!' And now that the children of Israel are exiled,\nThou hast sent for me to mourn and lament over them. That is what the\npeople mean when they say: The good fortune of the master is none for\nthe slave, but the master's woe is his woe.\" And turning to Jeremiah,\nhe continued: \"Walk before me, I will lead them back; let us see who\nwill venture to raise a hand against them.\" Jeremiah replied: \"The\nroads cannot be passed, they are blocked with corpses.\" But Moses was\nnot to be deterred, and the two, Moses following Jeremiah, reached the\nrivers of Babylon. When the Jews saw Moses, they said: \"The son of\nAmram has ascended from his grave to redeem us from our enemies.\" (36)\nAt that moment a heavenly voice was heard to cry out: \"It is decreed!\"\nAnd Moses said: \"O my children, I cannot redeem you, the decree is\nunalterable   may God redeem you speedily,\" and he departed from them.\n\nThe children of Israel raised their voices in sore lamentations, and\nthe sound of their grief pierced to the very heavens. Meantime Moses\nreturned to the Fathers, and reported to them to what dire suffering\nthe exiled Jews were exposed, and they all broke out into woe-begone\nplaints. (37) In his bitter grief, Moses exclaimed: \"Be cursed, O sun,\nwhy was not thy light extinguished in the hour in which the enemy\ninvaded the sanctuary?\" The sun replied: \"O faithful shepherd, I sware\nby the life, I could not grow dark. The heavenly powers would not\npermit it. Sixty fiery scourges they dealt me, and they said, 'Go and\nlet thy light shine forth,'\" (38) Another last complaint Moses uttered:\n\"O Lord of the world, Thou hast written it in Thy Torah: 'And whether\nit be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.'\nHow many mothers have they slaughtered with their children   and Thou\nart silent!\"\n\nThen, with the suddenness of a flash, Rachel, our mother, stood before\nthe Holy One, blessed be He: \"Lord of the world,\" she said, \"Thou\nknowest how overwhelming was Jacob's love for me, and when I observed\nthat my father thought to put Leah in my place, I gave Jacob secret\nsigns, that the plan of my father might be set at naught. But then I\nrepented me of what I had done, and to spare my sister mortification, I\ndisclosed the signs to her. More than this, I myself was in the bridal\nchamber, and when Jacob spake with Leah, I made reply, lest her voice\nbetray her. I, a woman, a creature of flesh and blood, of dust and\nashes, was not jealous of my rival. Thou, O God, everlasting King, Thou\neternal and merciful Father, why wast Thou jealous of the idols, empty\nvanities? Why hast Thou driven out my children, slain them with swords,\nleft them at the mercy of their enemies?\" Then the compassion of the\nSupreme God was awakened, and He said: \"For thy sake, O Rachel, I will\nlead the children of Israel back to their land.\" (39)\n\nJEREMIAH'S JOURNEY TO BABYLON\n\nWhen Nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general Nebuzaradan to the capture\nof Jerusalem, he gave him three instructions regarding the mild\ntreatment of Jeremiah: \"Take him, and look well to him, and do him no\nharm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.\" At the same time\nhe enjoined him to use pitiless cruelty toward the rest of the people.\nBut the prophet desired to share the fate of his suffering brethren,\nand when he saw a company of youths in the pillory, he put his own head\ninto it. Nebuzaradan would always withdraw him again. Thereafter if\nJeremiah saw a company of old men clapped in chains, he would join them\nand share their ignominy, until Nebuzaradan released him. Finally,\nNebuzaradan said to Jeremiah: \"Lo, thou art one of three things; either\nthou are a prophesier of false things, or thou art a despiser of\nsuffering, or thou art a shedder of blood. A prophesier of false things\n  for since many a year hast thou been prophesying the downfall of this\ncity, and now, when thy prophecy has come true, thou sorrowest and\nmournest. Or a despiser of suffering   for I seek to do thee naught\nharmful, and thou thyself pursuest what is harmful to thee, as thou to\nsay, 'I am indifferent to pain.' Or a shedder of blood   for the king\nhas charged me to have a care of thee, and let no harm come upon thee,\nbut as thou insistest upon seeking evil for thyself, it must be that\nthe king may hear of thy misfortune, and put me to death.\" (40)\n\nAt first Jeremiah refused Nebuzaradan's offer to let him remain in\nPalestine. He joined the march of the captives going to Babylon, along\nthe highways streaming with blood and strewn with corpses. When they\narrived at the borders of the Holy Land, they all, prophet and people,\nbroke out into loud wails, and Jeremiah said: \"Yes, brethren and\ncountrymen, all this hath befallen you, because ye did not hearken unto\nthe words of my prophecy.\" (41) Jeremiah journeyed with them until they\ncame to the banks of the Euphrates. Then God spoke to the prophet:\n\"Jeremiah, if thou remainest here, I shall go with them, and if thou\ngoest with them, I shall remain here.\" Jeremiah replied: \"Lord of the\nworld, if I go with them, what doth it avail them? Only if their King,\ntheir Creator accompanies them, will it bestead them.\" (42)\n\nWhen the captives saw Jeremiah make preparations to return to\nPalestine, they began to weep and cry: \"O Father Jeremiah, wilt thou,\ntoo, abandon us?\" \"I call heaven and earth to witness,\" said the\nprophet, \"had you wept but once in Zion, ye had not been driven out.\"\n(43)\n\nBeset with terrors was the return journey for the prophet. Corpses lay\neverywhere, and Jeremiah gathered up all the fingers that lay about; he\nstrained them to his heart, fondled them, kissed them, and wrapped them\nin his mantle, saying sadly: \"Did I not tell you, my children, did I\nnot say to you, 'Give glory to the Lord your God, before He cause\ndarkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains'?\" (44)\n\nDejected, oppressed by his grief, Jeremiah saw the fulfilment of his\nprophecy against the coquettish maidens of Jerusalem, who had pursued\nbut the pleasures and enjoyments of the world. How often had the\nprophet admonished them to do penance and lead a God-fearing life! In\nvain; whenever he threatened them with the destruction of Jerusalem,\nthey said: \"Why should we concern ourselves about it?\" \"A prince will\ntake me unto wife,\" said one, the other, \"A prefect will marry me.\" And\nat first it seemed the expectations of Jerusalem's fair daughters would\nbe realized, for the most aristocratic of the victorious Chaldeans were\ncharmed by the beauty of the women of Jerusalem, and offered them their\nhand and their rank. But God sent disfiguring and repulsive diseases\nupon the women, and the Babylonians cast them off, threw them violently\nout of their chariots, and ruthlessly drove them over the prostrate\nbodies. (45)\n\nTRANSPORTATION OF THE CAPTIVES\n\nNebuchadnezzar's orders were to hurry the captives along the road to\nBabylon without stop or stay. He feared the Jews might else find\nopportunity to supplicate the mercy of God, and He, compassionate as He\nis, would release them instantly they did penance. (46) Accordingly,\nthere was no pause in the forward march, until the Euphrates was\nreached. There they were within the borders of the empire of\nNebuchadnezzar, and he thought he had nothing more to fear.\n\nMany of the Jews died as soon as they drank of the Euphrates. In their\nnative land they had been accustomed to the water drawn from springs\nand wells. Mourning over their dead and over the others that had fallen\nby the way, they sat on the banks of the river, while Nebuchadnezzar\nand his princes on their vessels celebrated their victory amid song and\nmusic. The king noticed that the princes of Judah, though they were in\nchains, bore no load upon their shoulders, and he called to his\nservants: \"Have you no load for these?\" They took the parchment scrolls\nof the law, tore them in pieces, made sacks of them, and filled them\nwith sand; these they loaded upon the backs of the Jewish princes. At\nsight of this disgrace, all Israel broke out into loud weeping. The\nvoice of their sorrow pierced the very heavens, and God determined to\nturn the world once more into chaos, for He told Himself, that after\nall the world was created but for the sake of Israel. The angels\nhastened thither, and they spake before God: \"O Lord of the world, the\nuniverse is Thine. Is it not enough that Thou hast dismembered Thy\nearthly house, the Temple? Wilt Thou destroy Thy heavenly house, too?\"\nGod restraining them said: \"Do ye think I am a creature of flesh and\nblood, and stand in need of consolation? Do I not know beginning and\nend of all things? Go rather and remove their burdens from the princes\nof Judah.\" Aided by God the angels descended, and they carried the\nloads put upon the Jewish captives until they reached Babylon.\n\nOn their way, they passed the city of Bari. (47) The inhabitants\nthereof were not a little astonished at the cruelty of Nebuchadnezzar,\nwho made the captives march naked. The people of Bari stripped their\nslaves of their clothes, and presented the slaves to Nebuchadnezzar.\nWhen the king expressed his astonishment thereat, they said: \"We\nthought thou wert particularly pleased with naked men.\" The king at\nonce ordered the Jews to be arrayed in their garments. The reward\naccorded the Bariites was that God endowed them forever with beauty and\nirresistible grace. (48)\n\nThe compassionate Bariites did not find many imitators. The very\nopposite quality was displayed by the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites,\nand Arabs. Despite their close kinship with Israel, their conduct\ntoward the Jews was dictated by cruelty. The two first-mentioned, the\nAmmonites and the Moabites, when they heard the prophet foretell the\ndestruction of Jerusalem, hastened without a moment's delay to report\nit to Nebuchadnezzar, and urge him to attack Jerusalem. The scruples of\nthe Babylonian king, who feared God, and all the reasons he advanced\nagainst a combat with Israel, they refuted, and finally they induced\nhim to act as they wished. (49) At the capture of the city, while all\nthe strange nations were seeking booty, the Ammonites and the Moabites\nthrew themselves into the Temple to seize the scroll of the law,\nbecause it contained the clause against their entering into the\n\"assembly of the Lord even to the tenth generation.\" (50) To disgrace\nthe faith of Israel, they plucked the Cherubim from the Holy of Holies\nand dragged them through the streets of Jerusalem, crying aloud at the\nsame time: \"Behold these sacred things that belong to the Israelites,\nwho say ever they have no idols.\"\n\nThe Edomites were still more hostile (51) in the hour of Israel's need.\nThey went to Jerusalem with Nebuchadnezzar, but they kept themselves at\na distance from the city, there to await the outcome of the battle\nbetween the Jews and the Babylonians. If the Jews had been victorious,\nthey would have pretended they had come to bring them aid. When\nNebuchadnezzar's victory became known, they showed their true feelings.\nThose who escaped the sword of the Babylonians, were hewn down by the\nhand of the Edomites. (52)\n\nBut in fiendish cunning these nations were surpassed by the\nIshmaelites. Eighty thousand young priests, each with a golden shield\nupon his breast, succeeded in making their way through the ranks of\nNebuchadnezzar and in reaching the Ishmaelites. They asked for water to\ndrink. The reply of the Ishmaelites was: \"First eat, and then you may\ndrink,\" at the same time handing them salt food. Their thirst was\nincreased, and the Ishmaelites gave them leather bags filled with\nnothing but air instead of water. When they raised them to their\nmouths, the air entered their bodies, and they fell dead.\n\nOther Arabic tribes showed their hostility openly; as the Palmyrenes,\nwho put eighty thousand archers at the disposal of Nebuchadnezzar in\nhis war against Israel. (53)\n\nTHE SONS OF MOSES\n\nIf Nebuchadnezzar thought, that once he had the Jews in the regions of\nthe Euphrates they were in his power forever, he was greatly mistaken.\nIt was on the very banks of the great river that he suffered the loss\nof a number of his captives. When the first stop was made by the\nEuphrates, the Jews could no longer contain their grief, and they broke\nout into tears and bitter lamentations. Nebuchadnezzar bade them be\nsilent, and as though to render obedience to his orders the harder, he\ncalled upon the Levites, the minstrels of the Temple to sing the songs\nof Zion for the entertainment of his guests at the banquet he had\narranged. The Levites consulted with one another. \"Not enough that the\nTemple lies in ashes because of our sins, should we add to our\ntransgressions by coaxing music from the strings of our holy harps in\nhonor of these 'dwarfs'?\" (54) they said, and they determined to offer\nresistance. The murderous Babylonians mowed them down in heaps, yet\nthey met death with high courage, for it saved their sacred instruments\nfrom the desecration of being used before idols and for the sake of\nidolaters.\n\nThe Levites who survived the carnage   the Sons of Moses they were  \nbit their own fingers off, and when they were asked to play, they\nshowed their tyrants mutilated hands, with which it was impossible to\nmanipulate their harps. (55) At the fall of night a cloud descended and\nenveloped the Sons of Moses and all who belonged to them. They were\nhidden from their enemies, while their own way was illuminated by a\npillar of fire. The cloud and the pillar vanished at break of day, and\nbefore the Sons of Moses lay a tract of land bordered by the sea on\nthree sides. For their complete protection God made the river Sambation\nto flow on the fourth side. This river is full of sand and stones, and\non the six working days of the week, they tumble over each other with\nsuch vehemence that the crash and the roar are heard far and wide. But\non the Sabbath (56) the tumultuous river subsides into quiet. As a\nguard against trespassers on that day, a column of cloud stretches\nalong the whole length of the river, and none can approach the\nSambation within three miles. Hedged in as they are, the Sons of Moses\nyet communicate with their brethren of the tribes of Naphtali, Gad, and\nAsher, who dwell near the banks of the Sambation. Carrier pigeons bear\nletters hither and thither.\n\nIn the land of the Sons of Moses there are none but clean animals, and\nin every respect the inhabitants lead a holy and pure life, worthy of\ntheir ancestor Moses. They never use an oath, and, if perchance an oath\nescapes the lips of one of them, he is at once reminded of the Divine\npunishment connected with his act   his children will die at a tender\nage.\n\nThe Sons of Moses live peaceably and enjoy prosperity as equals through\ntheir common Jewish faith. They have need of neither prince nor judge,\nfor they know not strife and litigation. Each works for the welfare of\nthe community, and each takes from the common store only what will\nsatisfy his needs. Their houses are built of equal height, that no one\nmay deem himself above his neighbor, and that that the fresh air may\nnot be hindered from playing freely about all alike. Even at night\ntheir doors stand wide open, for they have naught to fear from thieves,\nnor are wild animals known in their land. They all attain a good old\nage. The son never dies before the father. When a death occurs, there\nis rejoicing, because the departed is known to have entered into life\neverlasting in loyalty to his faith. The birth of a child, on the other\nhand, calls forth mourning, for who can tell whether the being ushered\ninto the world will be pious and faithful? The dead are buried near the\ndoors of their own houses, in order that their survivors, in all their\ncomings and goings, may be reminded of their own end. Disease is\nunknown among them, for they never sin, and sickness is sent only to\npurify from sins. (57)\n\nEBED-MELECH\n\nThe Sons of Moses were not the only ones to escape from under the heavy\nhand of Nebuchadnezzar. Still more miraculous was the deliverance of\nthe pious Ethiopian Ebed-melech from the hands of the Babylonians. He\nwas saved as a reward for rescuing Jeremiah when the prophet's life was\njeopardized. On the day before the destruction of the Temple, shortly\nbefore the enemy forced his way into the city, the Ethiopian was sent,\nby the prophet Jeremiah acting under Divine instruction, to a certain\nplace in front of the gates of the city, to dole out refreshments to\nthe poor from a little basket of figs he was to carry with him.\nEbed-melech reached the spot, but the heat was so intense that he fell\nasleep under a tree, and there he slept for sixty-six years. When he\nwoke up, the figs were still fresh and juicy, but all the surroundings\nhad so changed, he could not make out where he was. His confusion\nincreased when he entered the city to seek Jeremiah, and found nothing\nas it had been. He accosted an old man, and asked him the name of the\nplace. When he was told it was Jerusalem, Ebed-melech cried out in\namazement: \"Where is Jeremiah, where is Baruch, and where are all the\npeople?\" The old man was not a little astonished at these questions.\nHow was it possible that one who had known Jeremiah and Jerusalem\nshould be ignorant of the events that had passed sixty years before? In\nbrief words he told Ebed-melech of the destruction of the Temple and of\nthe captivity of the people, but what he said found no credence with\nhis auditor. Finally Ebed-melech realized that God had performed a\ngreat miracle for him, so that he had been spared the sight of Israel's\nmisfortune.\n\nWhile he was pouring out his heart in gratitude to God, an eagle\ndescended and led him to Baruch, who lived not far from the city.\nThereupon Baruch received the command from God to write to Jeremiah\nthat the people should remove the strangers from the midst of them, and\nthen God would lead them back to Jerusalem. The letter written by\nBaruch and some of the figs that had retained their freshness for\nsixty-six years were carried to Babylonia by an eagle, who had told\nBaruch that he had been sent to serve him as a messenger. The eagle set\nout on his journey. His first halting-place was a dreary waste spot to\nwhich he knew Jeremiah and the people would come   it was the\nburial-place of the Jews which Nebuchadnezzar had given the prophet at\nhis solicitation. When the eagle saw Jeremiah and the people approach\nwith a funeral train, he cried out: \"I have a message for thee,\nJeremiah. Let all the people draw nigh to receive the good tidings.\" As\na sign that his mission was true, the eagle touched the corpse, and it\ncame to life. Amidst tears all the people cried unto Jeremiah: \"Save\nus! What must we do to return to our land?\"\n\nThe eagle brought Jeremiah's answer to Baruch, and after the prophet\nhad sent the Babylonian women away, he returned to Jerusalem with the\npeople. Those who would not submit to the orders of Jeremiah relative\nto the heathen women, were not permitted by the prophet to enter the\nholy city, and as they likewise were not permitted to return to\nBabylonia, they founded the city of Samaria near Jerusalem. (58)\n\nTHE TEMPLE VESSELS\n\nThe task laid upon Jeremiah had been twofold. Besides giving him charge\nover the people in the land of their exile, God had entrusted to him\nthe care of the sanctuary and all it contained. (59) The holy Ark, the\naltar of incense, and the holy tent were carried by an angel to the\nmount whence Moses before his death had viewed the land divinely\nassigned to Israel. There Jeremiah found a spacious place, in which he\nconcealed these sacred utensils. Some of his companions had gone with\nhim to note the way to the cave, but yet they could not find it. (60)\nWhen Jeremiah heard of their purpose, he censured them, for it was the\nwish of God that the place of hiding should remain a secret until the\nredemption, and then God Himself will make the hidden things visible.\n(61)\n\nEven the Temple vessels not concealed by Jeremiah were prevented from\nfalling into the hands of the enemy; the gates of the Temple sank into\nthe earth, (62) and other parts and utensils were hidden in a tower at\nBagdad by the Levite Shimur (63) and his friends. Among these utensils\nwas the seven-branched candlestick of pure gold, every branch set with\ntwenty-six pearls, and beside the pearls two hundred stones of\ninestimable worth. Furthermore, the tower at Bagdad was the\nhiding-place for seventy-seven golden tables, and for the gold with\nwhich the walls of the Temple had been clothed within and without. The\ntables had been taken from Paradise by Solomon, and in brilliance they\noutshone the sun and the moon, while the gold from the walls excelled\nin amount and worth all the gold that had existed from the creation of\nthe world until the destruction of the Temple. The jewels, pearls,\ngold, and silver, and precious gems, which David and Solomon had\nintended for the Temple were discovered by the scribe Hilkiah, and he\ndelivered them to the angel Shamshiel, who in turn deposited the\ntreasure in Borsippa. The sacred musical instruments were taken charge\nof and hidden by Baruch and Zedekiah until the advent of the Messiah,\nwho will reveal all treasures. In his time a stream will break forth\nfrom under the place of the Holy of Holies, and flow through the lands\nto the Euphrates, and, as it flows, it will uncover all the treasures\nburied in the earth. (64)\n\nBARUCH\n\nAt the time of the destruction of the Temple, one of the prominent\nfigures was Baruch, the faithful attendant (65) of Jeremiah. God\ncommanded him to leave the city one day before the enemy was to enter\nit, in order that his presence might not render it impregnable. On the\nfollowing day, he and all other pious men having abandoned Jerusalem,\nhe saw from a distance how the angels descended, set fire to the city\nwalls, and concealed the sacred vessels of the Temple. At first his\nmourning over the misfortunes of Jerusalem and the people knew no\nbounds. But he was in a measure consoled at the end of a seven days'\nfast, when God made known to him that the day of reckoning would come\nfor the heathen, too. Other Divine visions were vouchsafed him. The\nwhole future of mankind was unrolled before his eyes, especially the\nhistory of Israel, and he learned that the coming of the Messiah would\nput an end to all sorrow and misery, and usher in the reign of peace\nand joy among men. As for him, he would be removed from the earth, he\nwas told, but not through death, and only in order to be kept safe\nagainst the coming of the end of all time. (66)\n\nThus consoled, Baruch addressed an admonition to the people left in\nPalestine, and wrote two letters of the same tenor to the exiles, one\nto the nine tribes and a half, the other to the two tribes and a half.\nThe letter to the nine tribes and a half of the captivity was carried\nto them by an eagle. (67)\n\nFive years after the great catastrophe, he composed a book in Babylon,\n(68) which contained penitential prayers and hymns of consolation,\nexhorting Israel and urging the people to return to God and His law.\nThis book Baruch read to King Jeconiah and the whole people on a day of\nprayer and penitence. On the same occasion a collection was taken up\namong the people, and the funds thus secured, together with the silver\nTemple vessels made by order of Zedekiah after Jeconiah had been\ncarried away captive, were sent to Jerusalem, with the request that the\nhigh priest Joakim and the people should apply the money to the\nsacrificial service and to prayers for the life of King Nebuchadnezzar\nand his son Belshazzar. Thus they might ensure peace and happiness\nunder Babylonian rule. Above all, they were to supplicate God to turn\naway His wrath from His people.\n\nBaruch sent his book also to the residents of Jerusalem, and they read\nit in the Temple on distinguished days, and recited the prayers it\ncontains. (69)\n\nBaruch is one of the few mortals who have been privileged to visit\nParadise and know its secrets. An angel of the Lord appeared to him\nwhile he was lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem and took him\nto the seven heavens, to the place of judgment where the doom of the\ngodless is pronounced, and to the abodes of the blessed. (70)\n\nHe was still among the living at the time in which Cyrus permitted the\nJews to return to Palestine, but on account of his advanced age he\ncould not avail himself of the permission. So long as he was alive, his\ndisciple Ezra remained with him in Babylonia, for \"the study of the law\nis more important than the building of the Temple.\" It was only after\nthe death of Baruch that he decided to gather together the exiles who\ndesired to return to the Holy Land and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.\n(71)\n\nTHE TOMBS OF BARUCH AND EZEKIEL\n\nThe piety of Baruch and the great favor he enjoyed with God were made\nknown to later generations many years after his death, through the\nmarvellous occurrences connected with his tomb. Once a Babylonian\nprince commanded a Jew, Rabbi Solomon by name, to show him the grave of\nEzekiel, concerning which he had heard many remarkable tales. The Jew\nadvised the prince first to enter the tomb of Baruch, which adjoined\nthat of Ezekiel. Having succeeded in this, he might attempt the same\nwith the tomb of Ezekiel, the teacher of Baruch. (72) In the presence\nof his grandees and his people the prince tried to open the grave of\nBaruch, but his efforts were fruitless. Whosoever touched it, was at\nonce stricken dead. An old Arab advised the prince to call upon the\nJews to gain entrance for him, seeing that Baruch had been a Jew, and\nhis books were still being studied by Jews. The Jews prepared\nthemselves by fasts, prayers, penitence, and almsgiving, and they\nsucceeded in opening the grave without a mishap. Baruch was found lying\non marble bier, and the appearance of the corpse was as though he had\nonly then passed away. (73) The prince ordered the bier to be brought\nto the city, and the body to be entombed there. He thought it was not\nseemly that Ezekiel and Baruch should rest in the same grave. But the\nbearers found it impossible to remove the bier more than two thousands\nells from the original grave; not even with the help of numerous\ndraught-animals could it be urged a single step further. Following the\nadvice of Rabbi Solomon, the prince resolved to enter the bier on the\nspot they had reached and also to erect an academy there. These\nmiraculous happenings induced the prince to go to Mecca. There he\nbecame convinced of the falseness of Mohammedanism, of which he had\nhitherto been an adherent, and he converted to Judaism, he and his\nwhole court.\n\nNear the grave of Baruch there grows a species of grass whose leaves\nare covered with gold dust. As the sheen of the gold is not readily\nnoticeable by day, the people seek out the place at night, mark the\nvery spot on which the grass grows, and return by day and gather it.\n(74)\n\nNot less famous is the tomb of Ezekiel, at a distance of two thousand\nells from Baruch's. It is overarched by a beautiful mausoleum erected\nby King Jeconiah after Evil-merodach had released him from captivity.\nThe mausoleum existed down to the middle ages, and it bore on its walls\nthe names of the thirty-five thousand Jews who assisted Jeconiah in\nerecting the monument. It was the scene of many miracles. When great\ncrowds of people journeyed thither to pay reverence to the memory of\nthe prophet, the little low gate in the wall surrounding the grave\nenlarged in width and height to admit all who desired to enter. Once a\nprince vowed to give a colt to the grave of the prophet, if but his\nmare which had been sterile would bear one. When his wish was\nfulfilled, however, he did not keep his promise. But the filly ran a\ndistance equal to a four days' journey to the tomb, and his owner could\nnot recover it until he deposited his value in silver upon the grace.\nWhen people went on long journeys, they were in the habit of carrying\ntheir treasures to the grave of the prophet, and beseeching him to let\nnone but the rightful heirs remove them thence. The prophet always\ngranted their petition. Once when an attempt was made to take some\nbooks from the grave of Ezekiel, the ravager suddenly became sick and\nblind. For a time a pillar of fire, visible at a great distance, rose\nabove the grave of the prophet, but it disappeared in consequence of\nthe unseemly conduct of the pilgrims who resorted thither.\n\nNot far from the grave of Ezekiel was the grave of Barozak, who once\nappeared to a rich Jew in a dream. He spoke: \"I am Barozak, one of the\nprinces who were led into captivity with Jeremiah. I am one of the\njust. If thou wilt erect a handsome mausoleum for me, thou wilt be\nblessed with progeny.\" The Jew did as he had been bidden, and he who\nhad been childless, shortly after became a father. (75)\n\nDANIEL\n\nThe most distinguished member of the Babylonian Diaspora was Daniel.\nThough not a prophet, (76) he was surpassed by none in wisdom, piety,\nand good deeds. His firm adherence to Judaism he displayed from his\nearly youth, when, a page at the royal court, he refused to partake of\nthe bread, wine, and oil of the heathen, even though the enjoyment of\nthem was not prohibited by the law. (77) In general, his prominent\nposition at the court was maintained at the cost of many a hardship,\nfor he and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were envied\ntheir distinctions by numerous enemies, who sought to compass their\nruin.\n\nOnce they were accused before King Nebuchadnezzar of leading an\nunchaste life. The king resolved to order their execution. But Daniel\nand his friends mutilated certain parts of their bodies, and so\ndemonstrated how unfounded were the charges against them. (78)\n\nAs a youth Daniel gave evidence of his wisdom, when he convicted two\nold sinners of having testified falsely against Susanna, as beautiful\nas she was good. Misled by the perjured witnesses, the court had\ncondemned Susanna to death. Then Daniel, impelled by a higher power,\nappeared among the people, proclaimed that wrong had been done, and\ndemanded that the case be re-opened. And so it was. Daniel himself\ncross-questioned the witnesses one after the other. The same questions\nwere addressed to both, and as the replies did not agree with each\nother, the false witnesses stood condemned, and they were made to\nsuffer the penalty they would have had the court inflict upon their\nvictim. (79)\n\nDaniel's high position in the state dates from the time when he\ninterpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The king said to the astrologers\nand magicians: \"I know my dream, but I do not want to tell you what it\nwas, else you will invent anything at all, and pretend it is the\ninterpretation of the dream. But if you tell me the dream, then I shall\nhave confidence in your interpretation of it.\"\n\nAfter much talk between Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men, they confessed\nthat the king's wish might have been fulfilled, if but the Temple had\nstill existed. The high priest at Jerusalem might have revealed the\nsecret by consulting the Urim and Thummim. At this point the king\nbecame wrathful against his wise men, who had advised him to destroy\nthe Temple, though they must have known how useful it might become to\nthe king and the state. He ordered them all to execution. Their life\nwas saved by Daniel, who recited the king's dream, and gave its\ninterpretation. (80) The king was so filled with admiration of Daniel's\nwisdom that he paid him Divine honors. Daniel, however, refused such\nextravagant treatment   he did not desire to be the object of\nidolatrous veneration. (81) He left Nebuchadnezzar in order to escape\nthe marks of honor thrust upon him, and repaired to Tiberias, where he\nbuild a canal. Besides, he was charged by the king with commissions, to\nbring fodder for cattle to Babylonia and also swine from Alexandria.\n(82)\n\nTHE THREE MEN IN THE FURNACE\n\nDuring Daniel's absence Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol, and its worship\nwas exacted from all his subject under penalty of death by fire. The\nimage could not stand on account of the disproportion between its\nheight and its thickness. The whole of the gold and silver captured by\nthe Babylonians in Jerusalem was needed to give it steadiness. (83)\n\nAll the nations owning the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, including even\nIsrael, obeyed the royal command to worship the image. Only the three\npious companions of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, resisted\nthe order. In vain Nebuchadnezzar urged upon them, as an argument in\nfavor if idolatry, that the Jews had been so devoted to heathen\npractices before the destruction of Jerusalem that they had gone to\nBabylonia for the purpose of imitating the idols there and bringing the\ncopies they made to Jerusalem. The three saints would not hearken to\nthese seductions of the king, nor when he referred them to such\nauthorities as Moses and Jeremiah, in order to prove to them that they\nwere under obligation to do the royal bidding. They said to him: \"Thou\nart our king in all that concerns service, taxes, poll-money, and\ntribute, but with respect to thy present command thou art only\nNebuchadnezzar. Therein thou and the dog are alike unto us. Bark like a\ndog, inflate thyself like a water-bottle, and chirp like a cricket.\"\n(84)\n\nNow Nebuchadnezzar's wrath transcended all bound, and he ordered the\nthree to be cast into a red hot furnace, so hot that the flames of its\nfire darted to the height of forty-nine ells beyond the oven, and\nconsumed the heathen standing about it. No less than four nations were\nthus exterminated. (85) While the three saints were being thrust into\nthe furnace, they addressed a fervent prayer to God, supplicating His\ngrace toward them, and entreating Him to put their adversaries to\nshame. The angels desired to descend and rescue the three men in the\nfurnace. But God forbade it: \"Did the three men act thus for your\nsakes? Nay, they did it for Me; and I will save them with Mine own\nhands.\" (86) God also rejected the good offices of Yurkami, the angel\nof hail who offered to extinguish the fire in the furnace. The angel\nGabriel justly pointed out that such a miracle would not be\nsufficiently striking to arrest attention. His own proposition was\naccepted. He, the angel of fire, was deputed to snatch the three men\nfrom the red hot furnace. He executed his mission by cooling off the\nfire inside of the oven, while on the outside the heat continued to\nincrease to such a degree that the heathen standing around the furnace\nwere consumed. (87) The three youths thereupon raised their voices\ntogether in a hymn of praise to God, thanking Him for His miraculous\nhelp. (88) The Chaldeans observed the three men pacing up and down\nquietly in the furnace, followed by a fourth the angel Gabriel   as by\nan attendant. Nebuchadnezzar, who hastened thither to see the wonder,\nwas stunned with fright, for he recognized Gabriel to be the angel who\nin the guise of a column of fire had blasted the army of Sennacherib.\n(89) Six other miracles happened, all of them driving terror to the\nheart of the king: the fiery furnace which had been sunk in the ground\nraised itself into the air; it was broken; the bottom dropped out; the\nimage erected by Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate; four nations were\nwasted by fire; and Ezekiel revived the dead in the valley of Dura.\n\nOf the last, Nebuchadnezzar was apprised in a peculiar way. He had a\ndrinking vessel made of the bones of a slain Jew. When he was about to\nuse it, life began to stir in the bones, and a blow was planted in the\nking's face, while a voice announced: \"A friend of this man is at this\nmoment reviving the dead!\" Nebuchadnezzar now offered praise to God for\nthe miracles performed, and if an angel had not quickly struck him a\nblow on his mouth, and forced him into silence, his psalms of praise\nwould have excelled the Psalter of David.\n\nThe deliverance of the three pious young men was a brilliant\nvindication of their ways, but at the same time it caused great\nmortification to the masses of the Jewish people, who had complied with\nthe order of Nebuchadnezzar to worship his idol. (90) Accordingly, when\nthe three men left the furnace   which they did not do until\nNebuchadnezzar invited them to leave (91)   the heathen struck all the\nJews they met in the face, deriding them at the same time: \"You who\nhave so marvellous a God pay homage to an idol!\" The three men\nthereupon left Babylonia and went to Palestine, where they joined their\nfriend, the high priest Joshua. (92)\n\nTheir readiness to sacrifice their lives for the honor of God had been\nall the more admirable as they had been advised by the prophet Ezekiel\nthat no miracle would be done for their sakes. When the king's command\nto bow down before the idol was published, and the three men were\nappointed to act as the representatives of the people, Hananiah and his\ncompanions resorted to Daniel for his advice. He referred them to the\nprophet Ezekiel, who counselled flight, citing his teacher Isaiah as\nhis authority. The three men rejected his advice, and declared\nthemselves ready to suffer the death of martyrs. Ezekiel bade them\ntarry until he inquired of God, whether a miracle would be done for\nthem. The words of God were: \"I shall not manifest Myself as their\nsavior. They caused My house to be destroyed, My palace to be burnt, My\nchildren to be dispersed among the heathen, and now they appeal for My\nhelp. As I live, I will not be found of them.\"\n\nInstead of discouraging the three men, this answer but infused new\nspirit and resolution in them, and they declared with more decided\nemphasis than before, that they were ready to meet death. God consoled\nthe weeping prophet by revealing to him, that He would save the three\nsaintly heroes. He had sought to restrain them from martyrdom only to\nlet their piety and steadfastness appear the brighter.\n\nOn account of their piety it became customary to swear by the Name of\nHim who supports the world on three pillars, the pillars being the\nsaints Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their deliverance from death by\nfire worked a great effect upon the disposition of the heathen. They\nwere convinced of the uselessness of their idols, and with their own\nhands they destroyed them. (93)\n\nEZEKIEL REVIVES THE DEAD\n\nAmong the dead whom Ezekiel restored to life (94) at the same time when\nthe three men were redeemed from the fiery furnace were different\nclasses of persons. Some were the Ephraimites that had perished in the\nattempt to escape from Egypt before Moses led the whole nation out of\nthe land of bondage. Some were the godless among the Jews that had\npolluted the Temple at Jerusalem with heathen rites, and those still\nmore godless who in life had not believed in the resurrection of the\ndead. Others of those revived by Ezekiel were the youths among the Jews\ncarried away captive to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar whose beauty was so\nradiant that it darkened the very splendor of the sun. The Babylonian\nwomen were seized with a great passion for them, and at the\nsolicitation of their husbands, Nebuchadnezzar ordered a bloody\nmassacre of the handsome youths. But the Babylonian women were not yet\ncured of their unlawful passion; the beauty of the young Hebrews\nhaunted them until their corpses lay crushed before them, their\ngraceful bodies mutilated. These were the youths recalled to life by\nthe prophet Ezekiel. Lastly, he revived some that had perished only a\nshort time before. When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were saved from\ndeath, Nebuchadnezzar thus addressed the other Jews, those who had\nyielded obedience to his command concerning the worship of the idol:\n\"You know that your God can help and save, nevertheless you paid\nworship to an idol which is incapable of doing anything. This proves\nthat, as you have destroyed your own land by your wicked deeds, so you\nare now trying to destroy my land with your iniquity.\" Forthwith he\ncommanded that they all be executed, sixty thousand in number. Twenty\nyears passed, and Ezekiel was vouchsafed the vision in which God bade\nhim repair to the Valley of Dura, where Nebuchadnezzar had set up his\nidol, and had massacred the host of the Jews. Here God showed him the\ndry bones of the slain with the question: \"Can I revive these bones?\"\nEzekiel's answer was evasive, and as a punishment for his little faith,\nhe had to end his days in Babylon, and was not granted even burial in\nthe soil of Palestine. God then dropped the dew of heaven upon the dry\nbones, and \"sinews were upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered\nthem above.\" At the same time God sent forth winds to the four corners\nof the earth, which unlocked the treasure houses of souls, and brought\nits own soul to each body. All came to life except one man, who, as God\nexplained to the prophet, was excluded from the resurrection because he\nwas a usurer.\n\nIn spite of the marvellous miracle performed from them, the men thus\nrestored to life wept, because they feared they would have no share at\nthe end of time in the resurrection of the whole of Israel. But the\nprophet assured them, in the name of God, that their portion in all\nthat had been promised Israel should in no wise be diminished. (95)\n\nNEBUCHADNEZZAR A BEAST\n\nNebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the whole world, (96) to whom even the\nwild animals paid obedience,   his pet was a lion with a snake coiled\nabout its neck, (97)   did not escape punishment for his sins. He was\nchastised as none before him. He whom fear of God had at first held\nback from a war against Jerusalem, and who had to be dragged forcibly,\nas he sat on his horse, to the Holy of Holies (98) by the archangel\nMichael, he later became so arrogant that he thought himself a god,\n(99) and cherished the plan of enveloping himself in a cloud, so that\nhe might live apart from men. (100) A heavenly voice resounded: \"O thou\nwicked man, son of a wicked man, and descendant of Nimrod the wicked,\nwho incited the world to rebel against God! Behold, the days of the\nyears of a man are threescore years and ten, or perhaps by reason of\nstrength fourscore years. It takes five hundred years to traverse the\ndistance of the earth from the first heaven, and as long a time to\npenetrate from the bottom to the top of the first heaven, and not less\nare the distances from one of the seven heavens to the next. How, then,\ncanst thou speak of ascending like unto the Most High 'above the\nheights of the clouds'?\" (101) For this transgression of deeming\nhimself more than a man, he was punished by being made to live for some\ntime as a beast among beasts, treated by them as though he were one of\nthem. (102) For forty days (103) he led this life. As far down as his\nnavel he had the appearance of an ox, and the lower part of his body\nresembled that of a lion. Like an ox he ate grass, and like a lion he\nattacked a curious crowd, but Daniel spent his time in prayer,\nentreating that the seven years of this brutish life allotted to\nNebuchadnezzar might be reduced to seven months. His prayer was\ngranted. At the end of forty days reason returned to the king, the next\nforty days he passed in weeping bitterly over his sins, and in the\ninterval that remained to complete the seven months he again lived the\nlife of a beast. (104)\n\nHIRAM\n\nHiram, the king of Tyre, was a contemporary of Nebuchadnezzar, and in\nmany respects resembled him. He, too, esteemed himself a god, and\nsought to make men believe in his divinity by the artificial heavens he\nfashioned for himself. In the sea he erected four iron pillars, on\nwhich he build up seven heavens, each five hundred ells larger than the\none below. The first was a plate of glass of five hundred square ells,\nand the second a plate of iron of a thousand square ells. The third, of\nlead, and separated from the second by canals, contained huge round\nboulders, which produced the sound of thunder on the iron. The fourth\nheaven was of brass, the fifth of copper, the sixth of silver, and the\nseventh of gold, all separated from each other by canals. In the\nseventh, thirty-five hundred ells in extent, he had diamonds and\npearls, which he manipulated so as to produce the effect of flashes and\nsheets of lightening, while the stones below imitated the growling of\nthe thunder.\n\nAs Hiram was thus floating above the earth, in his vain imagination\ndeeming himself superior to the rest of men, he suddenly perceived the\nprophet Ezekiel next to himself. He had been waved thither by a wind.\nFrightened and amazed, Hiram asked the prophet how he had risen to his\nheights. The answer was: \"God brought me here, and He bade me ask thee\nwhy thou art so proud, thou born of woman?\" The king of Tyre replied\ndefiantly: \"I am not one born of woman; I live forever, and as God\nresides on the sea, so my abode is on the sea, and as He inhabits seven\nheavens, so do I. See how many kings I have survived! Twenty-one of the\nHouse of David, and as many of the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, and no\nless than fifty prophets and ten high priests have I buried.\" Thereupon\nGod said: \"I will destroy My house, that henceforth Hiram may have no\nreason for self-glorification, because all his pride comes only from\nthe circumstance that he furnished the cedar-trees for the building of\nthe Temple.\" The end of this proud king was that he was conquered by\nNebuchadnezzar, deprived of this throne, and made to suffer a cruel\ndeath. Though the Babylonian king was the step-son of Hiram, he had no\nmercy with him. Daily he cut off a bit of the flesh of his body, and\nforced the Tyrian king to eat it, until the finally perished. Hiram's\npalace was swallowed by the earth, and in the bowels of the earth it\nwill remain until it shall emerge in the future world as the habitation\nof the pious. (105)\n\nTHE FALSE PROPHETS\n\nNot only among the heathen, but also among the Jews there were very\nsinful people in those days. The most notorious Jewish sinners were the\ntwo false prophets Ahab and Zedekiah. Ahab came to the daughter of\nNebuchadnezzar and said: \"Yield thyself to Zedekiah,\" telling her this\nin the form of a Divine message. The same was done by Zedekiah, who\nonly varied the message by substituting the name of Ahab. The princess\ncould not accept such messages as Divine, and she told her father what\nhad occurred. (106) Though Nebuchadnezzar was so addicted to immoral\npractices that he was in the habit of making his captive kings drunk,\nand then satisfying his unnatural lusts upon them, and a miracle had to\ninterpose to shield the pious of Judah against this disgrace, (107) yet\nhe well knew that the God of the Jews hates immorality. He therefore\nquestioned Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about it, and they\nemphatically denied the possibility that such a message could have come\nfrom God. The prophets of lies refused to recall their statements, and\nNebuchadnezzar decided to subject them to the same fiery test as he had\ndecreed for the three pious companions of Daniel. To be fair toward\nthem, the king permitted them to choose a third fellow-sufferer, some\npious man to share their lot. Seeing no escape, Ahab and Zedekiah asked\nfor Joshua, later the high priest, as their companion in the furnace,\nin the hope that his distinguished merits would suffice to save all\nthree of them. They were mistaken. Joshua emerged unhurt, only his\ngarments were seared, but the false prophets were consumed. Joshua\nexplained the singeing of his garments by the fact that he was directly\nexposed to the full fury of the flames. But the truth was that he had\nto expiate the sins of his sons, who had contracted marriages unworthy\nof their dignity and descent. Therefore their father escaped death only\nafter the fire had burnt his garments. (108)\n\nDANIEL'S PIETY\n\nNo greater contrast to Hiram and the false prophets Ahab and Zedekiah\ncan be imagined than is presented by the character of the pious Daniel.\nWhen Nebuchadnezzar offered him Divine honors, (109) he refused what\nHiram sought to obtain by every means in his power. The Babylonian king\nfelt so ardent an admiration for Daniel that he sent him from the\ncountry when the time arrived to worship the idol he had erected in\nDura, for he knew very well that Daniel would prefer death in the\nflames to disregard of the commands of God, and he could not well have\ncast the man into the fire to whom he had paid Divine homage. Moreover,\nit was the wish of God that Daniel should not pass through the fiery\nordeal at the same time as his three friends, in order that their\ndeliverance might not be ascribed to him. (110)\n\nIn spite of all this, Nebuchadnezzar endeavored to persuade Daniel by\ngentle means to worship an idol. He had the golden diadem of the high\npriest inserted in the mouth of an idol, and by reason of the wondrous\npower that resides in the Holy Name inscribed on the diadem, the idol\ngained the ability to speak, and it said the words: \"I am thy God.\"\nThus were many seduced to worship the image. But Daniel could not be\nmisled so easily. He secured permission from the king to kiss the idol.\nLaying his mouth upon the idol's, he adjured the diadem in the\nfollowing words: \"I am but flesh and blood, yet at the same time a\nmessenger of God. I therefore admonish thee, take heed that the Name of\nthe Holy One, blessed be He, may not be desecrated, and I order thee to\nfollow me.\" So it happened. When the heathen came with music and song\nto give honor to the idol, it emitted no sound, but a storm broke loose\nand overturned it. (111)\n\nOn still another occasion Nebuchadnezzar tried to persuade Daniel to\nworship an idol, this time a dragon that devoured all who approached\nit, and therefore was adored as a god by the Babylonians. Daniel had\nstraw mixed with nails fed to him, and the dragon ate and perished\nalmost immediately. (112)\n\nAll this did not prevent Daniel from keeping the welfare of the king in\nmind continually. Hence it was that when Nebuchadnezzar was engaged in\nsetting his house in order, he desired to mention 'Daniel in his will\nas one of his heirs. But the Jew refused with the words: \"Far be it\nfrom me to leave the inheritance of my fathers for that of the\nuncircumcised.\" (113)\n\nNebuchadnezzar died after having reigned forty years, as long as King\nDavid. (114) The death of the tyrant brought hope and joy to many a\nheart, for his severity had been such that during his lifetime none\ndared laugh, and when he descended to Sheol, its inhabitants trembled,\nfearing he had come to reign over them, too. However, a heavenly voice\ncalled to him: \"Go down, and be thou laid down with the uncircumcised.\"\n(115)\n\nThe interment of this great king was anything but what one might have\nexpected, and for this reason: During the seven years spent by\nNebuchadnezzar among the beast, his son Evil-merodach ruled in his\nstead. Nebuchadnezzar reappeared after his period of penance, and\nincarcerated his son for life. When the death of Nebuchadnezzar\nactually did occur, Evil-merodach refused to accept the homage the\nnobles brought him as the new king, because he feared that his father\nwas not dead, but had only disappeared as once before, and would return\nagain. To convince him of the groundlessness of his apprehension, the\ncorpse of Nebuchadnezzar, badly mutilated by his enemies, was dragged\nthrough the streets. (116)\n\nShortly afterward occurred the death of Zedekiah, the dethroned king of\nJudah. His burial took place amid great demonstrations of sympathy and\nmourning. The elegy over him ran thus: \"Alas that King Zedekiah had to\ndie, he who quaffed the lees which all the generations before him\naccumulated.\" (117)\n\nZedekiah reached a good old age, (118) for though it was in his reign\nthat the destruction of Jerusalem took place, yet it was the guilt of\nthe nation, not of the king, that had brought about the catastrophe.\n(119)\n\n\n\n\nXI.\nTHE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVITY\n\nBELSHAZZAR'S FEAST\n\nWhen God resolved to take revenge upon Babylon for all the sufferings\nit had inflicted on Israel, He chose Darius and Cyrus as the agents of\nvengeance. Cyrus, the king of Persia, and his father-in-law Darius, the\nking of Media, together went up against Belshazzar, the ruler of the\nChaldeans. The war lasted a considerable time, and fortune favored\nfirst one side, then the other, until finally the Chaldeans won a\ndecisive victory. To celebrate the event, Belshazzar arranged a great\nbanquet, which was served from the vessels taken out of the Temple at\nJerusalem by his father. While the king and his guests were feasting,\nthe angel sent by God put the \"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin\" on the\nwall, Aramaic words in Hebrew characters, (1) written with red ink. The\nangel was seen by none but the king. His grandees and the princes of\nthe realm who were present at the orgy perceived nothing. The king\nhimself did not see the form of the angel, only his awesome fingers as\nthey traced the words were visible to him.\n\nThe interpretation given to the enigmatical words by Daniel put an end\nto the merry-making of the feasters. They scattered in dread and fear,\nleaving none behind except the king and his attendants. In the same\nnight the king was murdered by an old servant, who knew Daniel from the\ntime of Nebuchadnezzar, and doubted not that his sinister prophecy\nwould be fulfilled. With the head of King Belshazzar he betook himself\nto Darius and Cyrus, and told them how his master had desecrated the\nsacred vessels, told them of the wonderful writing on the wall, and of\nthe way it had been interpreted by Daniel. The two kings were moved by\nhis recital to vow solemnly that they would permit the Jews to return\nto Palestine, and would grant them the use of the Temple vessels.\n\nThey resumed the war against Babylonia with more energy, and God\nvouchsafed them victory. They conquered the whole of Belshazzar's\nrealm, and took possession of the city of Babylon, whose inhabitants,\nyoung and old, were made to suffer death. The subjugated lands were\ndivided between Cyrus and Darius, the latter receiving Babylon and\nMedia, the former Chaldea, Persia, and Assyria. (2)\n\nBut this is not the whole story of the fall of Babylon. The wicked king\nBelshazzar arranged the banquet at which the holy vessels were\ndesecrated in the fifth year of his reign, because he thought it wholly\ncertain then that all danger was past of the realization of Jeremiah's\nprophecy, foretelling the return of the Jews to Palestine at the end of\nseventy years of Babylonian rule over them. Nebuchadnezzar had governed\ntwenty-five years, and Evil-merodach twenty-three, leaving five years\nin the reign of Belshazzar for the fulfilment of the appointed time.\n(3) Not enough that the king scoffed at God by using the Temple\nvessels, he needs must have the pastry for the banquet, which was given\non the second day of the Passover festival, made of wheaten flour finer\nthan that used on this day for the `Omer in the Temple.\n\nPunishment followed hard upon the heels of the atrocity. Cyrus and\nDarius served as door-keepers of the royal palace on the evening of the\nbanquet. They had received orders from Belshazzar to admit none, though\nhe should say he was the king himself. Belshazzar was forced to leave\nhis apartments for a short time, and he went out unnoticed by the two\ndoor-keepers. On his return, when he asked to be admitted, they felled\nhim dead, even while he was asseverating that he was the king. (4)\n\nDANIEL UNDER THE PERSIAN KINGS\n\nDaniel left Belshazzar and fled to Shushtar, where he was kindly\nreceived by Cyrus, who promised him to have the Temple vessels taken\nback to Jerusalem, provided Daniel would pray to God to grant him\nsuccess in his war with the king of Mosul. God gave Daniel's prayer a\nfavorable hearing, and Cyrus was true to his promise.\n\nDaniel now received the Divine charge to urge Cyrus to rebuild the\nTemple. To this end he was to introduce Ezra and Zerubbabel to the\nking. Ezra then went from place to place and called upon the people to\nreturn to Palestine. Sad to say, only a tribe and a half obeyed his\nsummons. Indeed, the majority of the people were so wroth against Ezra\nthat they sought to slay him. He escaped the peril to his life only by\na Divine miracle. (5)\n\nDaniel, too, was exposed to much suffering at this time. King Cyrus\ncast him into a den of lions, because he refused to bow down before the\nidol of the king. For seven days Daniel lay among the wild beasts, and\nnot a hair of his head was touched. When the king at the end of the\nweek found Daniel alive, he could not but acknowledge the sovereign\ngrandeur of God. Cyrus released Daniel, and instead had his\ncalumniators thrown to the lions. In an instant they were rent in\npieces. (6)\n\nIn general Cyrus fell far short of coming up to the expectations set in\nhim for piety and justice. Though he granted permission to the Jews to\nrebuild the Temple, they were to use no material but wood, so that it\nmight easily be destroyed if the Jews should take it into their head to\nrebel against him. Even in point of morals, the Persian king was not\nabove reproach. (7)\n\nAnother time Cyrus pressingly urged Daniel to pay homage to the idol\nBel. As proof of the divinity of the idol the king advanced the fact\nthat it ate the dishes set before it, a report spread by the priests of\nBel, who entered the Temple of the idol at night, through subterranean\npassages, themselves ate up the dishes, and then attributed their\ndisappearance to the appetite of the god. But Daniel was too shrewd to\nbe misled by a fabricated story. He had the ashes strewn upon the floor\nof the Temple, and the foot-prints visible the next morning convinced\nthe king of the deceit practiced by the priests. (8)\n\nPleasant relations did not continue to subsist forever between Cyrus\nand Darius. A war broke out between them, in which Cyrus lost life and\nlands. Fearing Darius, Daniel fled to Persia. But an angel of God\nappeared to him with the message: \"Fear not the king, not unto him will\nI surrender thee.\" Shortly afterward he received a letter from Darius\nreading as follows: \"Come to me, Daniel! Fear naught, I shall be even\nkinder to thee than Cyrus was.\" Accordingly Daniel returned to\nShushtar, and was received with great consideration by Darius.\n\nOne day the king chanced to remember the sacred garments brought by\nNebuchadnezzar out of the Temple at Jerusalem to Babylon. They had\nvanished, and no trace of them could be discovered. The king suspected\nDaniel of having had something to do with their disappearance. It\nbooted little that he protested his innocence, he was cast into prison.\nGod sent an angel who was to blind Darius, telling him at the same time\nthat he was deprived of the light of his eyes because he was keeping\nthe pious Daniel in durance, and sight would be restored to him only if\nDaniel interceded for him. The king at once released Daniel, and the\ntwo together journeyed to Jerusalem to pray on the holy place for the\nrestoration of the king. An angel appeared to Daniel, and announced to\nhim that his prayer had been heard. The king had but to wash his eyes,\nand vision would return to them. So it happened. Darius gave thanks to\nGod, and in his gratitude assigned the tithe of his grain to the\npriests and the Levites. Besides, he testified his appreciation to\nDaniel by loading him down with gifts, and both returned to Shushtar.\nThe recovery of the king convinced many of his subjects of the\nomnipotence of God, and they converted to Judaism. (9)\n\nFollowing the advice of Daniel, Darius (10) appointed a triumvirate to\ntake charge of the administration of his realm, and Daniel was made the\nchief of the council of three. His high dignity he was second to none\nbut the king himself exposed him to envy and hostility on all sides.\nHis enemies plotted his ruin. With cunning they induced the king to\nsign an order attaching the penalty of death to prayers addressed to\nany god or any man other than Darius. (11) Though the order did not\nrequire Daniel to commit a sin, he preferred to give his life for the\nhonor of the one God rather than omit his devotions to Him. When his\njealous enemies surprised him during his prayers, he did not interrupt\nhimself. He was dragged before the king, who refused to give credence\nto the charge against Daniel. Meanwhile the hour for the afternoon\nprayer arrived, and in the presence of the king and his princes Daniel\nbegan to perform his devotions. This naturally rendered unavailing all\nefforts made by the king to save his friend from death. Daniel was cast\ninto a pit full of lions. The entrance to the pit was closed up with a\nrock, which had all of its own accord rolled from Palestine to protect\nhim against any harm contemplated by his enemies. (12) The ferocious\nbeasts welcomed the pious Daniel like dogs fawning upon their master on\nhis return home, licking his hands and wagging their tails.\n\nWhile this was passing in Babylon, an angel appeared to the prophet\nHabakkuk in Judea. He ordered the prophet to bring Daniel the food he\nwas about to carry to his laborers in the field. Astonished, Habakkuk\nasked the angel how he could carry it to so great a distance, whereupon\nhe was seized by his hair, and in a moment set down before Daniel. They\ndined together, and then the angel transported Habakkuk back to his\nplace in Palestine. Early in the morning Darius (13) went to the pit of\nthe lions to discover the fate of Daniel. The king called his name, but\nhe received no answer, because Daniel was reciting the Shema at that\nmoment, (14) after having spent the night in giving praise and\nadoration to God. (15) Seeing that he was still alive, the king\nsummoned the enemies of Daniel to the pit. It was their opinion that\nthe lions had not been hungry, and therefore Daniel was still unhurt.\nThe king commanded them to put the beasts to the test with their own\npersons. The result was that the hundred and twenty-two enemies of\nDaniel, together with their wives and children numbering two hundred\nand forty-four persons, were torn in shreds by fourteen hundred and\nsixty-four lions. (16)\n\nThe miraculous escape of Daniel brought him more distinguished\nconsideration and greater honors than before. The king published the\nwonders done by God in all parts of his land, and called upon the\npeople to betake themselves to Jerusalem and help in the erection of\nthe Temple.\n\nDaniel entreated the king to relieve him of the duties of his position,\nfor the performance of which he no longer felt himself fit, on account\nof his advanced age. The king consented on condition that Daniel\ndesignate a successor worthy of him. His choice fell upon Zerubbabel.\nLoaded with rich presents and amid public demonstrations designed to\nhonor him, Daniel retired from public life. He settled in the city of\nShushan, where he abode until his end. (17) Though he was no prophet,\nGod vouchsafed to him a knowledge of the \"end of time\" not granted his\nfriends, the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, (18) but even he,\nin the fulness of his years, lost all memory of the revelation with\nwhich he had been favored. (19)\n\nTHE GRAVE OF DANIEL\n\nDaniel was buried in Shushan, on account of which a sore quarrel was\nenkindled among the inhabitants of the city. Shushan is divided in two\nparts by a river. The side containing the grave of Daniel was occupied\nby the wealthy inhabitants, and the poor citizens lived on the other\nside of the river. The latter maintained that they, too, would be rich\nif the grave of Daniel were in their quarter. The frequent disputes and\nconflicts were finally adjusted by a compromise; one year the bier of\nDaniel reposed on one side of the river, the next year on the other.\nWhen the Persian king Sanjar came to Shushan, he put a stop to the\npractice of dragging the bier hither and thither. He resorted to\nanother device for guarding the peace of the city. He had the bier\nsuspended from chains precisely in the middle of the bridge spanning\nthe river. In the same spot he erected a house of prayer for all\nconfessions, and out of respect to Daniel he prohibited fishing in the\nriver for a distance of a mile on either side of the memorial building.\n(20) The sacredness of the spot appeared when the godless tried to pass\nby. They were drowned, while the pious remained unscathed. Furthermore,\nthe fish that swam near it had heads glittering like gold. (21)\n\nBeside the house of Daniel lay a stone, under which he had concealed\nthe holy Temple vessels. Once an attempt was made to roll the stone\nfrom its place, but whoever ventured to touch it, fell dead. The same\nfate overtook all who later tried to make excavations near the spot; a\nstorm broke out and mowed them down. (22)\n\nZERUBBABEL\n\nThe successor to Daniel in the service of the king, Zerubbabel, enjoyed\nequally as much royal consideration and affection. He occupied a higher\nposition than all the other servants and officials, and he and two\nothers constituted the body-guard of the king. (23) Once when the king\nlay wrapped in deep slumber, his guards resolved to write down what\neach of them considered the mightiest thing in the world, and he who\nwrote the sagest saying should be given rich presents and rewards by\nthe king. What they wrote they laid under the pillow on which the head\nof the king rested, that he might not delay to make a decision after he\nawoke. The first one wrote: \"Wine is the mightiest thing there is\"; the\nsecond wrote: \"The king is the mightiest on earth,\" and the third,\nZerubbabel, wrote: \"Women are the mightiest in the world, but truth\nprevails over all else.\" When the king awoke, and he perused the\ndocument, he summoned the grandees of his realm and the three youths as\nwell. Each of the three was called upon to justify his saying. In\neloquent words the first described the potency of wine. When it takes\npossession of the senses of a man, he forgets grief and sorrow. Still\nmore beautiful and convincing were the words of the second speaker,\nwhen his turn came to establish the truth of his saying, that the king\nwas the mightiest on earth. Finally Zerubbabel depicted in glowing\nwords the power of woman, who rules even over kings. \"But,\" he\ncontinued, \"truth is supreme over all; the whole earth asks for truth,\nthe heavens sing the praises of truth, all creation quakes and trembles\nbefore truth, naught of wrong can be found in truth. Unto truth\nbelongeth the might, the dominion, the power, and the glory of all\ntimes. Blessed be the God of truth.\" When Zerubbabel ceased from\nspeaking, the assembly broke out into the words: \"Great is truth, it is\nmightier than all else!\" The king was so charmed with the wisdom of\nZerubbabel that he said to him: \"Ask for aught thou wishest, it shall\nbe granted thee.\" Zerubbabel required nothing for himself, he only\nsought permission of the king to restore Jerusalem, rebuild the\nsanctuary, and return the holy Temple vessels to the place whence they\nhad been carried off. Not only did Darius grant what Zerubbabel wished\nfor, not only did he give him letters of safe-conduct, but he also\nconferred numerous privileges upon the Jews who accompanied Zerubbabel\nto Palestine, and he sent abundant presents to the Temple and its\nofficers. (24)\n\nAs unto his predecessor Daniel, so unto Zerubbabel, God vouchsafed a\nknowledge of the secrets of the future. Especially the archangel\nMetatron dealt kindly with him. Besides revealing to him the time at\nwhich the Messiah would appear, he brought about an interview between\nthe Messiah and Zerubbabel. (25)\n\nIn reality, Zerubbabel was none other than Nehemiah, who was given this\nsecond name because he was born in Babylon. (26) Richly endowed as\nZerubbabel-Nehemiah was with admirable qualities, he yet did not lack\nfaults. He was excessively self-complacent, and he did not hesitate to\nfasten a stigma publicly upon his predecessors in the office of\ngovernor in the land of Judah, among whom was so excellent a man as\nDaniel. To punish him for these transgressions, the Book of Ezra does\nnot bear the name of its real author Nehemiah. (27)\n\nWhen Darius felt his end approach, (28) he appointed his son-in-law\nCyrus, (29) who had hitherto reigned only over Persia, to be the ruler\nover his kingdom as well. His wish was honored by the princes of Media\nand Persia. After Darius had departed this life, Cyrus was proclaimed\nking.\n\nIn the very first year of his reign, Cyrus summoned the most\ndistinguished of the Jews to appear before him, and he gave them\npermission to return to Palestine and rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem.\nMore than this, he pledged himself to contribute to the Temple service\nin proportion to his means, and pay honor to the God who had invested\nhim with strength to subdue the Chaldeans. These actions of Cyrus\npartly flowed from his own pious inclinations, and partly were due to\nhis desire to accomplish the dying behests of Darius, who had\nadmonished him to give the Jews the opportunity of rebuilding the\nTemple.\n\nWhen the first sacrifice was to be brought by the company of Jews who\nreturned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra, and set about\nrestoring the Temple, they missed the celestial fire which had dropped\nfrom heaven on the altar in the time of Moses, and had not been\nextinguished so long as the Temple stood. They turned in supplication\nto God to be instructed by Him. The celestial fire had been hidden by\nJeremiah at the time of the destruction of the Holy City, and the law\ndid not permit them to bring \"strange fire\" upon the altar of God. An\nold man suddenly remembered the spot in which Jeremiah had buried the\nholy fire, and he led the elders thither. They rolled away the stone\ncovering the spot, and from under it appeared a spring flowing not with\nwater, but with a sort of oil. Ezra ordered this fluid to be sprinkled\nupon the altar, and forthwith an all-consuming flame shot up. The\npriests themselves scattered in fright. But after the Temple and its\nvessels were purified by the flame, it confined itself to the altar\nnever more to leave it, for the priest guarded it so that it might not\nbe extinguished. (30)\n\nAmong the band of returned exiles were the prophets Haggai, Zechariah,\nand Malachi. Each one of them had a place of the greatest importance to\nfill in the rebuilding of the Temple. By the first the people were\nshown the plan of the altar, which was larger than the one that had\nstood in Solomon's Temple. The second informed them of the exact\nlocation of the altar, and the third taught them that the sacrifices\nmight be brought on the holy place even before the completion of the\nTemple. On the authority of one of the prophets, the Jews, on their\nreturn from Babylonia, gave up their original Hebrew characters, and\nre-wrote the Torah in the \"Assyrian\" characters still in use at this\nday. (31)\n\nWhile the Temple work was in progress, the builders found the skull of\nAraunah, the owner of the Temple site in the time of David. The\npriests, unlearned as they were, could not decide to what extent the\ncorpse lying there had defiled the holy place. It was for this that\nHaggai poured out his reproaches upon them. (32)\n\nEZRA\n\nThe complete resettlement of Palestine took place under the direction\nof Ezra, or, as the Scriptures sometimes call him, Malachi. (33) He had\nnot been present at the earlier attempts (34) to restore the sanctuary,\nbecause he could not leave his old teacher Baruch, who was too advanced\nin years to venture upon the difficult journey to the Holy Land. (35)\n\nIn spite of Ezra's persuasive efforts, it was but a comparatively small\nportion of the people that joined the procession winding its way\nwestward to Palestine. For this reason the prophetical spirit did not\nshow itself during the existence of the Second Temple. Haggai,\nZechariah, and Malachi were the last representatives of prophecy. (36)\nNothing was more surprising than the apathy of the Levites. They\nmanifested no desire to return to Palestine. Their punishment was the\nloss of the tithes, which were later given to the priest, though the\nLevites had the first claim upon them. (37)\n\nIn restoring the Jewish state in Palestine, Ezra cherished two hopes,\nto preserve the purity of the Jewish race, and to spread the study of\nthe Torah until it should become the common property of the people at\nlarge. To help on his first purpose, he inveighed against marriages\nbetween the Jews and the nations round about. (38) He himself had\ncarefully worked out his own pedigree before he consented to leave\nBabylonia, (39) and in order to perpetuate the purity of the families\nand groups remaining in the East, he took all the \"unfit\" (40) with him\nto Palestine.\n\nIn the realization of his second hope, the spread of the Torah, Ezra\nwas so zealous and efficient that it was justly said of him: \"If Moses\nhad not anticipated him, Ezra would have received the Torah.\" (41) In a\nsense he was, indeed, a second Moses. The Torah had fallen into neglect\nand oblivion in his day, and he restored and re-established it in the\nminds of his people. (42) It is due to him chiefly that it was divided\nup into portions, to be read annually, Sabbath after Sabbath, in the\nsynagogues, (43) and he it was, likewise, who originated the idea of\nre-writing the Pentateuch in \"Assyrian\" characters. (44) To further his\npurpose still more, he ordered additional schools for children to be\nestablished everywhere, though the old ones sufficed to satisfy the\ndemand. He thought the rivalry between the old and the new institutions\nwould redound to the benefit of the pupils. (45)\n\nEzra is the originator of institutions known as \"the ten regulations of\nEzra.\" They are the following: 1. Readings from the Torah on Sabbath\nafternoons. 2. Readings from the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays. 3.\nSessions of the court on Mondays and Thursdays. 4. To do laundry work\non Thursdays, not Fridays. 5. To eat garlic on Friday on account of its\nsalutary action. (46) 6. To bake bread early in the morning that it may\nbe ready for the poor whenever they ask for some. 7. Women are to cover\nthe lower parts of their bodies with a garment called Sinar. (47) 8.\nBefore taking a ritual bath, the hair is to be combed. 9. The ritual\nbath prescribed for the unclean is to cover the case of one who desires\nto offer prayer or study the law. (48) 10. Permission to peddlers to\nsell cosmetics to women in the towns. (49)\n\nEzra was not only a great teacher of his people and their wise leader,\nhe was also their advocate with the celestials, to whom his relation\nwas of a peculiarly intimate character. Once he addressed a prayer to\nGod, in which he complained of the misfortune of Israel and the\nprosperity of the heathen nations. Thereupon the angel Uriel appeared\nto him, and instructed him how that evil has its appointed time in\nwhich to run its course, as the dead have their appointed time to\nsojourn in the nether world. Ezra could not rest satisfied with this\nexplanation, and in response to his further question, seven prophetic\nvisions were vouchsafed him, and interpreted by the angel for him. They\ntypified the whole course of history up to his day, and disclosed the\nfuture to his eyes. In the seventh vision he heard a voice from a\nthorn-bush, like Moses aforetimes, and it admonished him to guard in\nhis heart the secrets revealed to him. The same voice had given Moses a\nsimilar injunction: \"These words shalt thou publish, those shalt thou\nkeep secret.\" Then his early translation from earth was announced to\nhim. He besought God to let the holy spirit descend upon him before he\ndied, so that he might record all that had happened since the creation\nof the world as it was set down in the Torah, and guide men upon the\npath that leads to God.\n\nHereupon God bade him take the five experienced scribes, Sarga, Dabria,\nSeleucia, Ethan, and Aziel, with him into retirement, and dictate to\nthem for forty days. After one day spent with these writers in\nisolation, remote from the city and from men, a voice admonished him:\n\"Ezra, open thy mouth, and drink whereof I give thee to drink.\" He\nopened his mouth, and a chalice was handed to him, filled to the brim\nwith a liquid that flowed like water, but in color resembled fire. His\nmouth opened to drink, and for forty days it was not closed. During all\nthat time, the five scribes put down, \"in signs they did not\nunderstand,\"   they were the newly adopted Hebrew characters,   all\nthat Ezra dictated to them, and it made ninety-four books. At the end\nof the forty days' period, God spoke to Ezra thus: \"The twenty-four\nbooks of the Holy Scriptures thou shalt publish, for the worthy and the\nunworthy alike to read; but the last seventy books thou shalt withhold\nfrom the populace, for the perusal of the wise of thy people.\" On\naccount of his literary activity, he is called \"the Scribe of the\nscience of the Supreme Being unto all eternity.\" (50)\n\nHaving finished his task, Ezra was removed from this mundane world, and\nhe entered the life everlasting. But his death did not occur in the\nHoly Land. It overtook him at Khuzistan, in Persia, on his journey to\nKing Artachshashta. (51)\n\nAt Raccia, in Mesopotamia, there stood, as late as the twelfth century,\nthe synagogue founded by Ezra when he was journeying from Babylonia to\nPalestine. (52)\n\nAt his grave, over which columns of fire are often seen to hover at\nnight, (53) a miracle once happened. A shepherd fell asleep by the side\nof it. Ezra appeared to him and bade him tell the Jews that they were\nto transport his bier to another spot. If the master of the new place\nrefused assent, he was to be warned to yield permission, else all the\ninhabitants of his place would perish. At first the master refused to\nallow the necessary excavations to be made. Only after a large number\nof the non-Jewish inhabitants of the place had been stricken down\nsuddenly, he consented to have the corpse transported thither. As soon\nas the grave was opened, the plague ceased.\n\nShortly before the death of Ezra, the city of Babylon was totally\ndestroyed by the Persians. There remained but a portion of the wall\nwhich was impregnable by human strength. (54) All the prophecies hurled\nagainst the city by the prophets were accomplished. To this day there\nis a spot on its site which no animal can pass unless some of the earth\nof the place is strewn upon it. (55)\n\nTHE MEN OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY\n\nAt the same time with Ezra, or, to speak more accurately, under his\ndirection, the Great Assembly carried on its beneficent activities,\nwhich laid the foundations of Rabbinical Judaism, and constituted the\nbinding link between the Jewish Prophet and the Jewish Sage. (56) The\ngreat men who belonged to this august assembly once succeeded, through\nthe efficacy of their prayers, in laying hands upon the seducers unto\nsin, and confining them, to prevent them from doing more mischief. Thus\nthey banished from the world \"the desire unto idolatry.\" They tried to\ndo the same to \"the desire unto lustfulness.\" This evil adversary\nwarned them against making away with him, for the world would cease to\nexist without him. For three days they kept him a prisoner, but then\nthey had to dismiss him and let him go free. They found that not even\nan egg was to be had, for sexual appetite had vanished from the world.\nHowever, he did not escape altogether unscathed. They plastered up his\neyes, and from that time on he gave up inflaming the passions of men\nagainst their blood relations. (57)\n\nAmong the decrees and ordinances of the Great Assembly, the most\nprominent is the fixation of the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions.\nThe several benedictions composing this prayer date back to remote\nancient times. The Patriarchs were their authors, and the work of the\nGreat Assembly was to put them together in the order in which we now\nhave them. We know how each of the benedictions originated: 1. When\nAbraham was saved from the furnace angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O\nLord, the Shield of Abraham,\" which is the essence of the first of the\nEighteen. 2. When Isaac lay stunned by fright on Mount Moriah, God sent\nHis dew to revive him, whereupon the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O\nLord, who quickenest the dead.\" 3. When Jacob arrived at the gates of\nheaven and proclaimed the holiness of God, the angels spoke: \"Blessed\nart Thou, O Lord, Thou holy God.\" 4. When Pharaoh was about to make\nJoseph the ruler over Egypt, and it appeared that he was unacquainted\nwith the seventy tongues which an Egyptian sovereign must know, the\nangel Gabriel came and taught him those languages, whereupon the angels\nspoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who graciously bestowest knowledge.\"\n5. When Reuben committed the trespass against his father, sentence of\ndeath was pronounced upon him in the heavens. But when he repented, he\nwas permitted to continue to live, and the angels spoke: \"Blessed art\nThou, O Lord, who hast delight in repentance.\" 6. When Judah had\ncommitted a trespass against Tamar, and confessing his guilt obtained\nforgiveness, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who pardonest\ngreatly.\" 7. When Israel was sore oppressed by Mizraim, and God\nproclaimed his redemption, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord,\nwho redeemest Israel.\" 8. When the angel Raphael came to Abraham to\nsoothe the pain of his circumcision, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art\nThou, O Lord, who healest the sick.\" 9. When Israel's sowing in the\nland of the Philistines bore an abundant harvest, the angels spoke:\n\"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who blessest the years.\" 10. When Jacob was\nreunited with Joseph and Simon in Egypt, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art\nThou, O Lord, who gatherest the dispersed of Thy people Israel.\" 11.\nWhen the Torah was revealed and God communicated the code of laws to\nMoses, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who lovest\nrighteousness and justice.\" 12. When the Egyptians were drowned in the\nRed Sea, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who shatterest\nthe enemy and humiliatest the presumptuous.\" 13. When Joseph laid his\nhands on the eyes of his father Jacob, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art\nThou, O Lord, who are the stay and the support of the pious.\" 14. When\nSolomon built the Temple, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord,\nwho buildest Jerusalem.\" 15. When the children of Israel singing hymns\nof praise unto God passed through the Red Sea, the angels spoke:\n\"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who causest the hour of salvation to sprout\nforth.\" 16. When God lent a gracious ear to the prayer of the suffering\nIsraelites in Egypt, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who\nhearest our prayer.\" 17. When the Shekinah descended between the\nCherubim in the Tabernacle, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O\nLord, who wilt restore Thy Divine Presence to Jerusalem.\" 18. When\nSolomon dedicated his Temple, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O\nLord, whose Name is worthy of praise.\" 19. When Israel entered the Holy\nLand, the angels spoke: \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who establishest\npeace.\" (58)\n\n\n\n\nXII.\nESTHER\n\nTHE FEAST FOR THE GRANDEES\n\nThe Book of Esther is the last of the Scriptural writings. The\nsubsequent history of Israel and all his suffering we know only through\noral tradition. For this reason the heroine of the last canonical book\nwas named Esther, that is, Venus, the morning-star, which sheds its\nlight after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun\nstill delays to rise. Thus the deeds of Queen Esther cast a ray of\nlight forward into Israel's history at its darkest. (1)\n\nThe Jews at the time of Ahaseurus were like the dove about to enter her\nnest wherein a snake lies coiled. Yet she cannot withdraw, because a\nfalcon bides without to swoop down upon her. In Shushan the Jews were\nin the clutches of Haman, and in other lands they were at the mercy of\nmany murderous enemies to their race, ready to do the bidding of Haman \n to destroy and to slay them, and cause them to perish. (2)\n\nBut the rescue of the Jews from the hand of their adversaries is only a\npart of this wonderful chapter in the history of Israel. No less\nimportant is the exalted station to which they rose in the realm of\nAhasuerus after the fall of Haman, especially the power and dignity to\nwhich Esther herself attained. On this account the magnificent feast\nprepared by Ahasuerus for his subjects belongs to the history of\nEsther.\n\nThe splendor of his feast is the gauge whereby to measure the wealth\nand power she later enjoyed. (3)\n\nAhasuerus was not the king of Persia by right of birth. He owed his\nposition to his vast wealth, with which he purchased dominion over the\nwhole world. (4)\n\nHe had various reasons for giving a gorgeous feast. The third year of\nhis reign was the seventieth since the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's\nrule, and Ahasuerus thought it quite certain that the time had passed\nfor the fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah foretelling the return\nof Israel to the Holy Land. The Temple was still in ruins, and\nAhasuerus was convinced that the Jewish kingdom would never again be\nrestored. Needless to say, it was not Jeremiah who erred. Not with the\naccession of King Nebuchadnezzar had the prophet's term of years begun,\nbut with the destruction of Jerusalem. Reckoned in this way, the\nseventy years of desolation were at an end exactly at the time when\nDarius, the son of Ahasuerus, permitted the rebuilding of the Temple.\n(5)\n\nBeside this mistaken cause for a celebration, there were reasons\npersonal to Ahasuerus why he desired to give expression to joy. A short\ntime before, he had crushed a rebellion against himself, and this\nvictory he wanted to celebrate with pomp and ceremony. (6) The first\npart of the celebration was given over to the hundred and twenty-seven\nrulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of his empire. His\npurpose was to win the devotion of those of them with whom otherwise he\ndid not come in direct contact. But can it be said with certainty that\nthis was a good policy? If he had not first made sure of the loyalty of\nhis capital, was it not dangerous to have these rulers near him in case\nof an insurrection?\n\nFor six whole months he celebrated the feast for the grandees   the\nnobles and the high officials, the latter of whom, according to the\nconstitution, were all required to be Medians under the Persian king\nAhasuerus, as they would have had to be Persians under a Median king.\n(7)\n\nThis was the program of the feast: In the first month Ahasuerus showed\nhis treasures to his guests; in the second, the delegates of the king's\nroyal vassals saw them; in the third the presents were exposed to view;\nin the fourth the guests were invited to admire his literary\npossessions, among them the sacred scroll; in the fifth his pearl and\ndiamond-studded ornaments of gold were put on exhibition; and in the\nsixth he displayed the treasures which had been given him as tribute.\n(8) All this vast wealth, however, appertained to the crown, it was not\nhis personal property. When Nebuchadnezzar felt his end draw nigh, he\nresolved to sink his immense treasures in the Euphrates rather than let\nthem ascend to his son Evil-merodach, so great was his miserliness.\nBut, again, when Cyrus gave the Jews permission to build the Temple,\nhis divinely appointed reward was that he discovered the spot in the\nriver at which the treasures were sunk, and he was permitted to take\npossession of them. These were the treasures of which Ahasuerus availed\nhimself to glorify his feast. So prodigious were they that during the\nsix months of the feast he unlocked six treasure-chambers daily to\ndisplay their contents to his guests. (9)\n\nWhen Ahasuerus boasted of his wealth, which he had no right to do, as\nhis treasures had come from the Temple, God said: \"Verily, has the\ncreature of flesh and blood any possessions of his own? I alone possess\ntreasures, for 'the silver is mind, and the gold is mine.'\" (10)\n\nAmong the treasures displayed were the Temple vessels, which Ahasuerus\nhad desecrated in his drinking bouts. When the noble Jews who had been\ninvited to the capital saw these, they began to weep, and they refused\nto take further part in the festivities. Thereupon the king commanded\nthat a separate place be assigned to the Jews, so that their eyes might\nbe spared the painful sight. (11)\n\nThis was not the only incident that aroused poignant memories in them,\nfor Ahasuerus arrayed himself in the robes of state once belonging to\nthe high priests at Jerusalem, and this, too, made the Jews smart\nuncomfortably. (12) The Persian king had wanted to mount the throne of\nSolomon besides, but herein he was thwarted, because its ingenious\nconstruction was an enigma to him. Egyptian artificers tried to fashion\na throne after the model of Solomon's, but in vain. After two years'\nwork they managed to produce a weak imitation of it, and upon this\nAhasuerus sat during his splendid feast. (13)\n\nTHE FESTIVITIES IN SHUSHAN\n\nAt the expiration of the hundred and eighty days allotted to the feast\nfor the nobles, Ahasuerus arranged a great celebration for the\nresidents of Shushan, the capital city of Elam. From the creation of\nthe world until after the deluge the unwritten law had been in force,\nthat the first-born son of the patriarchs was to be the ruler of the\nworld. Thus, Seth was the successor to Adam, and he was followed in\nturn by Enosh, and so the succession went on, from first-born son to\nfirst-born son, down to Noah and his oldest son Shem. Now, the\nfirst-born son of Shem was Elam, and, according to custom, he should\nhave been given the universal dominion which was his heritage. Shem,\nbeing a prophet, knew that Abraham and his posterity, the Israelites,\nwould not spring from the family of Elam, but from that of Arpachshad.\nTherefore he named Arpachshad as his successor, and through him\nrulership descended to Abraham, and so to Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, and\nto David and his posterity, down to the last Judean king Zedekiah, who\nwas deprived of his sovereignty by Nebuchadnezzar.\n\nThen it was that God spake thus: \"So long as the government rested in\nthe hands of My children, I was prepared to exercise patience. The\nmisdeeds of the one were made good by the other. If one of them was\nwicked, the other was pious. But now that the dominions has been\nwrested from My children, it shall at least revert to its original\npossessors. Elam was the first-born son of Shem, and his seed shall be\ngiven the rule.\" So it happened that Shushan, the capital city of Elam,\nbecame the seat of government. (14)\n\nThat there were any celebrations in Shushan was due to Haman, who even\nin those early days was devising intrigues against the Jews. He\nappeared before Ahasuerus, and said: \"O king, this people is a peculiar\npeople. May it please thee to destroy it.\" Ahasuerus replied: \"I fear\nthe God of this people; He is very mighty, and I bear in mind what\nbefell Pharaoh for his wicked treatment of the Israelites.\" \"Their\nGod,\" said Haman, \"hates an unchaste life. Do thou, therefore, prepare\nfeasts for them, and order them to take part in the merry-makings. Have\nthem eat and drink and act as their heart desireth, so that their God\nmay become wrathful against them.\"\n\nWhen Mordecai heard of the feasts that were planned, he advised the\nJews not to join in them. (15) All the prominent men of his people and\nmany of the lower classes took his advice to heart. They fled from\nShushan, to avoid being compelled to take part in the festivities. (16)\nThe rest remained in the city and yielded to force; they participated\nin the celebrations, and even permitted themselves to eat of food\nprepared by the heathen, though the king had taken care not to offend\nthe religious conscience of the Jews in such details. (17) He had been\nso punctilious that there was no need for them to drink wine touched by\nthe hand of an idolater, let alone eat forbidden food. The arrangements\nfor the feast were entirely in the charge of Haman and Mordecai, so\nthat neither Jew nor Gentile might absent himself for religious\nreasons. (18)\n\nIt was the aim of the king to let every guest follow the inclination of\nhis heart. When Ahasuerus issued the order, that the officers of his\nhouse were to \"do according to every man's pleasure,\" God became wroth\nwith him. \"Thou villain,\" He said, \"canst thou do every man's pleasure?\nSuppose two men love the same woman, can both marry her? Two vessels\nsail forth together from a port, the one desires a south wind, the\nother a north wind. Canst thou produce a wind to satisfy the two? On\nthe morrow Haman and Mordecai will appear before thee. Wilt thou be\nable to side with both?\" (19)\n\nThe scene of the festivities was in the royal gardens. The upper\nbranches of the high trees were made to interlace with each other, so\nas to form vaulted arches, and the smaller trees with aromatic foliage\nwere taken up out of the ground, and placed in artfully constructed\ntents. From tree to tree stretched curtains of byssus, white and\nsapphire blue, and vivid green and royal purple, fastened to their\nsupports by ropes depending from round silver beams, these in turn\nresting on pillars of red, green, yellow, white, and glittering blue\nmarble. The couches were made of delicate draperies, their frames stood\non silver feet, and the rods attached to them were of gold. The floor\nwas tiled with crystal and marble, outlined with precious stones, whose\nbrilliance illuminated the scene far and wide. (20)\n\nThe wine and the other beverages were drunk only from golden vessels,\nyet Ahasuerus was so rich that no drinking cup was used more than a\nsingle time. (21) But magnificent as these utensils of his were, when\nthe holy vessels of the Temple were brought in, the golden splendor of\nthe others was dimmed; it turned dull as lead. The wine was in each\ncase older than its drinker. To prevent intoxication from unaccustomed\ndrinks, every guest was served with the wine indigenous to his native\nplace. In general, Ahasuerus followed the Jewish rather than the\nPersian manner. It was a banquet rather than a drinking bout. (22) In\nPersia a custom prevailed that every participant in a banquet of wine\nhad to drain a huge beaker far exceeding the drinking capacity of any\nhuman being, and do it he must, though he lost reason and life. The\noffice butler accordingly was very lucrative, because the guests at\nsuch wassails were in the habit of bribing him to purchase the liberty\nof drinking as little as they pleased or dared. This Persian habit of\ncompelling excess in drinking was ignored at Ahasuerus's banquet; every\nguest did as he chose. (23)\n\nThe royal bounty did not show itself in food and drink alone. The\nking's guests could also indulge in the pleasures of the dance if they\nwere so minded. Dancers were provided, who charmed the company with\ntheir artistic figures displayed upon the purple-covered floor. (24)\nThat the enjoyment of the participants might in no wise be marred, as\nby separation from their families, all were permitted to bring their\nhouseholds with them, (25) and merchants were released from the taxes\nimposed upon them. (26)\n\nSo sure was Ahasuerus of his success as a host that he dared say to his\nJewish guests: \"Will your God be able to match this banquet in the\nfuture world?\" Whereunto the Jews replied: \"The banquet God will\nprepare for the righteous in the world to come is that of which it is\nwritten, 'No eye hath seen it but God's; He will accomplish it for them\nthat wait upon Him.' If God were to offer us a banquet like unto thine,\nO king, we should say, Such as this we ate at the table of Ahasuerus.\"\n(27)\n\nVASTHI'S BANQUET\n\nThe banquet given by Queen Vashti to the women differed but slightly\nfrom Ahasuerus's. She sought to emulate her husband's example even in\nthe point of exhibiting treasures. Six store-chambers she displayed\ndaily to the women she had bidden as guests; aye, she did not even\nshrink from arraying herself in the high-priestly garments. The meats\nand dishes, as at Ahasuerus's table, were Palestinian, only instead of\nwine, liqueurs were served, and sweets.\n\nAs the weak sex is subject to sudden attacks of indisposition, the\nbanquet was given in the halls of the palace, so that the guests might\nat need withdraw to the adjoining chambers. The gorgeously ornamented\napartments of the palace, besides, were more attractive to the feminine\ntaste than the natural beauties of the royal gardens, \"for a woman\nwould rather reside in beautiful chambers and possess beautiful clothes\nthan eat fatted calves.\" (28) Nothing interested the women more than to\nbecome acquainted with the arrangement of the interior of the palace,\n\"for women are curious to know all things.\" Vashti gratified their\ndesire. She showed them all there was to be seen, describing every\nplace as she came to it: This is the dining-hall, this the wine-room,\nthis the bed-chamber. (29)\n\nVashti, too, was actuated by a political motive when she determined to\ngive her banquet. By inviting the wives of hostages in case the men\nrose in insurrection against the king. (30) For Vashti knew the ways of\nstatecraft. She not only was the wife of a king, but also the daughter\nof a king, of Belshazzar. The night of Belshazzar's murder in his own\npalace, Vashti, alarmed by the confusion that ensued, and not knowing\nof the death of her father, fled to the apartments in which he was in\nthe habit of sitting. The Median Darius had already ascended the throne\nof Belshazzar, and so it happened that Vashti, instead of finding the\nhoped-for refuge with her father, ran straight into the hands of his\nsuccessor. But he had compassion with her, and gave her to his son\nAhasuerus for wife.\n\nTHE FATE OF VASHTI\n\nThough Ahasuerus had taken every precaution to prevent intemperate\nindulgence in wine, his banquet revealed the essential difference\nbetween Jewish and pagan festivities. When Jews are gathered about a\nfestal board, they discuss a Halakah, or a Haggadah, or, at the least,\na simple verse from the Scriptures. Ahasuerus and his boon companions\nrounded out the banquet with prurient talk. The Persians lauded the\ncharms of the women of their people, while the Medians admitted none\nsuperior to the Median women. Then \"the fool\" Ahasuerus up and spake:\n\"My wife is neither a Persian nor a Median, but a Chaldean, yet she\nexcels all in beauty. Would you convince yourselves of the truth of my\nwords?\" \"Yes,\" shouted the company, who were deep in their cups, \"but\nthat we may properly judge of her natural charms, let her appear before\nus unadorned, yes, without any apparel whatsoever,\" and Ahasuerus\nagreed to the shameless condition. (31)\n\nThe thing was from God, that so insensate a demand should be made of\nVashti by the king. A whole week Mordecai had spent in fasting and\npraying, supplicating God to mete out punishment to Ahasuerus for his\ndesecration of the Temple utensils. On the seventh day of the week, on\nthe Sabbath, when Mordecai after his long fast took food, because\nfasting is forbidden on the Sabbath day, God heard his prayer and the\nprayer of the Sanhedrin. (32) He sent down seven Angels of Confusion to\nput an end to Ahasuerus's pleasure. They were named: Mehuman,\nConfusion; Biztha, Destruction of the House; Harbonah, Annihilation;\nBigtha and Abagtha, the Pressers of the Winepress, for God had resolved\nto crush the court of Ahasuerus as one presses the juice from grapes in\na press; Zetha, Observer of Immorality; and Carcas, Knocker. (33)\n\nThere was a particular reason why this interruption of the feast took\nplace on the Sabbath. Vashti was in the habit of forcing Jewish maidens\nto spin and weave on the Sabbath day, and to add to her cruelty, she\nwould deprive them of all their clothes. It was on the Sabbath,\ntherefore, that her punishment overtook her, and for the same reason it\nwas put into the king's heart to have her appear in public stripped of\nall clothing. (34)\n\nVashti recoiled from the king's revolting order. But it must not be\nsupposed that she shrank from carrying it out because it offended her\nmoral sense. She was not a whit better than her husband. She fairly\nrevelled in the opportunity his command gave her to indulge in carnal\npleasures once again, for it was exactly a week since she had been\ndelivered of a child. But God sent the angel Gabriel to her to\ndisfigure her countenance. Suddenly signs of leprosy appeared on her\nforehead, and the marks of other diseases on her person. (35) In this\nstate it was impossible for her to show herself to the king. She made a\nvirtue of necessity, and worded her refusal to appear before him\narrogantly: \"Say to Ahasuerus: 'O thou fool and madman! Hast thou lost\nthy reason by too much drinking? I am Vashti, the daughter of\nBelshazzar, who was a son of Nebuchadnezzar, the Nebuchadnezzar who\nscoffed at kings and unto whom princes were a derision, and even thou\nwouldst not have been deemed worthy to run before my father's chariot\nas a courier. Had he lived, I should never have been given unto thee\nfor wife. Not even those who suffered the death penalty during the\nreign of my forefather Nebuchadnezzar were stripped bare of their\nclothing, and thou demandest that I appear naked in public! Why, it is\nfor thine own sake that I refuse to heed they order. Either the people\nwill decide that I do not come up to thy description of me, and will\nproclaim thee a liar, or, bewitched by my beauty, they will kill thee\nin order to gain possession of me, saying, Shall this fool be the\nmaster of so much beauty?'\" (36)\n\nThe first lady of the Persian aristocracy encouraged Vashti to adhere\nto her resolution. \"Better,\" her adviser said, when Ahasuerus's second\nsummons was delivered to Vashti, together with his threat to kill her\nunless she obeyed, \"better the king should kill thee and annihilate thy\nbeauty, than that thy person should be admired by other eyes than thy\nhusband's, and thus thy name be disgraced, and the name of thy\nancestors.\" (37)\n\nWhen Vashti refused to obey the repeated command to appear before the\nking and the hundred and twenty-seven crowned princes of the realm,\nAhasuerus turned to the Jewish sages, and requested them to pass\nsentence upon his queen. Their thoughts ran in this wise: If we condemn\nthe queen to death, we shall suffer for it as soon as Ahasuerus becomes\nsober, and hears it was at our advice that she was executed. But if we\nadmonish him unto clemency now, while he is intoxicated, he will accuse\nus of not paying due deference to the majesty of the king. They\ntherefore resolved upon neutrality. \"Since the destruction of the\nTemple,\" they said to the king, \"since we have not dwelt in our land,\nwe have lost the power to give sage advice, particularly in matters of\nlife and death. Better seek counsel with the wise men of Ammon and\nMoab, who have ever dwelt at ease in their land, like wine that hath\nsettled on its lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel.\n(38)\n\nThereupon Ahasuerus put his charge against Vashti before the seven\nprinces of Persia, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres,\nMarsena, and Memucan, who came from Africa, India, Edom, Tarsus, Mursa,\nResen, and Jerusalem, respectively. (39) The names of these seven\nofficials, each representing his country, were indicative of their\noffice. Carshena had the care of the animals, Shethar of the wine,\nAdmatha of the land, Tarshish of the palace, Meres of the poultry,\nMarsena of the bakery, and Memucan provided for the needs of all in the\npalace, his wife acting as housekeeper. (40)\n\nThis Memucan, a native of Jerusalem, was none other than Daniel, called\nMemucan, \"the appointed one,\" because he was designated by God to\nperform miracles and bring about the death of Vashti. (41)\n\nWhen the king applied for advice to these seven nobles, Memucan was the\nfirst to speak up, though in rank he was inferior to the other six, as\nappears from the place his name occupies in the list. However, it is\ncustomary, as well among Persians as among Jews, in passing death\nsentence, to begin taking the vote with the youngest of the judges on\nthe bench, to prevent the juniors and the less prominent from being\noverawed by the opinion of the more influential. (42)\n\nIt was Memucan's advice to the king to make an example of Vashti, so\nthat in future no woman should dare refuse obedience to her husband.\nDaniel-Memucan had had unpleasant experiences in his conjugal life. He\nhad married a wealthy Persian lady, who insisted upon speaking to him\nin her own language exclusively. (43) Besides, personal antipathy\nexisted between Daniel and Vashti. He had in a measure been the cause\nof her refusal to appear before the king and his princes. Vashti hated\nDaniel, because it was he who had prophesied his death to her father,\nand the extinction of his dynasty. She could not endure his sight,\nwherefore she would not show herself to the court in his presence. (44)\nAlso, it was Daniel who, by pronouncing the Name of God, had caused the\nbeauty of Vashti to vanish, and her face to be marred. (45) In\nconsequence of all this, Daniel advised, not only that Vashti should be\ncast off, but that she should be made harmless forever by the hangman's\nhand. His advice was endorsed by his colleagues, and approved by the\nking. That the king might not delay execution of the death sentence,\nand Daniel himself thus incur danger to his own life, he made Ahasuerus\nswear the most solemn oath known to the Persians, that it would be\ncarried out forthwith. At the same time a royal edict was promulgated,\nmaking it the duty of wives to obey their husbands. With special\nreference to Daniel's domestic difficulties, it was specified that the\nwife must speak the language of her lord and master. (46)\n\nThe execution of Vashti brought most disastrous consequences in its\ntrain. His whole empire, which is tantamount to saying the whole world,\nrose against Ahasuerus. The widespread rebellion was put down only\nafter his marriage with Esther, but not before it had inflicted upon\nhim the loss of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, the half of his\nkingdom. Such was his punishment for refusing permission to rebuild the\nTemple. It was only after the fall of Haman, when Mordecai had been\nmade the chancellor of the empire, that Ahasuerus succeeded in reducing\nthe revolted provinces to submission. (47)\n\nThe death of Vashti was not undeserved punishment, for it had been she\nwho had prevented the king from giving his consent to the rebuilding of\nthe Temple. \"Wilt thou rebuild the Temple,\" said she, reproachfully,\n\"which my ancestors destroyed?\" (48)\n\nTHE FOLLIES OF AHASUERUS\n\nAhasuerus is the prototype of the unstable, foolish ruler. He\nsacrificed his wife Vashti to his friend Haman-Memucan, and later on\nagain his friend Haman to his wife Esther. (49) Folly possessed him,\ntoo, when he arranged extravagant festivities for guests from afar,\nbefore he had won, by means of kindly treatment, the friendship of his\nsurroundings, of the inhabitants of his capital. (50) Ridiculous is the\nword that describes his edict bidding wives obey their husbands. Every\none who read it exclaimed: \"To be sure, a man is master in his own\nhouse!\" However, the silly decree served its purpose. It revealed his\ntrue character to the subjects of Ahasuerus, and thenceforward they\nattached little importance to his edicts. This was the reason why the\ndecree of annihilation directed against the Jews failed of the effect\nexpected by Haman and Ahasuerus. The people regarded it as but another\nof the king's foolish pranks, and therefore were ready to acquiesce in\nthe revocation of the edict when it came. (51)\n\nThe king's true character appeared when he grew sober after the episode\nwith Vashti. Learning that he had had her executed, he burst out\nfuriously against his seven counsellors, and in turn ordered them to\ndeath. (52)\n\nFoolish, too, is the only word to describe the manner in which he set\nabout discovering the most beautiful woman in his dominion. King David\non a similar occasion wisely sent out messengers who were to bring to\nhim the most beautiful maiden in the land, and there was none who was\nnot eager to enjoy the honor of giving a daughter of his to the king.\nAhasuerus's method was to have his servants gather together a multitude\nof beautiful maidens and women from all parts, and among them he\nproposed to make choice. The result of this system was that the women\nconcealed themselves to avoid being taken into the harem of the king,\nwhen it was not certain that they would be found worthy of becoming his\nqueen. (53)\n\nWith his stupidity Ahasuerus combined wantonness. He ordered force to\nbe used in taking the maidens from their parents and the wives from\ntheir husbands, and then he confined them in his harem. (54) On the\nother hand, the moral sense of the heathen was so degraded that many\nmaidens displayed their charms to public view, so that they might be\nsure to attract the admiring attention of the royal emissaries.\n\nAs for Esther, for four years Mordecai kept her concealed in a chamber,\nso that the king's scouts could not discover her. But her beauty had\nlong been known to fame, and when they returned to Shushan, they had to\nconfess to the king, that the most superbly beautiful woman in the land\neluded their search. Thereupon Ahasuerus issued a decree ordaining the\ndeath penalty for the woman who should secrete herself before his\nemissaries. There was nothing left for Mordecai to do but fetch Esther\nfrom her hiding-place, and immediately she was espied and carried to\nthe palace of the king. (55)\n\nMORDECAI\n\nThe descent of Mordecai and of his niece Esther is disposed of in a few\nwords in the Scripture. But he could trace it all the way back to the\nPatriarch Jacob, from whom he was forty-five degrees removed. (56)\nBeside the father of Mordecai, the only ancestor of his who is\nmentioned by name is Shimei, and he is mentioned for a specific reason.\nThis Shimei is none other then the notorious son of Gera, the rebel who\nhad so scoffed and mocked at David fleeing before Absalom that he would\nhave been killed by Abishai, if David had not generously interfered in\nhis favor. David's prophetic eye discerned in Shimei the ancestor of\nIsrael's savior in the time of Ahasuerus. For this reason he dealt\nleniently with him, and on his death-bed he bade his son Solomon\nreserve vengeance until Shimei should have reached old age and could\nbeget no more children. Thus Mordecai deserves both appellations, the\nBenjamite and the Judean, for he owed his existence not only to his\nactual Benjamite forebears on his father's side, but also to the Judean\nDavid, who kept his ancestor Shimei alive. (57)\n\nShimei's distinction as the ancestor of Israel's redeemer was due to\nthe merits of his wife. When Jonathan and Ahimaaz, David's spies in his\nwar against his son, fled before the myrmidons of Absalom, they found\nthe gate of Shimei's house open. Entering, they concealed themselves in\nthe well. That they escaped detection was due to the ruse of Shimei's\npious wife. She quickly transformed the well into a lady's chamber.\nWhen Absalom's men came and looked about, they desisted from searching\nthe place, because they reasoned, that men as saintly as Jonathan and\nAhimaaz would not have taken refuge in the private apartment of a\nwoman. God determined, that for having rescued two pious men He would\nreward her with two pious descendants, who should in turn avert the\nruin of Israel. (58)\n\nOn his mother's side, Mordecai was, in very deed, a member of the tribe\nof Judah. (59) In any event, he was a son of Judah in the true sense of\nthe word; he publicly acknowledged himself a Jew, and he refused to\ntouch of the forbidden food which Ahasuerus set before his guest at his\nbanquet. (60)\n\nHis other appellatives likewise point to his piety and his\nexcellencies. His name Mordecai, for instance, consists of Mor, meaning\n\"myrrh,\" and Decai, \"pure,\" for he was as refined and noble as pure\nmyrrh. Again, he is called Ben Jair, because he \"illumined the eyes of\nIsrael\"; and Ben Kish, because when he knocked at the gates of the\nDivine mercy, they were opened unto him, which is likewise the origin\nof his name Ben Shimei, for he was heard by God when he offered up\nprayer. (61) Still another of Mordecai's epithets was Bilshan, \"master\nof languages.\" Being a member of the great Sanhedrin he understood all\nthe seventy languages spoken in the world. (62) More than that, he knew\nthe language of the deaf mutes. It once happened that no new grain\ncould be obtained at Passover time. A deaf mute came and pointed with\none hand to the roof and with the other to the cottage. Mordecai\nunderstood that these signs meant a locality by the name of\nGagot-Zerifim, Cottage-Roofs, and, lo, new grain was found there for\nthe 'Omer offering. On another occasion a deaf mute pointed with one\nhand to his eye and with the other to the staple of the bolt on the\ndoor. Mordecai understood that he meant a place called En-Soker, \"dry\nwell,\" for eye and spring are the same word, En, in Aramaic, and Sikra\nalso has a double meaning, staple and exhaustion. (63)\n\nMordecai belonged to the highest aristocracy of Jerusalem,   he was of\nroyal blood,   and he was deported to Babylonian together with King\nJeconiah, by Nebuchadnezzar, who at that time exiled only the great of\nthe land. (64) Later he returned to Palestine, but remained only for a\ntime. He preferred to live in the Diaspora, and watch over the\neducation of Esther. When Cyrus and Darius captured Babylon, Mordecai,\nDaniel, and the Jewish community of the conquered city accompanied King\nCyrus to Shushan, where Mordecai established his academy. (65)\n\nESTHER'S BEAUTY AND PIETY\n\nThe birth of Esther caused the death of her mother. Her father had died\na little while before, so she was entirely orphaned. Mordecai and his\nwife interested themselves in the poor babe. His wife became her nurse,\nand he himself did not hesitate, when there was need for it, to do\nservices for the child that are usually performed only by women. (66)\n\nBoth her names, Esther as well as Hadassah, are descriptive of her\nvirtues. Hadassah, or Myrtle, she is called, because her good deeds\nspread her fame abroad, as the sweet fragrance of the myrtle pervades\nthe air in which it grows. In general, the myrtle is symbolic of the\npious, because, as the myrtle is ever green, summer and winter alike,\nso the saints never suffer dishonor, either in this world or in the\nworld to come. In another way Esther resembled the myrtle, which, in\nspite of its pleasant scent, has a bitter taste. Esther was pleasant to\nthe Jews, but bitterness itself to Haman and all who belonged to him.\n\nThe name Esther is equally significant. In Hebrew it means \"she who\nconceals,\" a fitting name for the niece of Mordecai, the woman who well\nknew how to guard a secret, and long hid her descent and faith from the\nking and the court. She herself had been kept concealed for years in\nthe house of her uncle, withdrawn from the searching eyes of the king's\nspies. Above all she was the hidden light that suddenly shone upon\nIsrael in his rayless darkness.\n\nIn build, Esther was neither tall nor short, she was exactly of average\nheight, another reason for calling her Myrtle, a plant which likewise\nis neither large nor small. In point of fact, Esther was not a beauty\nin the real sense of the word. The beholder was bewitched by her grace\nand her charm, and that in spite of her somewhat sallow, myrtle-like\ncomplexion. (67) More than this, her enchanting grace was not the grace\nof youth, for she was seventy-five years old when she came to court,\nand captivated the hearts of all who saw her, from king to eunuch. This\nwas in fulfilment of the prophecy which God made to Abraham when he was\nleaving the home of his father: \"Thou art leaving the house of thy\nfather at the age of seventy-five. As thou livest, the deliverer of thy\nchildren in Media also shall be seventy-five years old.\"\n\nAnother historical event pointed forward to Esther's achievement. When\nthe Jews, after the destruction of Jerusalem, broke out into the wail,\n\"We are orphans and fatherless,\" God said: \"in very sooth, the redeemer\nwhom I shall send unto you in Media shall also be an orphan fatherless\nand motherless.\" (68)\n\nAhasuerus put Esther between two groups of beauties, Median beauties to\nright of her, and Persian beauties to left of her. Yet Esther's\ncomeliness outshone them all. (69) Not even Joseph could vie with the\nJewish queen in grace. Grace was suspended above him, but Esther was\nfairly laden down with it. (70) Whoever saw her, pronounced her the\nideal of beauty of his nation. The general exclamation was: \"This one\nis worthy of being queen.\" (71) In vain Ahasuerus had sought a wife for\nfour years, in vain fathers had spent time and money bringing their\ndaughters to him, in the hope that one or the other would appeal to his\nfancy. None among the maidens, none among the women, pleased Ahasuerus.\nBut scarcely had he set eyes upon Esther when he thrilled with the\nfeeling, that he had at last found what he had long yearned for. (72)\n\nAll these years the portrait of Vashti had hung in his chamber. He had\nnot forgotten his rejected queen. But once he beheld Esther, Vashti's\npicture was replaced by hers. (73) Maiden grace and womanly charm were\nin her united. (74)\n\nThe change in her worldly position wrought no change in Esther's ways\nand manners. As she retained her beauty until old age, so the queen\nremained as pure in mind and soul as ever the simple maiden had been.\nAll the other women who entered the gates of the royal palace made\nexaggerated demands, Esther's demeanor continued modest and unassuming.\nThe others insisted that the seven girl pages assigned to them should\nhave certain peculiar qualities, as, that they should not differ, each\nfrom her mistress, in complexion and height. Esther uttered no wish\nwhatsoever.\n\nBut her unpretending ways were far from pleasing to Hegai, chief of the\neunuchs of the harem. He feared lest the king discover that Esther did\nnothing to preserve her beauty, and would put the blame for it upon\nhim, an accusation that might bring him to the gallows. To avoid such a\nfate, he loaded Esther down with resplendent jewels, distinguishing her\nbeyond all the other women gathered in the palace, as Joseph, by means\nof costly gifts lavished upon him, had singled out her ancestor\nBenjamin from among his brethren.\n\nHegai paid particular attention to what Esther ate. For her he brought\ndishes from the royal table, which, however, she refused obstinately to\nouch. Only such things passed her lips as were permitted to Jews. She\nlived entirely on vegetable food, as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had\naforetimes done at the court of Nebuchadnezzar. (75) The forbidden\ntidbits she passed over to the non-Jewish servants. (76) Her personal\nattendants were seven Jewish maidens as consistently pious as herself,\nwhose devotion to the ritual law Esther could depend upon.\n\nOtherwise Esther was cut off from all intercourse with Jews, and she\nwas in danger of forgetting when the Sabbath bath came around. She\ntherefore adopted the device of giving her seven attendants peculiar\nnames, to keep her in mind of the passage of time. The first one was\ncalled Hulta, \"Workaday,\" and she was in attendance upon Esther on\nSundays. On Mondays, she was served by Rok`ita, to remind her of\nRek`ia, \"the Firmament,\" which was created on the second day of the\nworld. Tuesday's maid was called Genunita, \"Garden,\" the third day of\ncreation having produced the world of plants. On Wednesday, she was\nreminded by Nehorita's name, \"the Luminous,\" that it was the day on\nwhich God had made the great luminaries, to shed their light in the\nsky; on Thursday by Ruhshita, \"Movement,\" for on the fifth day the\nfirst animated beings were created; on Friday, the day on which the\nbeasts came into being, by Hurfita, \"little Ewelamb\"; and on the\nSabbath her bidding was done by Rego`ita, \"Rest.\" Thus she was sure to\nremember the Sabbath day week after week. (77)\n\nMordecai's daily visits to the gate of the palace had a similar\npurpose. Thus Esther was afforded the opportunity of obtaining\ninstruction from him on all ritual doubts that might assail her. (78)\nThis lively interest displayed by Mordecai in Esther's physical and\nspiritual welfare is not wholly attributable to an uncle's and\nguardian's solicitude in behalf of an orphaned niece. A much closer\nbond, the bond between husband and wife, united them, for when Esther\nhad grown to maidenhood, Mordecai had espoused her. (79) Naturally,\nEsther would have been ready to defend her conjugal honor with her\nlife. She would gladly have suffered death at the hands of the king's\nbailiffs rather than yield herself to a man not her husband. Luckily,\nthere was no need for this sacrifice, for her marriage with Ahasuerus\nwas but a feigned union. God has sent down a female spirit in the guise\nof Esther to take her place with the king. Esther herself never lived\nwith Ahasuerus as his wife. (80)\n\nAt the advice of her uncle, Esther kept her descent and her faith a\nsecret. Mordecai's injunction was dictated by several motives. First of\nall it was his modesty that suggested secrecy. He thought the king, if\nhe heard from Esther that she had been raised by him, might offer to\ninstall him in some high office. In point of fact, Mordecai was right\nin his conjecture; Ahasuerus had pledged himself to make lords,\nprinces, and kings of Esther's friends and kinspeople, if she would but\nname them.\n\nAnother reason for keeping Esther's Jewish affiliations a secret was\nMordecai's apprehension, that the fate of Vashti overtake Esther, too.\nIf such were in store for her, he desired at least to guard against the\nJews' becoming her fellowsuffers. Besides, Mordecai knew only too well\nthe inimical feelings entertained by the heathen toward the Jews, ever\nsince their exile from the Holy Land, and he feared that the\nJew-haters, to gratify their hostility against the Jews, might bring\nabout the ruin of Esther and her house. (81)\n\nMindful of the perils to which Esther was exposed, Mordecai allowed no\nday to pass without assuring himself of her well-being. His\ncompensation therefore came from God: \"Thou makest the well-being of a\nsingle soul they intimate concern. As thou livest, the well-being and\ngood of thy whole nation Israel shall be entrusted to thee as thy\ntask.\" (82) And to reward him for his modesty, God said: \"Thou\nwithdrawest thyself from greatness; as thou livest, I will honor thee\nmore than all men on earth.\" (83)\n\nVain were the efforts made by Ahasuerus to draw her secret from Esther.\nHe arranged great festivities for the purpose, but she guarded it well.\nShe had an answer ready for his most insistent questions: \"I know\nneither my people nor my family, for I lost my parents in my earliest\ninfancy.\" But as the king desired greatly to show himself gracious to\nthe nation to which the queen belonged, he released all the peoples\nunder his dominion from the payment of taxes and imposts. In this way,\nhe thought, her nation was bound to be benefited. (84)\n\nWhen the king saw that kindness and generosity left her untouched, he\nsought to wrest the secret from her by threats. Once when she parried\nhis inquiries in the customary way, saying, \"I am an orphan, and God,\nthe Father of the fatherless, in His mercy, has brought me up,\" he\nretorted: I shall gather virgins together the second time.\" His purpose\nwas to provoke the jealousy of Esther, \"for a woman is jealous of\nnothing so much as a rival.\"\n\nWhen Mordecai noticed that women were being brought to court anew, he\nwas overcome with anxiety for his niece. Thinking that the fate of\nVashti might have befallen her, he was impelled to make inquires about\nher. (85)\n\nAs for Esther herself, she was but following the example of her race.\nShe could keep silent in all modesty, as Rachel, the mother of\nBenjamin, had kept a modest silence when her father gave her sister\nLeah to Jacob for wife instead of herself, and as Saul the Benjamite\nwas modestly reserved when, questioned by his uncle, he told about the\nfinding of his she-asses, but nothing about his elevation to the\nkingship. Rachel and Saul were recompensed for their self-abnegation by\nbeing given a descendant like Esther. (86)\n\nTHE CONSPIRACY\n\nOnce the following conversation took place between Ahasuerus and\nEsther. The king asked Esther: \"Whose daughter art thou?\"\n\nEsther: \"And whose son art thou?\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"I am a king, and the son of a king.\"\n\nEsther: \"And I am a queen, the daughter of kings, a descendant of the\nroyal family of Saul. If thou art, indeed, a real prince, how couldst\nthou put Vashti to death?\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"It was not to gratify my own wish, but at the advice of the\ngreat princes of Persia and Media.\"\n\nEsther: \"Thy predecessors took no advice from ordinary intelligences;\nthey were guided by prophetical counsel. Arioch brought Daniel to\nNebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and Belshazzar, too, summoned Daniel\nbefore him.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"Is there aught left of those toothsome morsels? Are there\nstill prophets abroad?\n\nEsther: \"Seek and thou wilt find.\" (87)\n\nThe result was that Mordecai was given the position at court once\noccupied by the chamberlains Bigthan and Teresh. Indignant that a place\nonce filled by senators should be given to a barbarian, the ousted\nofficials resolved to be revenged upon the king and take his life.\nTheir purpose was to administer poison, which seemed easy of\naccomplishment, as they were the royal butlers, and could find many\noccasions to drop poison into a cup of water before handing it to the\nking. The plan successfully carried out would have satisfied their\nvengeful feelings, not only as to the king, but as to Mordecai as well.\nIt would have made it appear that the death of Ahasuerus was\nattributable to the circumstance, that he had entrusted his person to\nthe care of the Jew, as his life had been secure under Bigthan and\nTeresh. They discussed their plans in the presence of Mordecai, acting\nupon the unwarranted assumption, that he would not understand the\nlanguage they spoke, the Tarsian, their native tongue. They were\nignorant of the fact, that Mordecai was a member of the Sanhedrin, and\nas such knew all the seventy languages of the world. Thus their own\ntongue betrayed them to ruin.\n\nHowever, Mordecai had no need to make use of his great knowledge of\nlanguages; he obtained his information about the plot of the two\nchamberlains through prophetical channels. Accordingly, he appeared one\nnight in the palace. By a miracle the guards at the gates had not seen\nhim, and he could enter unrestrained. Thus he overheard the\nconversation between the two conspirators.\n\nMordecai had more than a single reason for preventing the death of\nAhasuerus. In the first place, he desired to secure the king's\nfriendship for the Jews, and more especially his permission for the\nrebuilding of the Temple. Then he feared, if the king were murdered\nimmediately after his rise to a high place in the state, the heathen\nwould assign as the cause of the disaster his connection with the Jews \n his marriage with Esther and the appointment of Mordecai to office.\n\nEsther's confidence in Mordecai's piety was so great that she\nunhesitatingly gave credence to the message she received from him\nconcerning the mischievous plot hatched against the king. She believed\nthat God would execute the wishes of Mordecai. Albeit Bigthan and\nTeresh had no plans of the sort attributed to them by her uncle, they\nwould conceive then now in order to make Mordecai's words true. That\nEsther's confidence was justified appeared at once. The conspirators\ngot wind of their betrayal to the king, and in good time they removed\nthe poison they had already placed in Ahasuerus's cup. But that the lie\nmight not be given to Mordecai, God caused poison to appear where none\nhad been, and the conspirators were convicted of their crime. (88) The\nking had the water analyzed which he was given to drink, and it was\nmade manifest that it contained poison. (89) Other evidence besides\nexisted against the two plotters. It was established that both had at\nthe same time busied themselves about the person of the king, though\nthe regulations of the palace assigned definite hours of service to the\none different from those assigned to the other. This made it clear that\nthey intended to perpetrate a dark deed in common. (90)\n\nThe two conspirators sought to escape the legitimate punishment for\ntheir dastardly deed by ending their own life. But their intention was\nfrustrated, and they were nailed to the cross. (91)\n\nHAMAN THE JEW-BAITER\n\nThe conspiracy of Bigthan and Teresh determined the king never again to\nhave two chamberlains guard his person. Henceforward he would entrust\nhis safety to a single individual, and he appointed Haman to the place.\nThis was an act of ingratitude toward Mordecai, who, as the king's\nsavior, had the most cogent claims upon the post. (92) But Haman\npossessed one important advantage, he was the owner of great wealth.\nWith the exception of Korah he was the richest man that had ever lived,\nfor he had appropriated to himself the treasures of the Judean kings\nand of the Temple. (93)\n\nAhasuerus had an additional reason for distinguishing Haman. He was\nwell aware of Mordecai's ardent desire to see the Temple restored, and\nhe instinctively felt he could not deny the wish of the man who had\nsnatched him from untimely death. Yet he was not prepared to grant it.\nTo escape from the dilemma he endeavored to make Haman act as a\ncounterpoise against Mordecai, that \"what the one built up, the other\nmight pull down.\" (94)\n\nAhasuerus had long been acquainted with Haman's feeling against the\nJews. When the quarrel about the rebuilding of the Temple broke out\nbetween the Jews and their heathen adversaries, and the sons of Haman\ndenounced the Jews before Ahasuerus, the two parties at odds agreed to\nsend each a representative to the king, to advocate his case. Mordecai\nwas appointed the Jewish delegate, and no more rabid Jew-hater could be\nfound than Haman, to plead the cause of the antagonists of the Temple\nbuilders. (95)\n\nAs for his character, that, too, King Ahasuerus had had occasion to see\nin its true light, because Haman is but another name for Memucan, the\nprince who is chargeable in the last resort with the death of Vashti.\nAt the time of the king's wrath against the queen, Memucan was still\nlowest in the rank among the seven princes of Persia, yet, arrogant as\nhe was, he was the first to speak up when the king put his question\nabout the punishment due to Vashti   an illustration of the popular\nadage: \"The common man rushes to the front.\" (96) Haman's hostility\ntoward Vashti dated from her banquet, to which the queen had failed to\nbid his wife as guest. Moreover, she had once insulted him by striking\nhim a blow in the face. Besides, Haman calculated, if only Vashti's\nrepudiation could be brought about, he might succeed in marrying his\nown daughter to the king. (97) He was not the only disappointed man at\ncourt. In part the conspiracy of Bigthan and Teresh was a measure of\nrevenge against Ahasuerus for having made choice of Esther instead of a\nkinswoman of theirs. (98)\n\nEsther once married to the king, however, Haman made the best of a bad\nbargain. He tried by every means in his power to win the friendship of\nthe queen. Whether she was Jewess or heathen, he desired to claim\nkinship with her   as a Jewess through the fraternal bond between Esau\nand Jacob, as a heathen easily enough, \"for all the heathen area akin\nto one another.\" (99)\n\nMORDECAI'S PRIDE\n\nWhen Ahasuerus raised Haman to his high office, he at the same time\nissued the order, that all who saw him were to prostrate themselves\nbefore him and pay him Divine honors. To make it manifest that the\nhomage due to him had an idolatrous character, Haman had the image of\nan idol fastened to his clothes, so that whoever bowed down before him,\nworshipped an idol at the same time. (100) Mordecai alone of all at\ncourt refused to obey the royal order. The highest officials, even the\nmost exalted judges, showed Haman the reverence bidden by the king. The\nJews themselves entreated Mordecai not to call forth the fury of Haman,\nand cause the ruin of Israel thereby. Mordecai, however, remained\nsteadfast; no persuasions could move him to pay to a mortal the tribute\ndue to Divinity. (101)\n\nAlso the servants of the king who sat at the gate of the royal palace\nsaid to Mordecai: \"Wherein art thou better than we, that we should pay\nreverence to Haman and prostrate ourselves, and thou doest naught of\nall commanded us in the matter?\" Mordecai answered, saying \"O ye fools\nwithout understanding! Hear ye my words and make meet reply thereunto.\nWho is man that he should act proudly and arrogantly   man born of\nwoman and few in days? At his birth there is weeping and travailing, in\nhis youth pain and groans, all his days are 'full of trouble,' and in\nthe end he returns unto dust. Before such an one I should prostrate\nmyself? I bend the knee before God alone, the only living One in\nheaven, He who is the fire consuming all other fires; who holds the\nearth in His arms; who stretches out the heavens in His might; who\ndarkens the sun when it pleases Him, and illumines the darkness; who\ncommanded the sand to set bounds unto the seas; who made the waters of\nthe sea salt, and caused its waves to spread an aroma as of wine; who\nchained the sea as with manacles, and held it fast in the depths of the\nabyss that it might not overflow the land; it rages, yet it cannot pass\nits limits. With His word He created the firmament, which He stretched\nout like a cloud in the air; He cast it over the world like a dark\nvault, like a tent it is spread over the earth. In His strength He\nupholds all there is above and below. The sun, the moon, and the\nPleiades run before Him, the stars and the planets are not idle for a\nsingle moment; they rest not, they speed before Him as His messengers,\ngoing to the right and to the left, to do the will of Him who created\nthem. To Him praise is due, before Him we must prostrate ourselves.\"\n\nThe court officials spake and said: \"Yet we know well that thy ancestor\nJacob prostrated himself before Haman's ancestor Esau!\"\n\nWhereunto Mordecai made reply: \"I am a descendant of Benjamin, who was\nnot yet born when his father Jacob and his brothers cast themselves\nupon the earth before Esau. My ancestor never showed such honor to a\nmortal. Therefore was Benjamin's allotment of land in Palestine\nprivileged to contain the Temple. The spot whereon Israel and all the\npeoples of the earth prostrated themselves before God belonged to him\nwho had never prostrated himself before mortal man. Therefore I will\nnot bend my knee before this sinner Haman, nor cast myself to earth\nbefore him.\" (102)\n\nHaman at first tried to propitiate Mordecai by a show of modesty. As\nthough he had not noticed the behavior of Mordecai, he approached him,\nand saluted him with the words: \"Peace be with thee, my lord!\" But\nMordecai bluntly replied: \"There is no peace, saith my God, to the\nwicked.\" (103)\n\nThe hatred of Mordecai cherished by Haman was due to more than the\nhereditary enmity between the descendants of Saul and Agag. (104) Not\neven Mordecai's public refusal to pay the homage due to Haman suffices\nto explain its virulence. Mordecai was aware of a certain incident in\nthe past of Haman. If he had divulged it, the betrayal would have been\nmost painful to the latter. This accounts for the intensity of his\nfeeling.\n\nIt once happened that a city in India rebelled against Ahasuerus. In\ngreat haste troops were dispatched thither under the command of\nMordecai and Haman. It was estimated that the campaign would require\nthree years, and all preparations were made accordingly. By the end of\nthe first year Haman had squandered the provisions laid in to supply\nthe part of the army commanded by him, for the whole term of the\ncampaign. Greatly embarrassed, he requested Mordecai to give him aid.\nMordecai, however, refused him succor; they both had been granted the\nsame amount of provisions for an equal number of men. Haman then\noffered to borrow from Mordecai and pay him interest. This, too,\nMordecai refused to do, and for two reasons. If Mordecai had supplied\nHaman's men with provisions, his own would have to suffer, and as for\ninterest, the law prohibits it, saying \"Unto thy brother thou shalt not\nlend upon usury,\" and Jacob and Esau, the respective ancestors of\nMordecai and Haman, had been brothers.\n\nWhen starvation stared them in the face, the troops commanded by Haman\nthreatened him with death unless he gave them their rations. Haman\nagain resorted to Mordecai, and promised to pay him as much as ten per\ncent interest. The Jewish general continued to refuse the offer. But he\nprofessed himself willing to help him out of his embarrassment on one\ncondition, that Haman sell himself to Mordecai as his slave. Driven\ninto a corner, he acquiesced, and the contract was written upon\nMordecai's knee-cap, because there was no paper to be found in the\ncamp.\n\nThe bill of sale ran thus: \"I, Haman, the son of Hammedatha of the\nfamily of Agag, was sent out by King Ahasuerus to make war upon an\nIndian city, with an army of sixty thousand soldiers, furnished with\nthe necessary provisions. Precisely the same commission was given by\nthe king to Mordecai, the son of Shimei of the tribe of Benjamin. But I\nsquandered the provisions entrusted to me by the king, so that I had no\nrations to give to my troops. I desired to borrow from Mordecai on\ninterest, but, having regard to the fact that Jacob and Esau were\nbrothers, he refused to lend me upon usury, and I was forced to sell\nmyself as slave to him. If, now, I should at any time decline to serve\nhim as a slave, or deny that I am his slave, or if my children and\nchildren's children unto the end of all time should refuse to do him\nservice, if only a single day of the week; or if I should act\ninimically toward him on account of this contract, as Esau did toward\nJacob after selling him his birthright; in all these cases, a beam of\nwood is to be plucked out of the house of the recalcitrant, and he is\nto be hanged upon it. I, Haman, the son of Hammedatha of the family of\nAgag, being under no restraint, do hereby consent with my own will, and\nbind myself to be slave in perpetuity to Mordecai, in accordance with\nthe contents of this document.\"\n\nLater, when Haman attained to high rank in the state, Mordecai,\nwhenever he met him, was in the habit of stretching out his knee toward\nhim, so that he might see the bill of sale. This so enraged him against\nMordecai and against the Jews that he resolved to extirpate the Jewish\npeople. (105)\n\nCASTING THE LOTS\n\nHaman's hatred, first directed against Mordecai alone, grew apace until\nit included Mordecai's colleagues, all the scholars, whom he sought to\ndestroy, and not satisfied with even this, he plotted the annihilation\nof the whole of Mordecai's people, the Jews. (106)\n\nBefore beginning to lay out his plans, he desired to determine the most\nfavorable moment for his undertaking, which he did by casting lots.\n\nFirst of all he wanted to decide on the day of the week. The scribe\nShimshai began to cast lots. Sunday appeared inappropriate, being the\nday on which God created heaven and earth, whose continuance depends on\nIsrael's existence. Were it not for God's covenant with Israel, there\nwould be neither day nor night, neither heaven nor earth. Monday showed\nitself equally unpropitious for Haman's devices, for it was the day on\nwhich God effected the separation between the celestial and the\nterrestrial waters, symbolic of the separation between Israel and the\nheathen. Tuesday, the day on which the vegetable world was created,\nrefused to give its aid in bringing about the ruin of Israel, who\nworships God with branches of palm trees. Wednesday, too, protested\nagainst the annihilation of Israel, saying: \"On me the celestial\nluminaries were created, and like unto them Israel is appointed to\nillumine the whole world. First destroy me, and then Thou mayest\ndestroy Israel.\" Thursday said: \"O Lord, on me the birds were created,\nwhich are used for sin offerings. When Israel shall be no more, who\nwill bring offerings? First destroy me, and then Thou mayest destroy\nIsrael.\" Friday was unfavorable to Haman's lots, because it was the day\nof the creation of man, and the Lord God said to Israel, \"Ye are men.\"\nLeast of all was the Sabbath day inclined to make itself subservient to\nHaman's wicked plans. It said: \"The Sabbath is a sign between Israel\nand God. First destroy me, and then Thou mayest destroy Israel!\" (107)\n\nBaffled, Haman gave up all idea of settling upon a favorable day of the\nweek. He applied himself to the task of searching out the suitable\nmonth for his sinister undertaking. As it appeared to him, Adar was the\nonly one of the twelve owning naught that might be interpreted in favor\nof the Jews. The rest of them seemed to be enlisted on their side. In\nNisan Israel was redeemed from Egypt; in Iyar Amlek was overcome; In\nSiwan the Ethiopian Zerah was smitten in the war with Asa; in Tammuz\nthe Amorite kings were subjugated; in Ab the Jews won a victory over\nArad, the Canaanite; in Tishri the Jewish kingdom was firmly\nestablished by the dedication of Solomon's Temple, while in Heshwan the\nbuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem was completed; Kislew and Tebet\nwere the months during which Sihon and Og were conquered by the\nIsraelites, and in Shebat occurred the sanguinary campaign of the\neleven tribes against the godless children of Benjamin. Not alone was\nAdar a month without favorable significance in Jewish history, but\nactually a month of misfortune, the month in which Moses died. What\nHaman did not know was, that Adar was the month in which occurred also\nthe birth of Moses. (108)\n\nThen Haman investigated the twelve signs of the zodiac in relation to\nIsrael, and again it appeared that Adar was the most unfavorable month\nfor the Jews. The first constellation, the Ram, said to Haman, \"'Israel\nis a scattered sheep,' and how canst thou expect a father to offer his\nson for slaughter?\"\n\nThe Bull said: \"Israel's ancestor was 'the firstling bullock.'\"\n\nThe Twins: \"As we are twins, so Tamar bore twins to Judah.\"\n\nThe Crab: \"As I am called Saratan, the scratcher, so it is said of\nIsrael, 'All that oppress him, he shall scratch sorely.'\"\n\nThe Lion: \"God is called the lion, and is it likely the lion will\npermit the fox to bite his children?\"\n\nThe Virgin: \"As I am a virgin, so Israel is compared unto a virgin.\"\n\nThe Balance: \"Israel obeys the law against unjust balances in the\nTorah, and must therefore be protected by the Balance.\"\n\nThe Scorpion: \"Israel is like unto me, for he, too, is called\nscorpion.\"\n\nThe Archer: \"The sons of Judah are masters of the bow, and the bows of\nmighty men directed against them will be broken.\"\n\nThe Goat: \"It was a goat that brought blessing unto Jacob, the ancestor\nof Israel, and it stands to reason that the blessing of the ancestor\ncannot cause misfortune to the descendant.\"\n\nThe Water-bearer: \"His dominion is likened unto a bucket, and therefore\nthe Water-bearer cannot but bring him good.\" (109)\n\nThe Fishes were the only constellation which, at least according to\nHaman's interpretation, made unfavorable prognostications as to the\nfate of the Jews. It said that the Jews would be swallowed like fishes.\nGod however spake: \"O thou villain! Fishes are sometimes swallowed, but\nsometimes they swallow, and thou shalt be swallowed by the swallowers.\"\n(110) And when Haman began to cast lots, God said: \"O thou villain, son\nof a villain! What thy lots have shown thee is thine own lot, that thou\nwilt be hanged.\" (111)\n\nTHE DENUNCIATION OF THE JEWS\n\nHis resolve to ruin the Jews taken, Haman appeared before Ahasuerus\nwith his accusation against them. \"There is a certain people,\" he said,\n\"the Jews, scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the\nprovinces of the kingdom. They are proud and presumptuous. In Tebet, in\nthe depth of winter, they bathe in warm water, and they sit in cold\nwater in summer. Their religion is diverse from the religion of every\nother people, and their laws from the laws of every other land. To our\nlaws they pay no heed, our religion finds no favor with them, and the\ndecrees of the king they do not execute. When their eye falls upon us,\nthey spit out before us, and they consider us as unclean vessels. When\nwe levy them for the king's service, they either jump upon the wall,\nand hide within the chambers, or they break through the walls and\nescape. If we hasten to arrest them, they turn upon us, glare at us\nwith their eyes, grind their teeth, stamp their feet, and so intimidate\nus that we cannot hold them fast. They do not give us their daughters\nunto wives, nor do they take our daughters unto wives. If one of them\nhas to do the king's service, he idles all the day long. If they want\nto buy aught of us, they say, 'This is a day for doing business.' But\nif we want to buy aught of them, they say, 'We may do no business\nto-day,' and thus we can buy nothing from them on their market-days.\n\n\"Their time they pass in this wise: The first hour of the day, they\nsay, they need for reciting the Shema; the second for praying; the\nthird for eating; the fourth for saying grace, to give thanks to God\nfor the food and drink He has granted them; the fifth hour they devote\nto their business affairs; in the sixth they already feel the need of\nrest; in the seventh their wives call for them, saying, 'come home, ye\nweary ones, who are so exhausted by the king's service!'\n\n\"The seventh day they celebrate as their Sabbath; they go to the\nsynagogues on that day, read out of their books, translate pieces from\ntheir Prophets, curse our king, and execrate our government, saying:\n'This is the day whereon the great God rested; so may He grant us rest\nfrom the heathen.'\n\n\"The women pollute the waters with their ritual baths, which they take\nafter the seven days of their defilement. On the eighth day after the\nbirth of sons, they circumcise them mercilessly, saying, 'This shall\ndistinguish us from all other nations.' At the end of thirty days, and\nsometimes twenty-nine, they celebrate the beginning of the month. In\nthe month of Nisan they observe eight days of Passover, beginning the\ncelebration by kindling a fire of brushwood to burn up the leaven. They\nput all the leaven in their homes out of sight before they use the\nunleavened bread, saying, 'This is the day whereon our fathers were\nredeemed from Egypt.' Such is the festival they call Pesah. They go to\ntheir synagogues, read out of their books, and translate from the\nwritings of the Prophets, saying: 'As the leaven has been removed out\nof our houses, so may this wicked dominion be removed from over us.'\n\n\"Again, in Siwan, they celebrate two days, on which they go to their\nsynagogues, recite the Shema, and offer up prayers, read out of the\nTorah, and translate from the books of their Prophets, curse our king,\nand execrate our government. This is the holiday which they call\nAzarta, the closing festival. They ascend to the roofs of their\nsynagogues, and throw down apples, which are picked up by those below,\nwith the words, 'As these apples are gathered up, so may we be gathered\ntogether from our dispersion among the heathen.' They say they observe\nthis festival, because on these days the Torah was revealed to their\nancestors on Mount Sinai.\n\n\"On the first of Tishri they celebrate the New Year   again they go to\ntheir synagogues, read out of their books, translate pieces from the\nwritings of their Prophets, curse our king, execrate our government,\nand blow the trumpets, saying: 'On this Day of Memorial may we be\nremembered unto good, and our enemies unto evil.'\n\n\"On the ninth day of the same month they slaughter cattle, geese, and\npoultry, they eat and drink and indulge in dainties, they and their\nwives, their sons and their daughters. But the tenth day of the same\nmonth they call the Great Fast, and all of them fast, they together\nwith their wives, their sons, and their daughters, yea, they even\ntorture their little children without mercy, forcing them to abstain\nfrom food. They say: 'On this day our sins are pardoned, and are added\nto the sum of the sins committed by our enemies.' They go to their\nsynagogues, read from their books, translate from the writings of their\nProphets, curse our king, and execrate our government, saying: 'May\nthis empire be wiped off from the face of the earth like unto our\nsins.' They supplicate and pray that the king may die, and his rule be\nmade to cease.\n\n\"On the fifteenth of the same month they celebrate the Feast of\nTabernacles. They cover the roofs of their houses with foliage, they\nresort to our parks, where they cut down palm branches for their festal\nwreaths, pluck the fruit of the Etrog, and cause havoc among the\nwillows of the brook, by breaking down the hedges in their quest after\nHosha'not, saying: 'As does the king in the triumphal procession, so do\nwe.' Then they repair to their synagogues to pray, and read out of\ntheir books, and make circuits with their Hosha'not, all the while\njumping and skipping like goats, so that there is no telling whether\nthey curse us or bless us. This is Sukkot, as they call it, and while\nit lasts, they do none of the king's service, for, they maintain, all\nwork is forbidden them on these days.\n\n\"In this way they waste the whole year with tomfoolery and\nfiddle-faddle, only in order to avoid doing the king's service. At the\nexpiration of every period of fifty years they have a jubilee year, and\nevery seventh year is a year of release, during which the land lies\nfallow, for they neither sow nor reap therein, and sell us neither\nfruits nor other products of the field, so that those of us who live\namong them die of hunger. At the end of every period of twelve months,\nthey observe the New Year, at the end of every thirty days the New\nMoon, and every seventh day is the Sabbath, the day on which, as they\nsay, the Lord of the world rested.\" (112)\n\nAfter Haman had finished his arraignment of the Jews, God said: \"Thou\ndidst well enumerate the holidays of the Jews, yet thou didst omit the\ntwo   Purim and Shushan-Purim  which the Jews will celebrate to\ncommemorate thy fall.\"\n\nClever though Haman's charge was, the vindication of the Jews was no\nwhit less clever. For they found a defender in the archangel Michael.\nWhile Haman was delivering his indictment, he spoke thus to God: \"O\nLord of the world! Thou knowest well that the Jews are not accused of\nidolatry, nor of immoral conduct, nor of shedding blood; they are\naccused only of observing Thy Torah.\" God pacified him: \"As thou\nlivest, I have not abandoned them, I will not abandon them.\"\n\nHaman's denunciations of the Jewish people found a ready echo in the\nheart of the king. He replied: \"I, too, desire the annihilation of the\nJews, but I fear their God, for He is mighty beyond compare, and He\nloves His people with a great love. Whoever rises up against them, He\ncrushes under their feet. Just think of Pharaoh! Should his example not\nbe a warning to us? He ruled the whole world, yet, because he oppressed\nthe Jews, he was visited with frightful plagues. God delivered them\nfrom the Egyptians, and cleft the sea for them, a miracle never done\nfor any other nation, and when Pharaoh pursued them with an army of six\nhundred thousand warriors, he and his host together were drowned in the\nsea. Thy ancestor Amalek, O Haman, attacked them with four hundred\nthousand heroes, and all of them God delivered into the hands of\nJoshua, who slew them. Sisera had forty thousand generals under him,\neach one commander of a hundred thousand men, yet they all were\nannihilated. The God of the Jews ordered the stars to consume the\nwarriors of Sisera, and then He caused the great general to fall into\nthe power of a woman, to become a by-word and a reproach forever. Many\nand valorous rulers have risen up against them, they all were cast down\nby their God and crushed unto their everlasting disgrace. Now, then,\ncan we venture aught against them?\"\n\nHaman, however, persisted. Day after day he urged the king to consent\nto his plan. Ahasuerus thereupon called together a council of the wise\nmen of all nations and tongues. To them he submitted the question,\nwhether the Jews ought not to be destroyed, seeing they differed from\nall other peoples. The sage councillors inquired: \"Who is it that\ndesires to induce thee to take so fatal a step? If the Jewish nation is\ndestroyed, the world itself will cease to be, for the world exists only\nfor the sake of the Torah studied by Israel. Yea, the very sun and moon\nshed their light only for the sake of Israel, and were it not for him,\nthere were neither day nor night, and neither dew nor rain would\nmoisten the earth. More than this, all other nations beside Israel are\ndesignated as 'strangers' by God, but Israel He called in His love 'a\npeople near to Him,' and His 'children.' If men do not suffer their\nchildren and kinsmen to be attacked with impunity, how much less will\nGod sit by quiet when Israel is assailed   God the Ruler over all\nthings, over the powers in heaven above and on earth beneath, over the\nspirits and the souls God with whom it lies to exalt and to degrade, to\nslay and to revive.\"\n\nHaman was ready with a reply to these words of the wise: \"The God who\ndrowned Pharaoh in the sea, and who did all the wonders and signs ye\nhave recounted, that God is now in His dotage, He can neither see nor\nprotect. For did not Nebuchadnezzar destroy His house, burn His palace,\nand scatter His people to all corners of the earth, and He was not able\nto do one thing against it? If He had had power and strength, would he\nnot have displayed them? This is the best proof that He was waxed old\nand feeble.\"\n\nWhen the heathen sages heard these arguments advance by Haman, they\nagreed to his plan, and put their signature to an edict decreeing the\npersecution of the Jews. (113)\n\nTHE DECREE OF ANNIHILATION\n\nThis is the text of the decree which Haman issued to the heads of all\nthe nations regarding the annihilation of the Jews: \"This herein is\nwritten by me, the great officer of the king, his second in rank, the\nfirst among the grandees, and one of the seven princes, and the most\ndistinguished among the nobles of the realm. I, in agreement with the\nrulers of the provinces, the princes of the king, the chiefs and the\nlords, the Eastern kings and the satraps, all being of the same\nlanguage, write you at the order of King Ahasuerus this writing sealed\nwith his signet, so that it may not be sent back, concerning the great\neagle Israel. The great eagle had stretched out his pinions over the\nwhole world; neither bird nor beast could withstand him. But there came\nthe great lion Nebuchadnezzar, and dealt the great eagle a stinging\nblow. His pinions snapped, his feathers were plucked out, and his feet\nwere hacked off. The whole world has enjoyed rest, cheer, and\ntranquillity since the moment the eagle was chased from his eyrie until\nthis day. Now we notice that he is using all efforts to secure wings.\nHe is permitting his feathers to grow, with the intention of covering\nus and the whole world, as he did unto our forefathers. At the instance\nof King Ahasuerus, all the magnates of the king of Media and Persia are\nassembled, and we are writing you our joint advice, as follows: 'Set\nsnares for the eagle, and capture him before he renews his strength,\nand soars back to his eyrie.' We advise you to tear out his plumage,\nbreak his wings, give his flesh to the fowl of heaven, split the eggs\nlying in his nest, and crush his young, so that his memorial may vanish\nfrom the world. Our counsel is not like unto Pharaoh's; he sought to\ndestroy only the men of Israel; to the women he did no harm. It is not\nlike unto the plan of Esau, who wanted to slay his brother Jacob and\nkeep his children as slaves. It is not like unto the tactics of Amalek,\nwho pursued Israel and smote the hindmost and feeble, but left the\nstrong unscathed. It is not like unto the policy of Nebuchadnezzar, who\ncarried them away into exile, and settled them near his own throne. And\nit is not like unto the way of Sennacherib, who assigned a land unto\nthe Jews as fair as their own had been. We, recognizing clearly what\nthe situation is, have resolved to slay the Jews, annihilate them,\nyoung and old, so that their name and their memorial may be no more,\nand their posterity may be cut off forever.\" (114)\n\nThe edict issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews ran thus: \"To all the\npeoples, nations, and races: Peace be with you! This is to acquaint you\nthat one came to us who is not of our nation and of our land, an\nAmalekite, the son of great ancestors, and his name is Haman. He made a\ntrifling request of me, saying: 'Among us there dwells a people, the\nmost despicable of all, who are a stumbling-block in every time. They\nare exceeding presumptuous, and they know our weakness and our\nshortcomings. They curse the king in these words, which are constantly\nin their mouths: \"God is the King of the world forever and ever: He\nwill make the heathen to perish out of His land: He will execute\nvengeance and punishments upon the peoples.\" From the beginning of all\ntime they have been ungrateful, as witness their behavior toward\nPharaoh. With kindness he received them, their wives, and their\nchildren, at the time of a famine. He gave up to them the best of his\nland. He provided them with food and all they needed. Then Pharaoh\ndesired to build a palace, and he requested the Jews to do it for him.\nThey began the work grudgingly, amid murmurings, and it is not\ncompleted unto this day. In the midst of it, they approached Pharaoh\nwith these words: \"We wish to offer sacrifices to our God in a place\nthat is a three days' journey from here, and we petition thee to lend\nus silver and gold vessels, and clothes, and apparel.\" So much did they\nborrow, that each one bore ninety ass-loads off with him, and Egypt was\nemptied out. When, the three days having elapsed, they did not return,\nPharaoh pursued them in order to recover the stolen treasures. What did\nthe Jews? They had among them a man by the name of Moses, the son of\nAmram, an arch-wizard, who had been bred in the house of Pharaoh. When\nthey reached the sea, this man raised his staff, and cleft the waters,\nand led the Jews through them dryshod, while Pharaoh and his host were\ndrowned.\n\n\"'Their God helps them as long as they observe His law, so that none\ncan prevail against them. Balaam, the only prophet we heathens ever\nhad, they slew with the sword, as they did unto Sihon and Og, the\npowerful kings of Canaan, whose land they took after killing them.\nLikewise they brought ruin upon Amalek, the great and glorious ruler  \nthey, and Saul their king, and Samuel their prophet. Later they had an\nunmerciful king, David by name, who smote the Philistines, the\nAmmonites, and the Moabites, and not one of them could discomfit him.\nSolomon, the son of this king, being wise and sagacious, built them a\nhouse of worship in Jerusalem, that they might not scatter to all parts\nof the world. But after they had been guilty of many crimes against\ntheir God, He delivered them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar, who\ndeported them to Babylonia.\n\n\"'To this day they are among us, and though they are under our hand, we\nare of none account in their eyes. Their religion and their laws are\ndifferent from the religion and he laws of all the other nations. Their\nsons do not marry with our daughters, our gods they do not worship,\nthey have no regard for our honor, and they refuse to bend the knee\nbefore us. Calling themselves freemen, they will not do our service,\nand our commands they heed not.'\n\n\"Therefore the grandees, the princes, and the satraps have been\nassembled before us, we have taken counsel together, and we have\nresolved an irrevocable resolution, according to the laws of the Medes\nand Persians, to extirpate the Jews from among the inhabitants of the\nearth. We have sent the edict to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces\nof my empire, to slay them, their sons, their wives, and their little\nchildren, on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar   none is to\nescape. As they did to our forefathers, and desired to do unto us, so\nshall be done unto them, and their possessions are to be given over to\nthe spoilers. Thus shall ye do, that ye may find grace before me. This\nis the writing of the letter which I send to you, Ahasuerus king of\nMedia and Persia.\" (115)\n\nThe price Haman offered the king for the Jews was ten thousand\nhundredweights of silver. He took the number of the Jews at their\nexodus from Egypt, six hundred thousand, as the basis of his\ncalculation, and offered a half-shekel for every soul of them, the sum\neach Israelite had to pay yearly for the maintenance of the sanctuary.\nThough the sum was so vast that Haman could not find coin enough to pay\nit, but promised to deliver it in the form of silver bars, Ahasuerus\nrefused the ransom. When Haman made the offer, he said: \"Let us cast\nlots. If thou drawest Israel and I draw money, then the sale stands as\na valid transaction. If the reverse, it is not valid.\" Because of the\nsins of the Jews, the sale was confirmed by the lots. But Haman was not\ntoo greatly pleased with his own success. He disliked to give up so\nlarge a sum of money. Observing his ill humor, Ahasuerus said: \"Keep\nthe money; I do not care either to make or to lose money on account of\nthe Jews.\" (116)\n\nFor the Jews it was fortunate that the king did not accept money for\nthem, else his subjects would not have obeyed his second edict, the one\nfavorable to the Jews. They would have been able to advance the\nargument, that the king, by accepting a sum of money for them, had\nresigned his rights over the Jews in favor of Haman, who, therefore,\ncould deal with them as he pleased. (117)\n\nThe agreement between Ahasuerus and Haman was concluded at a carouse,\nby way of punishment for the crime of the sons of Jacob, who had\nunmercifully sold their brother Joseph into slavery to the Ishmaelites\nwhile eating and drinking. (118)\n\nThe joy of this Jew-hating couple   for Ahasuerus hated the Jews with\nno less fierce a hatred than Haman did (119)   was shared by none. The\ncapital city of Shushan was in mourning and sorely perplexed. Scarcely\nhad the edict of annihilation been promulgated against the Jews, when\nall sorts of misfortunes began to happen in the city. Women who were\nhanging up their wash to dry on the roofs of the houses dropped dead;\nmen who went to draw water fell into the wells, and lost their lives.\nWhile Ahasuerus and Haman were making merry in the palace, the city was\nthrown into consternation and mourning. (120)\n\nSATAN INDICTS THE JEWS\n\nThe position of the Jews after the royal edict became known beggars\ndescription. If a Jew ventured abroad on the street to make a purchase,\nhe was almost throttled by the Persians, who taunted him with these\nwords: \"Never mind, to-morrow will soon be here, and then I shall kill\nthee, and take thy money away from thee.\" If a Jew offered to sell\nhimself as a slave, he was rejected; not even the sacrifice of his\nliberty could protect him against the loss of his life. (121)\n\nMordecai, however, did not despair; he trusted in the Divine help. On\nhis way from the court, after Haman and his ilk had informed him with\nmalicious joy of the king's pleasure concerning the Jews, he met Jewish\nchildren coming from school. He asked the first child what verse from\nthe Scriptures he had studied in school that day, and the reply was:\n\"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked\nwhen it cometh.\" The verse committed to memory by the second was: \"Let\nthem take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; let them\nspeak the word, but it shall not stand; for God is with us.\" And the\nverse which the third had learnt was: \"And even to old age I am He, and\neven to hoar hairs I will carry you: I have made and will bear; yea, I\nwill carry and will deliver.\"\n\nWhen Mordecai heard these verses, he broke out into jubilation,\nastonishing Haman not a little. Mordecai told him, \"I rejoice at the\ngood tidings announced to me by the school children.\" Haman thereupon\nfell into such a rage that he exclaimed: \"In sooth, they shall be the\nfirst to feel the weight of my hand.\"\n\nWhat gave Mordecai the greatest concern, was the certainty that the\ndanger had been invited by the Jews themselves, through their sinful\nconduct in connection with the banquets given by Ahasuerus. Eighteen\nthousand five hundred Jews had taken part in them; they had eaten and\ndrunk, intoxicated themselves and committed immoralities, as Haman had\nforeseen, the very reason, indeed, he had advised the king to hold the\nbanquets.\n\nThereupon Satan had indicted the Jews. The accusations which he\nproduced against them were of such a nature that God at once ordered\nwriting materials to be brought to Him for the decree of annihilation,\nand it was written and sealed.\n\nWhen the Torah heard that Satan's designs against the Jews had\nsucceeded, she broke out into bitter weeping before God, and her\nlamentations awakened the angels, who likewise began to wail, saying:\n\"If Israel is to be destroyed, of what avail is the whole world?\"\n\nThe sun and the moon heard the lamentations of the angels, and they\ndonned their mourning garb and also wept bitterly and wailed, saying:\n\"Is Israel to be destroyed, Israel who wanders from town to town, and\nfrom land to land, only for the sake of the study of the Torah; who\nsuffers grievously under the hand of the heathen, only because he\nobserves the Torah and the sign of the covenant?\"\n\nIn great haste the prophet Elijah ran to the Patriarchs and to the\nother prophets, and to the saints in Israel, and addressed these words\nto them: \"O ye fathers of the world! Angels, and the sun and the moon,\nand heaven and earth, and all the celestial hosts are weeping bitterly.\nThe whole world is seized with throes as of a woman in travail, by\nreason of your children, who have forfeited their life on account of\ntheir sins, and ye sit quiet and tranquil.\" Thereupon Moses said to\nElijah: \"Knowest thou any saints in the present generation of Israel?\"\nElijah named Mordecai, and Moses sent the prophet to him, with the\ncharge that he, the \"saint of the living generation,\" should unite his\nprayers with the prayers of the saints among the dead, and perhaps the\ndoom might be averted from Israel. But Elijah hesitated. \"O faithful\nshepherd,\" he said, \"the edict of annihilation issued by God is written\nand sealed.\" Moses, however, did not desist; he urged the Patriarchs:\n\"If the edict is sealed with wax, your prayers will be heard; if with\nblood, then all is vain.\"\n\nElijah hastened to Mordecai, who, when first he heard what God had\nresolved upon, tore his garments and was possessed by a great fear,\nthough before he had confidently hoped that help would come form God.\nHe gathered together all the school children, and had them fast, so\nthat their hunger should drive them to moan and groan. Then it was that\nIsrael spoke to God: \"O Lord of the world! When the heathen rage\nagainst me, they do not desire my silver and gold, they desire only\nthat I should be exterminated from off the face of the earth. Such was\nthe design of Nebuchadnezzar when he wanted to compel Israel to worship\nthe idol. Had it not been for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, I had\ndisappeared from the world. Now it is Haman who desires to uproot the\nwhole vine.\" (122)\n\nThen Mordecai addressed all the people thus: \"O people of Israel, that\nart so dear and precious in the sight of thy Heavenly Father! Knowest\nthou not what has happened? Hast thou not heard that the king and Haman\nhave resolved to remove us off the face of the earth, to destroy us\nfrom beneath the sun? We have no king on whom we can depend, and no\nprophet to intercede for us with prayers. There is no place whither we\ncan flee, no land wherein we can find safety. We are like sheep without\na shepherd, like a ship upon the sea without a pilot. We are like an\norphan born after the death of his father, and death robs him of his\nmother, too, when he has scarce begun to draw nourishment from her\nbreast.\"\n\nAfter this address a great prayer-meeting was called outside of\nShushan. The Ark containing the scroll of the law, covered with\nsackcloth and strewn with ashes, was brought thither. The scroll was\nunrolled, and the following verses read from it: \"When thou art in\ntribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the latter\ndays thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and hearken unto His voice,\nfor the Lord thy God is a merciful God: He will not fail thee, neither\ndestroy thee, nor forget the covenant of they fathers which He swore\nunto them.\"\n\nThereunto Mordecai added words of admonition: \"O people of Israel, thou\nart dear and precious to thy Father in heaven, let us follow the\nexample of the inhabitants of Nineveh, doing as they did when the\nprophet Jonah came to them to announce the destruction of the city. The\nking arose from his throne, laid his crown from him, covered himself\nwith sackcloth, and sat in ashes, and he made proclamation, and\npublished through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles,\nsaying, 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let\nthem not feed, nor drink water, but let them be covered with sackcloth,\nboth man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them\nturn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in\ntheir hands.' Then God repented Him of the evil He had designed to\nbring upon them, and He did it not. Now, then, let us follow their\nexample, let us hold a fast, mayhap God will have mercy upon us.\" (123)\n\nFurthermore spake Mordecai: \"O Lord of the world! Didst Thou not swear\nunto our fathers to make us as many as the stars in the heavens? And\nnow we are as sheep in the shambles. What has become of Thine oath?\"\n(124) He cried aloud, though he knew God hears the softest whisper, for\nhe said: \"O Father of Israel, what hast Thou done unto me? One single\ncry of anguish uttered by Esau Thou didst repay with the blessing of\nhis father Isaac, 'By thy sword shall thou live,' and now we ourselves\nare abandoned to the mercy of the sword.\" (125) What Mordecai was not\naware of, was that he, the descendant of Jacob, was brought unto\nweeping and wailing by Haman, the descendant of Esau, as a punishment,\nbecause Jacob himself had brought Esau unto weeping and wailing. (126)\n\nTHE DREAM OF MORDECAI FULFILLED\n\nEsther, who knew naught of what was happening at court, was greatly\nalarmed when her attendants told her that Mordecai had appeared in the\nprecincts of the palace clothed in sackcloth and ashes. She was so\novercome by fright that she was deprived of the joys of motherhood to\nwhich she had been looking forward with happy expectancy. (127) She\nsent clothes to Mordecai, who, however, refused to lay aside his garb\nof mourning until God permitted miracles to come to pass for Israel,\nwherein he followed the example of such great men in Israel as Jacob,\nDavid, and Ahab, and of the Gentile inhabitants of Nineveh at the time\nof Jonah. By no means would he array himself in court attire so long as\nhis people was exposed to sure suffering. (128) The queen sent for\nDaniel, called also Hathach in the Scriptures, and charged him to learn\nfrom Mordecai wherefore he was mourning. (129)\n\nTo escape all danger from spying ears, Hathach and Mordecai had their\nconversation in the open, like Jacob when he consulted with his wives\nLeah and Rachel about leaving their father Laban. (130) By Hathach\nMordecai sent word to the queen, that Haman was an Amalekite, who like\nhis ancestor sought to destroy Israel. (131) He requested her to appear\nbefore the king and plead for the Jews, reminding her at the same time\nof a dream he had once had and told her about.\n\nOnce, when Mordecai had spent a long time weeping and lamenting over\nthe misery of the Jews in the Dispersion, and prayed fervently to God\nto redeem Israel and rebuild the Temple, he fell asleep, and in his\nsleep a dream visited him. He dreamed he was transported to a desert\nplace he had never seen before. Many nations lived there jumbled\ntogether, only one small and despised nation kept apart at a short\ndistance. Suddenly a snake shot up from the midst of the nations,\nrising higher and higher, and growing stronger and larger in proportion\nas it rose. It darted in the direction of the spot in which they tiny\nnation stood, and tried to project itself upon it. Impenetrable clouds\nand darkness enveloped the little nation, and when the snake was on the\npoint of seizing it, a hurricane arose from the four corners of the\nworld, covering the snake as clothes cover a man, and blew it to bits.\nThe fragments scattered hither and thither like chaff before the wind,\nuntil not a speck of the monster was to be found anywhere. Then the\ncloud and the darkness vanished from above the little nation, the\nsplendor of the sun again enveloped it. (132)\n\nThis dream Mordecai recorded in a book, and when the storm began to\nrage against the Jews, he thought of it, and demanded that Esther go to\nthe king as the advocate of her people. At first she did not feel\ninclined to accede to the wishes of Mordecai. By her messenger she\nrecalled to his mind, that he himself had insisted upon her keeping her\nJewish descent a secret. (133) Besides, she had always tried to refrain\nfrom appearing before the king at her own initiative, in order that she\nmight not be instrumental in bringing down sin upon her soul, for she\nwell remembered Mordecai's teaching, that \"a Jewish woman, captive\namong the heathen, who of her own accord goes to them, loses her\nportion in the Jewish nation.\" She had been rejoicing that her\npetitions had been granted, and the king had not come nigh unto her\nthis last month. Was she now voluntarily to present herself before him?\n(134) Furthermore, she had her messenger inform Mordecai, that Haman\nhad introduced a new palace regulation. Any one who appeared before the\nking without having been summoned by Haman, would suffer the death\npenalty. Therefore, she could not, if she would, go to the king to\nadvocate the cause of the Jews. (135)\n\nEsther urged her uncle to refrain from incensing Haman and furnishing\nhim with a pretext for wreaking the hatred of Esau to Jacob upon\nMordecai and his nation. Mordecai, however, was firmly convinced that\nEsther was destined by God to save Israel. How could her miraculous\nhistory be explained otherwise? At the very moment Esther was taken to\ncourt, he had thought: \"Is it conceivable that God would force so pious\na woman to wed with a heathen, were it not that she is appointed to\nsave Israel from menacing dangers?\" (136)\n\nFirm as Mordecai was in his determination to make Esther take a hand in\naffairs, he yet did not find it a simple matter to communicate with\nher. For Hathach was killed by Haman as soon as it was discovered that\nhe was acting as mediator between Mordecai and Esther. (137) There was\nnone to replace him, unto God dispatched the archangels Michael and\nGabriel to carry messages from one to the other and back again. (138)\n\nMordecai sent word to her, if she let the opportunity to help Israel\nslip by, she would have to give account for the omission before the\nheavenly court. (139) To Israel in distress, however, help would come\nfrom other quarters. Never had God forsaken His people in time of need.\nMoreover, he admonished her, that, as the descendant of Saul, it was\nher duty to make reparation for her ancestor's sin in not having put\nAgag to death. Had he done as he was bidden, the Jews would not now\nhave to fear the machinations of Haman, the offspring of Agag. He bade\nher supplicate her Heavenly Father to deal with the present enemies of\nIsrael as He had dealt with his enemies in former ages. To give her\nencouragement, Mordecai continued: \"Is Haman so surpassing great that\nhis plan against the Jews must succeed? Dost though mean to say that he\nis superior to his own ancestor Amalek, whom God crushed when he\nprecipitated himself upon Israel? Is he mightier than the thirty-one\nkings who fought against Israel and whom Joshua slew 'with the word of\nGod'? Is he stronger than Sisera, who went out against Israel with nine\nhundred iron chariots, and yet met his death at the hands of a mere\nwoman, the punishment for having withdrawn the use of the water-springs\nfrom the Israelites and prevented their wives from taking the\nprescribed ritual baths and thus from fulfilling their conjugal duty?\nIs he more powerful than Goliath, who reviled the warriors of Israel,\nand was slain by David? Or is he more invincible than the sons of\nOrpah, who waged wars with Israel, and were killed by David and his\nmen? Therefore, do not refrain thy mouth from prayer, and thy lips from\nsupplication, for on account of the merits of our fathers, Israel has\never and ever been snatched out of the jaws of death. He who has at all\ntimes done wonders for Israel, will deliver the enemy into our hands\nnow, for us to do with him as seemeth best to us.\"\n\nWhat he endeavored to impress upon Esther particularly, was that God\nwould bring help to Israel without her intermediation, but it was to\nher interest to use the opportunity, for which alone she had reached\nher exalted place, to make up for the transgressions committed by her\nhouse, Saul and his descendants. (140)\n\nYielding at last to the arguments of Mordecai, Esther was prepared to\nrisk life in this world, in order to secure life in the world to come.\nShe made only one request of her uncle. He was to have the Jews spend\nthree days in prayer and fasting in her behalf, that she might find\nfavor in the eyes of the king. At first Mordecai was opposed to the\nproclamation of a fast, because it was Passover time, and the law\nprohibits fasting on the holidays. But he finally assented to Esther's\nreasoning: \"Of what avail are the holidays, if there is no Israel to\ncelebrate them, and without Israel, there would not be even a Torah.\nTherefore it is advisable to transgress on law, that God may have mercy\nupon us.\" (141)\n\nTHE PRAYER OF ESTHER\n\nAccordingly Mordecai made arrangements for a fast and a prayer-meeting.\nOn the very day of the festival, he had himself ferried across the\nwater to the other side of Shushan, where all the Jews of the city\ncould observe the fast together. (142) It was important that the Jewish\nresidents of Shushan beyond all other Jews should do penance and seek\npardon from God, because they had committed the sin of partaking of\nAhasuerus's banquet. Twelve thousand priests marched in the procession,\ntrumpets in their right hands, and the holy scrolls of the law in their\nleft, weeping and mourning, and exclaiming against God: \"Here is the\nTorah Thou gavest us. Thy beloved people is about to be destroyed. When\nthat comes to pass, who will be left to read the Torah and make mention\nof Thy name? The sun and the moon will refuse to shed their light\nabroad, for they were created only for the sake of Israel.\" Then they\nfell upon their faces, and said: \"Answer us, our Father, answer us, our\nKing.\" The whole people joined in their cry, and the celestials wept\nwith them, and the Fathers came forth from their graves.\n\nAfter a three days' fast, Esther arose from the earth and dust, and\nmade preparations to betake herself to the king. She arrayed herself in\na silken garment, embroidered with gold from Ophir and spangled with\ndiamonds and pearls sent her from Africa; a golden crown was on her\nhead, and on her feet shoes of gold.\n\nAfter she had completed her attire, she pronounced the following\nprayer: \"Thou art the great God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nand the God of my father Benjamin. Not because I consider myself\nwithout blemish, do I dare appear before the foolish king, but that the\npeople of Israel may not be cut off from the world. Is it not for the\nsake of Israel alone that the whole world was created, and if Israel\nshould cease to exist, who will come and exclaim 'Holy, holy, holy'\nthrice daily before Thee? As Thou didst save Hananiah, Mishael, and\nAzariah out of the burning furnace, and Daniel out of the den of lions,\nso save me out of the hand of this foolish king, and make me to appear\ncharming and graceful in his eyes. I entreat Thee to give ear to my\nprayer in this time of exile and banishment from our land. By reason of\nour sins the threatening words of the Holy Scriptures are accomplished\nupon us: 'Ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and\nfor bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.' The decree to kill us has\nbeen issued. We are delivered up unto the sword for destruction, root\nand branch. The children of Abraham covered themselves with sackcloth\nand ashes, but though the elders sinned, what wrongs have the children\ncommitted, and though the children committed wrongs, what have the\nsucklings done? The nobles of Jerusalem came forth from their graves,\nfor their children were given up to the sword.\n\n\"How quickly have the days of our joy flown by! The wicked Haman has\nsurrendered us to our enemies for slaughter.\n\n\"I will recount before Thee the deeds of Thy friends, and with Abraham\nwill I begin. Thou didst try him with all temptations, yet didst Thou\nfind him faithful. O that Thou wouldst support his beloved children for\nhis sake, and aid them, so that Thou wouldst bear them as an\nunbreakable seal upon Thy right hand. Call Haman to account for the\nwrong he would do us, and be revenged upon the son of Hammedatha.\nDemand requital of Haman and not of Thy people, for he sought to\nannihilate us all at one stroke, he, the enemy and afflicter of Thy\npeople, whom he endeavors to hem in on all sides.\n\n\"With an eternal bond Thou didst bind us unto Thee. O that Thou wouldst\nuphold us for the sake of Isaac, who was bound. Haman offered the king\nten thousand talents of silver for us. Raise Thou our voice, and answer\nus, and bring us forth out of the narrow place into enlargement. Thou\nwho breakest the mightiest, crush Haman, so that he may never again\nrise from his fall. I am ready to appear before the king, to entreat\ngrace for my inheritance. Send Thou an angel of compassion with me on\nmine errand, and let grace and favor be my companions. May the\nrighteousness of Abraham go before me, the binding of Isaac raise me,\nthe charm of Jacob be put into my mouth, and the grace of Joseph upon\nmy tongue. Happy the man who putteth his trust in God; he is not\nconfounded. He will lend me His right hand and His left hand, with\nwhich He created the whole world. Ye, all ye of Israel, pray for me as\nI pray in your behalf. For whatsoever a man may ask of God in the time\nof his distress, is granted unto him. Let us look upon the deeds of our\nfathers and do like unto them, and He will answer our supplications.\nThe left hand of Abraham held Isaac by the throat, and his right hand\ngrasped the knife. He willingly did Thy bidding, nor did he delay to\nexecute Thy command. Heaven opened its windows to give space to the\nangels, who cried bitterly, and said: 'Woe to the world, if this thing\nshould come to pass!' I also call upon Thee! O answer me, for Thou\ngivest ear unto all who are afflicted and oppressed. Thou art called\nthe Merciful and the Gracious; Thou art slow to anger and great in\nlovingkindness and truth. Hear our voice and answer us, and lead us out\nof distress into enlargement. For three days have I fasted in\naccordance with the number of days Abraham journey to bind his son upon\nthe altar before Thee. Thou didst make a covenant with him, and didst\npromise him: 'Whenever thy children shall be in distress, I will\nremember the binding of Isaac favorably unto them, and deliver them out\nof their troubles.' Again, I fasted three days corresponding to the\nthree classes Israel, priests, Levites, and Israelites, who stood at\nthe foot of Sinai, and said: 'All the Lord hath spoken will we do, and\nbe obedient.'\"\n\nEsther concluded her prayer and said: \"O God, Lord of hosts! Thou that\nsearchest the heart and the reins, in this hour do Thou remember the\nmerits of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that my petition to Thee may not\nbe turned aside, nor my request be left unfulfilled.' (143)\n\nESTHER INTERCEDES\n\nAfter finishing her prayer, Esther betook herself to the king,\naccompanied by three attendants, one walking to the right of her, the\nsecond on the other side, and the third bearing her train, heavy with\nthe precious stones with which it was studded. (144) Her chief\nadornment was the holy spirit that was poured out over her. But\nscarcely did she enter the chamber containing the idols, when the holy\nspirit departed from her, and she cried out in great distress: \"Eli,\nEli, lamah azabtani! Shall I be chastised for acts that I do against my\nwill, and only in obedience to the promptings of sore need? (145) Why\nshould my fate be different from that of the Mother? When Pharaoh only\nattempted to approach Sarah, plagues came upon him and his house, but I\nhave been compelled for years to live with this heathen, and Thou dost\nnot deliver me out of his hand. O Lord of the world! Have I not paid\nscrupulous heed to the three commands Thou didst specially ordain for\nwomen?\"\n\nTo reach the king, Esther had to pass through seven apartments, each\nmeasuring ten ells in length. The first three she traversed unhindered;\nthey were too far off for the king to observe her progress through\nthem. But barely had she crossed the threshold of the fourth chamber,\nwhen Ahasuerus caught sight of her, and, overcome by rage, he\nexclaimed: \"O for the departed, their like is not found again on earth!\nHow I urged and entreated Vashti to appear before me, but she refused,\nand I had her killed therefor. This Esther come hither without\ninvitation, like unto a public prostitute.\"\n\nIn consternation and despair Esther stood rooted to the centre of the\nfourth chamber. Having once allowed her to pass through the doors under\ntheir charge, the guards of the first four rooms had forfeited their\nauthority over her; and to the guards in the other three rooms, she had\nnot yet given cause for interfering with her. Yet the courtiers were so\nconfident that Esther was about to suffer the death penalty, that the\nsons of Haman were already busy dividing her jewels among themselves,\nand casting lots for her royal purple. Esther herself was keenly aware\nof her dangerous position. In her need, she besought God: \"Eli, Eli,\nlamah azabtani,\" and prayed to Him the words which have found their\nplace in the Psalter composed by King David. (146) Because she put her\nconfidence in God, He answered her petition, and sent her three angels\nto help her: the one enveloped her countenance with \"the threads of\ngrace,\" the second raised her head, and the third drew out the sceptre\nof Ahasuerus until it touched her. (147) The king turned his head\nround, to avoid seeing Esther, but the angels forced him to look her\nway, and be conquered by her seductive charm. (148)\n\nBy reason of her long fast, Esther was so weak that she was unable to\nextend her hand toward the sceptre of the king. The archangel Michael\nhad to draw her near it. Ahasuerus then said: \"I see, thou must have a\nmost important request to prefer, else thou hadst not risked thy life\ndeliberately. (149) I am ready to give it thee, even to the half of the\nkingdom. There is but one petition I cannot grant, and that is the\nrestoration of the Temple. I gave my oath to Geshem the Arabian,\nSanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite, not to allow it to be\nrebuilt, from fear of the Jews, lest they rise up against me.\" (150)\n\nFor the moment, Esther refrained from uttering her petition. All she\nasked was, that the king and Haman would come to a banquet she proposed\nto give. She had good reasons for this peculiar course of conduct. She\ndesired to disarm Haman's suspicions regarding her Jewish descent, and\nto lead her fellow-Jews to fix their hope upon God and not upon her. At\nthe same time, it was her plan to arouse jealousy of Haman in both the\nking and the princes. She was quite ready to sacrifice her own life, if\nher stratagems would but involve the life of Haman, too. (151) At the\nbanquet she therefore favored Haman in such manner that Ahasuerus could\nnot but be jealous. She moved her chair close to Haman's, and when\nAhasuerus handed her his wine-cup, to let her drink of it first, she\npassed it on to his minister.\n\nAfter the banquet, the king repeated his question, and again made the\nasseveration, that he would fulfill all her wishes at whatever cost,\nbarring only the restoration of the Temple. Esther, however, was not\nyet ready; she preferred to wait another day before taking up the\nconflict with Haman. She had before her eyes the example of Moses, who\nalso craved a day's preparation before going out against Amalek, the\nancestor of Haman. (152)\n\nDeceived by the attention and distinction accorded him by Esther, Haman\nfelt secure in his position, priding himself not only on the love of\nthe king, but also on the respect of the queen. He felt himself to be\nthe most privileged being in all the wide realm governed by Ahasuerus.\n(153)\n\nFilled with arrogant self-sufficiency, he passed by Mordecai, who not\nonly refused to give him the honors decreed in his behalf, but,\nbesides, pointed to his knee, inscribed with the bill of sale whereby\nHaman had become the slave of Mordecai. (154) Doubly and triply\nenraged, he resolved to make an example of the Jew. But he was not\nsatisfied with inflicting death by a simple kick.\n\nOn reaching his home he was disappointed not to find his wife Zeresh,\nthe daughter of the Persian satrap Tattenai. As always when Haman was\nat court, she had gone to her paramours. He sent for her and his three\nhundred and sixty-five advisers, and with them he took counsel as to\nwhat was to be done to Mordecai. (155) Pointing to a representation of\nhis treasure chamber, which he wore on his bosom, (156) he said: \"And\nall this is worthless in my sight when I look upon Mordecai, the Jew.\nWhat I eat and drink loses its savor, if I but think of him.\" (157)\n\nAmong his advisers and sons, of whom there were two hundred and eight,\nnone was so clever as Zeresh his wife. She spoke thus: \"If the man thou\ntellest of is a Jew, thou wilt not be able to do aught to him except by\nsagacity. If thou castest him into the fire, it will have no effect\nupon him, for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah escaped from the burning\nfurnace unhurt; Joseph went free from prison; Manasseh prayed to God,\nand He heard him, and saved him from the iron furnace; to drive him out\nin the wilderness is useless, thou knowest the desert did no evil to\nthe Israelites that passed through it; putting out his eyes avails\nnaught, for Samson blind did more mischief than ever Samson seeing.\nTherefore hang him, for no Jew has ever escaped death by hanging.\"\n(158)\n\nHaman was well pleased with the words of his wife. She fetched\nartificers in wood and iron, the former to erect the cross, the latter\nto make the nails. Their children danced around in high glee while\nZeresh played upon the cithern, and Haman in his pleasurable excitement\nsaid: \"To the wood workers I shall give abundant pay, and the iron\nworkers I shall invite to a banquet.\"\n\nWhen the cross was finished, Haman himself tested it, to see that all\nwas in working order. A heavenly voice was heard: \"It is good for Haman\nthe villain, and for the son of Hammedatha it is fitting.\" (159)\n\nTHE DISTURBED NIGHT\n\nThe night during which Haman erected the cross for Mordecai was the\nfirst night of Passover, the very night in which miracles without\nnumber had ever been done for the Fathers and for Israel. But this time\nthe night of joy was changed into a night of mourning and a night of\nfears. Wherever there were Jews, they passed the night in weeping and\nlamenting. The greatest terrors it held for Mordecai, because his own\npeople accused him of having provoked their misfortunes by his haughty\nbehavior toward Haman. (160)\n\nExcitement and consternation reigned in heaven as well as on earth.\n(161) When Haman had satisfied himself that the cross intended for his\nenemy was properly constructed, he repaired to the Bet ha-Midrash,\nwhere he found Mordecai and all the Jewish school children, twenty-two\nthousand in number, in tears and sorrow. He ordered them to be put in\nchains, saying: \"First I shall kill off these, and then I shall hang\nMordecai.\" The mothers hastened thither with bread and water, and\ncoaxed their children to take something before they had to encounter\ndeath. The children, however, laid their hands upon their books, and\nsaid: \"As our teacher Mordecai liveth, we will neither eat nor drink,\nbut we will perish exhausted with fasting.\" They rolled up their sacred\nscrolls, and handed them to their teachers with the words: \"For our\ndevotion to the study of the Torah, we had hoped to be rewarded with\nlong life, according to the promised held out in the Holy Scriptures.\nAs we are not worthy thereof, remove the books!\" The out-cries of the\nchildren and of the teachers in the Bet ha-Midrash, and the weeping of\nthe mothers without, united with the supplications of the Fathers,\nreached unto heaven in the third hour of the night, and God said: \"I\nhear the voice of tender lambs and sheep!\" Moses arose and addressed\nGod thus: \"Thou knowest well that the voices are not of lambs and\nsheep, but of the young of Israel, who for three days have been fasting\nand languishing in fetters, only to be slaughtered on the morrow to the\ndelight of the arch-enemy.\"\n\nThen God felt compassion with Israel, for the sake of his innocent\nlittle ones. He broke the seal with which the heavenly decree of\nannihilation had been fastened, and the decree itself he tore in\npieces. (162) From this moment on Ahasuerus became restless, and sleep\nwas made to flee his eyes, for the purpose that the redemption of\nIsrael might be brought to pass. God sent down Michael, the leader of\nthe hosts of Israel, who was to keep sleep from the king, (163) and the\narchangel Gabriel descended, and threw the king out of his bed on the\nfloor, no less than three hundred and sixty-five times, continually\nwhispering in his ear: \"O thou ingrate, reward him who deserves to be\nrewarded.\"\n\nTo account for his sleeplessness, Ahasuerus thought he might have been\npoisoned, and he was about to order the execution of those charged with\nthe preparation of his food. But they succeeded in convincing him of\ntheir innocence, by calling to his attention that Esther and Haman had\nshared his evening meal with him, yet they felt no unpleasant effects.\n(164) Then suspicions against his wife and his friend began to arise in\nhis mind. He accused them inwardly of having conspired together to put\nhim out of the way. He sought to banish this thought with the\nreflection, that if a conspiracy had existed against him, his friends\nwould have warned him of it. But the reflection brought others in its\ntrain: Did he have any friends? Was it not possible that by leaving\nvaluable services unrewarded, he had forfeited the friendly feelings\ntoward him? (165) He therefore commanded that the chronicles of the\nkings of Persia be read to him. He would compare his own acts with what\nhis predecessors had done, and try to find out whether he might count\nupon friends. (166)\n\nWhat was read to him, did not restore his tranquility of mind, for he\nsaw a poor man before him   none other than the angel Michael who\ncalled to him continually: \"Haman wants to kill thee, and become king\nin thy stead. Let this serve thee as proof that I am telling thee the\ntruth: Early in the morning he will appear before thee and request\npermission of thee to kill him who saved thy life. And when thou\ninquirest of him what honor should be done to him whom the king\ndelighteth to honor, he will ask to be given the apparel, the crown,\nand the horse of the king as signs of distinction.\" (167)\n\nAhasuerus's excitement was soothed only when the passage in the\nchronicles was reached describing the loyalty of Mordecai. Had the\nwishes of the reader been consulted, Ahasuerus had never heard this\nentry, for it was a son of Haman who was filling the office of reader,\nand he was desirous of passing the incident over in silence. But a\nmiracle occurred   the words were heard though they were not uttered!\n\nThe names of Mordecai and Israel had a quieting influence upon the\nking, and he dropped asleep. He dreamed that Haman, sword in hand, was\napproaching him with evil intent, and when, early in the morning, Haman\nsuddenly, without being announced, entered the antechamber and awakened\nthe king, Ahasuerus was persuaded of the truth of his dream. The king\nwas still further set against Haman by the reply he gave to the\nquestion, how honor was to be shown to the man whom the king delighteth\nto honor. Believing himself to be the object of the king's good-will,\nhe advised Ahasuerus to have his favorite arrayed in the king's\ncoronation garments, and the crown royal put upon his head. Before him\none of the grandees of the kingdom was to run, doing herald's service,\nproclaiming that whosoever did not prostrate himself and bow down\nbefore him whom the king delighteth to honor, would have his head cut\noff, and his house given over to pillage.\n\nHaman was quick to notice that he had made a mistake, for he saw the\nking's countenance change color at the mention of the word crown. He\ntherefore took good care not to refer to it again. In spite of this\nprecaution, Ahasuerus saw in the words of Haman a striking verification\nof his vision, and he was confident that Haman cherished designs\nagainst his life and his throne. (168)\n\nTHE FALL OF HAMAN\n\nHaman was soon to find out that he had gone far afield in supposing\nhimself to be the man whom the king delighted to honor. The king's\ncommand ran: \"Hasten to the royal treasure chambers; fetch thence a\ncover of find purple, a raiment of delicate silk, furnished forth with\ngolden bells and pomegranates and bestrewn with diamonds and pearls,\nand the large golden crown which was brought me from Macedonia upon the\nday I ascended the throne. Furthermore, fetch thence the sword and the\ncoat of mail sent me from Ethiopia, and the two veils embroidered with\npearls which were Africa's gift. Then repair to the royal stables, and\nlead forth the black horse whereon I sat at my coronation. With all\nthese insignia of honor, seek out Mordecai!\"\n\nHaman: \"Which Mordecai?\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"Mordecai the Jew.\"\n\nHaman: \"There be many Jews named Mordecai.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"The Jew Mordecai who sits at the king's gate.\"\n\nHaman: \"There be many royal gates; I know not which thou meanest.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"The gate that leads from the harem to the palace.\"\n\nHaman: \"This man is my enemy and the enemy of my house. Rather would I\ngive him ten thousand talents of silver than do him this honor.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"Ten thousand talents of silver shall be given him, and he\nshall be made lord over thy house, but these honors must thou show unto\nhim.\"\n\nHaman: \"I have ten sons. I would rather have them run before his horse\nthan do him this honor.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"Thou, thy sons, and thy wife shall be slaves to Mordecai,\nbut these honors must thou show unto him.\"\n\nHaman: \"O my lord and king, Mordecai is a common man. Appoint him to be\nruler over a city, or, if thou wilt, even over a district, rather than\nI should do him this honor.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"I will appoint him ruler over cities and districts. All the\nkings on land and on water shall pay him obedience, but these honors\nmust thou show unto him.\"\n\nHaman: \"Rather have coins struck bearing thy name together with his,\ninstead of mine as hitherto, than I should do him this honor.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"The man who saved the life of the king deserves to have his\nname put on the coin of the realm. Nevertheless, these honors must thou\nshow unto him.\"\n\nHaman: \"Edicts and writings have been issued to all parts of the\nkingdom, commanding that the nation to which Mordecai belongs shall be\ndestroyed. Recall them rather than I should do him this honor.\"\n\nAhasuerus: \"The edicts and writings shall be recalled, yet these honors\nmust thou show unto Mordecai.\"\n\nSeeing that all petitions and entreaties were ineffectual, and\nAhasuerus insisted upon the execution of his order, Haman went to the\nroyal treasure chambers, walking with his head bowed like a mourner's,\nhis ears hanging down, his eyes dim, his mouth screwed up, his heart\nhardened, his bowels cut in pieces, his loins weakened, and his knees\nknocking against each other. (169) He gathered together the royal\ninsignia, and took them to Mordecai, accompanied on his way by Harbonah\nand Abzur, who, at the order of the king, were to take heed whether\nHaman carried out his wishes to the letter.\n\nWhen Mordecai saw his enemy approach, he thought his last moment had\ncome. He urged his pupils to flee, that they might not \"burn themselves\nwith his coals.\" But they refused, saying: \"In life as in death we\ndesire to be with thee.\" The few moments left him, as he thought,\nMordecai spent in devotion. With words of prayer on his lips he desired\nto pass away. Haman, therefore, had to address himself to the pupils of\nMordecai: \"What was the last subject taught you by your teacher\nMordecai?\" They told him they had been discussing the law of the `Omer,\nthe sacrifice brought on that very day so long as the Temple had stood.\nAt his request, they described some of the details of the ceremony in\nthe Temple connected with the offering. He exclaimed: \"Happy are you\nthat your ten farthings, with which you bought the wheat for the `Omer,\nproduced a better effect than my ten thousand talents of silver, which\nI offered unto the king for the destruction of the Jews.\"\n\nMeantime Mordecai had finished his prayer. Haman stepped up to him, and\nsaid: \"Arise, thou pious son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thy\nsackcloth and ashes availed more than my ten thousand talents of\nsilver, which I promised unto the king. They were not accepted, but thy\nprayers were accepted by thy Father in heaven.\"\n\nMordecai, not yet disabused of the notion that Haman had come to take\nhim to the cross, requested the grace of a few minutes for his last\nmeal. Only Haman's repeated protests assured him. When Haman set about\narraying him with the royal apparel, Mordecai refused to put it on\nuntil he had bathed, and had dressed his hair. Royal apparel agreed but\nill with his condition after three days of sackcloth and ashes. As luck\nwould have it, Esther had issued the command that the bathkeepers and\nbarbers were not to ply their trades on that day, and there was nothing\nfor Haman to do but perform the menial services Mordecai required.\nHaman tried to play upon the feelings of Mordecai. Fetching a deep\nsigh, he said: \"The greatest in the king's realm is now acting as\nbathkeeper and barber!\" Mordecai, however, did not permit himself to be\nimposed upon. He knew Haman's origin too well to be deceived; he\nremembered his father, who had been bathkeeper and barber in a village.\n\nHaman's humiliation was not yet complete. Mordecai, exhausted by his\nthree days' fast, was too weak to mount his horse unaided. Haman had to\nserve him as footstool, and Mordecai took the opportunity to give him a\nkick. Haman reminded him of the Scriptural verse: \"Rejoice not when\nthine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he is\noverthrown.\" Mordecai, however, refused to apply it to himself, for he\nwas chastising, not a personal enemy, but the enemy of his people, and\nof such it is said in the Scriptures: \"And thou shalt tread upon the\nhigh places of thine enemies.\" (170)\n\nFinally, Haman caused Mordecai to ride through the streets of the city,\nand proclaimed before him: \"Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the\nking delighteth to honor.\" In front of them marched twenty-seven\nthousand youths detailed for this service from the court. In their\nright hands they bore golden cups, and golden beakers in their left\nhands, and they, too, proclaimed: \"Thus shall be done unto the man whom\nthe king delighteth to honor.\" The procession furthermore was swelled\nby the presence of Jews. They, however, made a proclamation of\ndifferent tenor. \"Thus shall be done,\" they cried out, \"unto the man\nwhose honor is desired by the King that hath created heaven and earth.\"\n(171)\n\nAs he rode along, Mordecai gave praise to God: \"I will extol Thee, O\nLord; for Thou hast raised me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice\nover me. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. O\nLord, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive,\nthat I should not go down to the pit.\" Whereupon his pupils joined in\nwith: \"Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks\nto His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment; in His favor is\nlife; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.\"\nHaman added the verse thereto: \"As for me, I said in my prosperity, I\nshall never be moved. Thou, Lord, of Thy favor hadst made my mountain\nto stand strong. Thou didst hide Thy face; I was troubled.\" Queen\nEsther continued: \"I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made\nsupplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the\npit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy truth?\" and the\nwhole concourse of Jews present cried out: \"Thou hast turned for me my\nmourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me\nwith gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and\nnot be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever.\"\n(172)\n\nWhen this procession passed the house of Haman, his daughter was\nlooking out of the window. She took the man on the horse to be her\nfather, and the leader of it, Mordecai. Raising a vessel filled with\noffal, she emptied it out over the leader   her own father. Scarce had\nthe vessel left her hand, when she realized the truth, and she threw\nherself from the window, and lay crushed to death on the street below.\n(173)\n\nIn spite of the sudden change in his fortunes, Mordecai ended the\neventful day as he had begun it, in prayer and fasting. No sooner was\nthe procession over than he put off the royal robes, and, again\ncovering himself with sackcloth, he prayed until night fell.\n\nHaman was plunged in mourning, partly on account of the deep disgrace\nto which he had been subjected, partly on account of the death of his\ndaughter. (174) Neither his wife nor his friends could advise him how\nto mend his sad fortunes. They could hold out only sorry consolation to\nhim: \"If this Mordecai is of the seed of the saints, thou wilt not be\nable to prevail against him. Thou wilt surely encounter the same fate\nas the kings in their battle with Abraham, and Abimelech in his quarrel\nwith Isaac. As Jacob was victorious over the angel with whom he\nwrestled, and Moses and Aaron caused the drowning of Pharaoh and his\nhost, so Mordecai will overcome thee in the end.\" (175)\n\nWhile they were yet talking, the king's chamberlains came, and hastily\ncarried Haman off to the banquet Esther had prepared, to prevent him\nand his influential sons from plotting against the king. (176)\nAhasuerus repeated his promise, to give Esther whatever she desired,\nalways expecting the restoration of the Temple. This time, casting her\neyes heavenward, Esther replied: \"If I have found favor in thy sight, O\nSupreme King, and if it please Thee, O King of the world, let my life\nbe given me, and let my people be rescued out of the hands of its\nenemy.\" (177) Ahasuerus, thinking these words were addressed to him,\nasked in irritation: \"Who is he, and where is he, this presumptuous\nconspirator, who thought to do thus?\" These were the first words the\nking had ever spoken to Esther herself. Hitherto he had always\ncommunicated with her through an interpreter. He had not been quite\nsatisfied she was worthy enough to be addressed by the king. Now made\ncognizant of the fact that she was a Jewess, and of royal descent\nbesides, he spoke to her directly, without the intervention of others.\n(178)\n\nEsther stretched forth her hand to indicate the man who had sought to\ntake her life, as he had actually taken Vashti's, but in the excitement\nof the moment, she pointed to the king. Fortunately the king did not\nobserve her error, because an angel guided her hand instantaneously in\nthe direction of Haman, (179) whom her words described: \"This is the\nadversary and the enemy, he who desired to murder thee in thy\nsleeping-chamber during the night just passed; he who this very day\ndesired to array himself in the royal apparel, ride upon thy horse, and\nwear they golden crown upon his head, to rise up against thee and\ndeprive thee of thy sovereignty. But God set his undertaking at naught,\nand the honors he sought for himself, fell to the share of my uncle\nMordecai, who this oppressor and enemy thought to hang.\" (180)\n\nThe anger of the king already burnt so fiercely that he hinted to\nEsther, that whether Haman was the adversary she had in mind or not,\nshe was to designate him as such. To infuriate him still more, God sent\nten angels in the guise of Haman's ten sons, to fell down the trees in\nthe royal park. When Ahasuerus turned his eyes toward the interior of\nthe park, he saw the ruthless destruction of which they were guilty. In\nhis rage he went out into the garden. This was the instant utilized by\nHaman to implore grace for himself from Esther. Gabriel intervened, and\nthrew Haman upon the couch in a posture as though he were about to do\nviolence to the queen. At that moment Ahasuerus reappeared. Enraged\nbeyond description by what he saw, he cried out: \"Haman attempts the\nhonor of the queen in my very presence! Come, then, ye peoples,\nnations, and races, and pronounce judgment over him!\" (181)\n\nWhen Harbonah, originally a friend of Haman and an adversary of\nMordecai, heard the king's angry exclamation, he said to him: \"Nor is\nthis the only crime committed by Haman against thee, for he was an\naccomplice of the conspirators Bigthan and Teresh, and his enmity to\nMordecai dates back to the time when Mordecai uncovered their foul\nplots. Out of revenge therefor, he has erected a cross for him.\"\nHarbonah's words illustrate the saying: \"Once the ox has been cast to\nthe ground, slaughtering knives can readily be found.\" Knowing that\nHaman had fallen from his high estate, Harbonah was intent upon winning\nthe friendship of Mordecai. (182) Harbonah was altogether right, for\nAhasuerus at once ordered Haman to be hanged. Mordecai was charged with\nthe execution of the king's order, and Haman's tears and entreaties did\nnot in the least move him. He insisted upon hanging him like the\ncommonest of criminals, instead of executing him with the sword, the\nmode of punishment applied to men of rank guilty of serious\nmisdemeanors. (183)\n\nThe cross which Haman, at the advice of his wife Zeresh and of his\nfriends, had erected for Mordecai, was now used for himself. It was\nmade of wood from a thorn-bush. God called all the trees together and\ninquired which one would permit the cross for Haman to be made of it.\nThe fig-tree said: \"I am ready to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel,\nand, also, my fruits were brought to the Temple as firstfruits.\" The\nvine said: \"I am ready to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel and, also,\nmy wine is brought to the altar.\" The apple-tree said: \"I am ready to\nserve, for I am symbolic of Israel.\" The nut-tree said: \"I am ready to\nserve, for I am symbolic of Israel.\" The Etrog tree said: \"I should\nhave the privilege, for with my fruit Israel praises God on Sukkot.\"\nThe willow of the brook said: \"I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of\nIsrael.\" The cedar-tree said: \"I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of\nIsrael.\" The palm-tree said: \"I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of\nIsrael.\" Finally the thorn-bush came and said: \"I am fitted to do this\nservice, for the ungodly are like pricking thorns.\" The offer of the\nthorn-bush was accepted, after God gave a blessing to each of the other\ntrees for its willingness to serve.\n\nA sufficiently long beam cut from a thorn-bush could be found only in\nthe house of Haman, which had to be demolished in order to obtain it.\n(184) The cross was tall enough for Haman and his ten sons to be hanged\nupon it. It was planted three cubits deep in the ground, each of the\nvictims required three cubits space in length, one cubit space was left\nvacant between the feet of the one above and the head of the one below,\nand the youngest son, Vaizatha, had his feet four cubits from the\nground as he hung. (185)\n\nHaman and his ten sons remained suspended a long time, to the vexation\nof those who considered it a violation of the Biblical prohibition in\nDeuteronomy, not to leave a human body hanging upon a tree overnight.\nEsther pointed to a precedent, the descendants of Saul, whom the\nGibeonites left hanging half a year, whereby the name of God was\nsanctified, for whenever the pilgrims beheld them, they told the\nheathen, that the men had been hanged because their father Saul had\nlaid hand on the Gibeonites. \"How much more, then,\" continued Esther,\n\"are we justified in permitting Haman and his family to hang, they who\ndesired to destroy the house of Israel?\" (186)\n\nBeside these ten sons, who had been governors in various provinces,\nHaman had twenty others, ten of whom died, and the other ten of whom\nwere reduced to beggary. (187) The vast fortune of which Haman died\npossessed was divided in three parts. The first part was given to\nMordecai and Esther, the second to the students of the Torah, and the\nthird was applied to the restoration of the Temple. (188) Mordecai thus\nbecame a wealthy man. He was also set up as king of the Jews. As such\nhe had coins struck, which bore the figure of Esther on the obverse,\nand his own figure on the reverse. (189) However, in the measure in\nwhich Mordecai gained in worldly power and consideration, he lost\nspiritually, because the business connected with his high political\nstation left him no time for the study of the Torah. Previously he had\nranked sixth among the eminent scholars of Israel, he now dropped to\nthe seventh place among them. (190) Ahasuerus, on the other hand, was\nthe gainer by the change. As soon as Mordecai entered upon the office\nof grand chancellor, he succeeded in subjecting to his sway the\nprovinces that had revolted on account of Vashti's execution. (191)\n\nTHE EDICT OF THE KING\n\nThe edict issued against the Jews was revoked by Ahasuerus in the\nfollowing terms:\n\n\"King Ahasuerus sends this letter to all the inhabitants of water and\nearth, to all the rulers of districts, and to generals of the army, who\ndwell in every country; may your peace be great! I write this to you to\ninform you, that although I rule over many nations, over the\ninhabitants of land and sea, yet I am not proud of my power, but will\nrather walk in lowliness and meekness of spirit all my days, in order\nto provide for you great peace. Unto all who dwell under my dominion,\nunto all who seek to carry on business on land or on sea, unto all who\ndesire to export goods from one nation to the other, from one people to\nthe other   unto them all, I am the same, from one end of the earth to\nthe other, and none may seek to cause excitement on land or on sea, or\nenmities between one nation and another, between one people and\nanother. I write this, because in spite of our sincerity and honesty\nwith which we love all the nations, revere all the rulers, and do good\nto all the potentates, there are nevertheless people who were near to\nthe king, and into whose hand the government was entrusted, who by\ntheir intrigues and falsehoods misled the king, and wrote letters which\nare not right before heaven, which are evil before men, and harmful for\nthe empire. This was the petition they requested from the king: that\nrighteous men should be killed, and most innocent blood be shed, of\nthose who have not done any evil, nor were guilty of death   such\nrighteous people as Esther, celebrated for all virtues, and Mordecai,\nwise in every branch of wisdom, there is no blemish to be found in them\nnor in their nation. I thought that I was requested concerning another\nnation, and did not know it was concerning the Jews, who were called\nthe Children of the Lord of All, who created heaven and earth, and who\nled them and their fathers through great and mighty empires. And now as\nhe, Haman, the son of Hammedatha, from Judea, a descendant of Amalek,\nwho came to us and enjoyed much kindness, praise, and dignity from us,\nwhom we made great, and called 'father of the king,' and seated him at\nthe right of the king, did not know how to appreciate the dignity, and\nhow to conduct the affairs of state, but harbored thoughts to kill the\nking and take away his kingdom, therefore we ordered the son of\nHammedatha to be hanged, and all that he desired we have brought upon\nhis head; and the Creator of heaven and earth brought his machinations\nupon his head.\" (192)\n\nAs a memorial of the wonderful deliverance from the hands of Haman, the\nJews of Shushan celebrated the day their arch-enemy had appointed for\ntheir extermination, and their example was followed by the Jews of the\nother cities of the Persian empire, and by those of other countries.\nYet the sages, when besought by Esther, refused at first to make it a\nfestival for all times, lest the hatred of the heathen be excited\nagainst the Jews. They yielded only after Esther had pointed out to\nthem that the events on which the holiday was based, were perpetuated\nin the annals of the kings of Persia and Media, and thus the outside\nworld would not be able to misinterpret the joy of the Jews.\n\nEsther addressed another petition to the sages. She begged that the\nbook containing her history should be incorporated in the Holy\nScriptures. Because they shrank from adding anything to the triple\nCanon, consisting of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, they\nagain refused, and again they had to yield to Esther's argument. She\nquoted the words from Exodus, \"Write this for a memorial in a book,\"\nspoken by Moses to Joshua, after the battle of Rephidim with the\nAmalekites. They saw that it was the will of God to immortalize the\nwarfare waged with the Amalekite Haman. Nor is the Book of Esther an\nordinary history. Without aid of the holy spirit, it could not have\nbeen composed, and therefore its canonization resolved upon \"below\" was\nendorsed \"above.\" (193) And as the Book of Esther became an integral\nand indestructible part of the Holy Scriptures, so the Feast of Purim\nwill be celebrated forever, now and in the future world, and Esther\nherself by her pious deeds acquired a good name both in this world and\nin the world to come. (194)","title":"The Legends of the Jews \u2014 Volume 4","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":121395}