It was up this valley that the Philistines often made their frequent raids against Jerusalem and the highlands of Judah. It was here that the battle was fought when Israel was defeated under the leadership of Eli's wicked sons, and "the ark of G.o.d was taken." The modern railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem follows this valley.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

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And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free."

But he knew not that the Lord was departed from him. And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of bra.s.s; and they made him grind in the mill in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

_How Samson Had His Revenge_.

And the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their G.o.d, and to rejoice: for they said, "Our G.o.d hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand."

And when the people saw him, they praised their G.o.d: for they said, "Our G.o.d hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which hath slain many of us."

And it came to pa.s.s, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may make us sport." And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made sport before them: and they set him between the pillars.

And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, "Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them."

Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that {182} beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, "O Lord G.o.d, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O G.o.d, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.

And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.

So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

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DANIEL.

STORIES OF THE MAN WHO WOULD RATHER DIE THAN DO WRONG.

Daniel is the great Jewish hero of that long period of exile when the nation was captive in a strange land. This was the gloomiest and most distressful time in the nation's history, and afterward in other dark days these stories were told to cheer the people and give them courage.

_How Daniel and His Three Friends Refused to Eat the Food of Princes_.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of G.o.d. And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, that he should bring in certain of the children of Israel, even of the royal family and of the n.o.bles; youths in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food, and of the wine which he drank, and that {184} they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the king's officer gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the king's officer that he might not defile himself. Now G.o.d made Daniel to find favor and compa.s.sion in the sight of the king's officer. And he said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths which are of your own age? so should ye endanger my head with the king."

Then said Daniel to the steward, whom the king's officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Test thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths that eat of the king's food; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants."

So he hearkened to them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths which did eat of the king's food. So the steward took away their food, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. Now as for these four {185} youths, G.o.d gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the king's officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.

_How Daniel Made Known and Interpreted the King's Dream_.

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep was broken.

Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."

Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king, "O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if {186} ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof."

They answered the second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

The king answered and said, "I know of a certainty that ye would gain time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof."

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, "There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: forasmuch as no king, lord, nor ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the G.o.ds, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them. Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, "Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king?"

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Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies of the G.o.d of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night.

Then Daniel blessed the G.o.d of heaven. Daniel answered and said, "Blessed be the name of G.o.d for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou G.o.d of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee: for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter."

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him: "Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation."

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, "I have found a man of the {188} children of the captivity of Judah, who will make known unto the king the interpretation."

The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?"

Daniel answered before the king, and said, "The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a G.o.d in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pa.s.s hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pa.s.s. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to, the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the appearance thereof was terrible.

As for this image, his head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of bra.s.s, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron, and part of clay.

"While thou wast looking a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the bra.s.s, the silver, and the gold, broken {189} in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

"This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof unto the king. Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the G.o.d of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of bra.s.s, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly weak. And in the days of those kings shall the G.o.d of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out {190} of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bra.s.s, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great G.o.d hath made known to the king what shall come to pa.s.s hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."

Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer sacrifice and sweet odors to him.

The king answered Daniel, and said, "Of a truth your G.o.d is the G.o.d of G.o.ds, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret."

Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king.

_How Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego Refused to Bow Down and Worship before the Image of the King, and How They Were Cast Into the Burning Fiery Furnace_.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

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