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RIVER KISHON AND MOUNT CARMELCopyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
Esdraelon is usually regarded as one plain under one name from sea to Jordan. In reality, however, it is not one but several plains, more or less divided by the remains of ridges, which once upon a time sustained across it the continuity of "the backbone of Palestine." Thus, nine miles from the sea, near Tell el Kasis, the traditional site of the slaughter of the priests of Baal, a promontory of the Galilean hills shoots south to within a hundred yards of Carmel, leaving only that space for the Kishon to break through. Eight or nine miles farther east, at Lejjun, probably the ancient Megiddo, low ridges run out from both north and south, as if they had once met, and again leave Kishon but a narrow pass. And once more, between Jezreel and a spot west of Shunem, about twenty-four miles from the coast, there is a sudden fall of level eastwards, which visibly separates Esdraelon proper from the narrower valley sloping towards Jordan and is perhaps evidence of a former connection between Gilboa and Moreh.
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They chose new gods;Then was war in the gates:Was there a shield or spear seenAmong forty thousand in Israel?My heart is toward the governors of Israel,That offered themselves willingly among the people:Bless ye the Lord."Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,Ye that sit on rich carpets,And ye that walk by the way.Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates."Awake, awake, Deborah;Awake, awake, sing a song:Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people;The Lord came down for me against the mighty.Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek;After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;Out of Machir came down governors,And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff.And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;As was Issachar, so was Barak;Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.By the watercourses of ReubenThere were great resolves of heart.Why satest thou among the sheepfolds,{58}To hear the pipings for the flocks?At the watercourses of ReubenThere were great searchings of heart.Gilead abode beyond Jordan:And Dan, why did he remain in ships?Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,And abode by his creeks.Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives to the death,And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field."The kings came and fought;Then fought the kings of Canaan,In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:They took no gain of money.They fought from heaven,The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.The river Kishon swept them away,That ancient river, the river Kishon.O my soul, march on with strength.Then did the horse hoofs stampBy reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones."Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;Because they came not to the help of the Lord,To the help of the Lord against the mighty."Blessed above women shall Jael be,The wife of Heber the Kenite,Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.He asked water, and she gave him milk;{59}She brought him butter in a lordly dish.She put her hand to the nail,And her right hand to the workmen's hammer;And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head,Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay:At her feet he bowed, he fell:Where he bowed, there he fell down dead."Through the windows she looked forth, and cried,The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,'Why is his chariot so long in coming?Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?'Her wise ladies answered her,Yea, she returned answer to herself,'Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?A damsel, two damsels to every man;To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?'"So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord:But let them that love him be as the sun when he goethforth in his might."
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PERSONS OF THE STORY.
Ahasuerus, King of Persia.Vashti, Queen of Ahasuerus, deposed by him.Esther, Queen of Ahasuerus.Mordecai, an officer of the Court.Courtiers, officers, women of the harem, messengers.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
The Palace of Ahasuerus.
ESTHER.THE STORY OF A BRAVE QUEEN WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE IN A FOREIGN LAND.
Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned, from India even to Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces): that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his princes and his servants; the mighty men of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor{61}of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and eighty days.
And when these days were ended, the king made a feast for all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace; there were hangings of white cloth, of green, and of blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and white, and yellow, and black marble. And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being different one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house who belonged to King Ahasuerus.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. Then the king said to the wise men, "What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?"
And one of the wise men answered before the king and the princes, "Vashti the queen hath not done wrong{62}to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples who are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will come abroad to all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported, 'The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.' And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media which have heard of the deed of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So shall there arise much contempt and wrath. If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another who is better than she.
"And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom, all the wives shall give to their husbands honor, both to great and small."
And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of the wise men: for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should publish it according to the language of his people.
After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, "Let there be fair young{63}maidens sought for the king: and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young maidens to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti." And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.
There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai, a Benjamite; who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter. So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him. Esther had not made known her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known. And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her. Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to King Ahasuerus, in this wise came the maiden to the king, whatsoever she desired was given her to go{64}with her out of the house of the women to the king's house. In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women: she came in to the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in to his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Then the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the bounty of the king. And when the maidens were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate. Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, just as when she was brought up with him.
In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay{65}hands on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen; and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquiry was made into the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, "Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?"
Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened not to them, that they told Haman, to see how Mordecai's case would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
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And Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to bring it into the king's treasuries."
And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman, the Jew's enemy.
And the king said unto Haman, "The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee."
Then were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the thirteenth day thereof, and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people; to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of King Ahasuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king's ring. And letters were sent by the king's messengers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. A copy of the writing, that the decree should{67}be given out in every province, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready at that day. The king's messenger went forth in haste by the king's commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace: and the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry: and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him: but he received it not.
Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was. So Hathach went forth to Mordecai unto the public square of the city, which was before the king's gate. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the copy of the writing{68}of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her; and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.
And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai, saying: "All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days."
And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, "Think not that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
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So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house. And when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter. Then said the king to her, "What wilt thou, Queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom."
And Esther said, "If it seem good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him."
Then the king said, "Cause Haman to make haste, that it may be done as Esther hath said."
So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, "What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed."
Then answered Esther, and said, "My petition and my request is: if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said."
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Then went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman controlled himself, and went home; and he sent and brought his friends and Zeresh his wife. And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman said moreover, "Yea, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also am I invited by her together with the king. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."
Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, "Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou to the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king to the banquet." And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
On that night the king could not sleep; and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, of those that kept the door, who had sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, "What honor and dignity hath been bestowed upon Mordecai for this?"
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Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, "There is nothing done for him."
And the king said, "Who is in the court?"
Now Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
And the king's servants said unto him, "Behold, Haman standeth in the court."
And the king said, "Let him come in."
So Haman came in. And the king said to him, "What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?"
Now Haman said in his heart, "To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?"
And Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king delighteth to honor, let royal apparel be brought which the king is accustomed to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: and let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man therewith whom the king delighteth to honor, and cause him to ride on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.'"
Then the king said to Haman, "Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken."
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Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and caused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, 'Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor.'"
And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered. And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him.
Then said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife unto him, "If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the race of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him."
While they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
So the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen. And the king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, "What is thy petition, Queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed."
Then Esther the queen answered and said, "If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage."
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Then spoke the king Ahasuerus and said to Esther the queen, "Who is he, and where is he, that dares presume in his heart to do so?"
And Esther said, "An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman."
Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
And the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king, "Will he even do harm to the queen before me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.
Then said Harbonah, one of the chamberlains that were before the king, "Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman hath made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman."
And the king said, "Hang him thereon."
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
On that day the king Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman the Jew's enemy to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. And{74}Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman, and the device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter.
So Esther arose, and stood before the king. And she said, "If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."
Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month, which is the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred and twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after{75}their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by king's messengers on horseback, riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service: wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, upon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
So the king's messengers that rode upon swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hastened and urged on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many among the peoples of the land{76}became Jews; for the fear or the Jews was fallen upon them.
Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them; whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them, the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the peoples. And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces: for the man Mordecai grew greater and greater. And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword and with great slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. And the ten sons of Haman, the Jews' enemy, they slew; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king. And the king said unto Esther the queen, "The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's{77}provinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; or what is thy request further? and it shall be done."
Then said Esther, "If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows."
And the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of them that hated them seventy and five thousand; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. But the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending gifts one to another.
And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king{78}Ahasuerus, both far and near, to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents one to another, and gifts to the poor. And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them; because Haman, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their race, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year; and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their race. Then Esther{79}the queen, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim.
And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their race. And the commandment of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his race.
{80}
JUDITH
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
Judith, a widow of Bethulia.Holofernes, captain of the hosts of Nebuchadnezzar.Ozias, elder in Bethulia.Maid of Judith's.People of Bethulia, soldiers of Holofernes.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
Bethulia.Camp of Holofernes.Tent of Holofernes.
JUDITH.
(The story of Judith, and how she delivered Israel by cutting off the head of Holofernes, a great captain of the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar, is told in the Apocrypha.
According to the story, King Nebuchadnezzar made war upon Arphaxad, king of the Medes. He summoned all nations to aid him, and having been victorious, he sent an army of 132,000 men to take vengeance upon those nations which refused to come at his call. This great army swept down from the North, destroying everything in its path.)
The March of Holofernes.
And Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called all the governors and the captains and{81}officers of the host of Asshur; and he numbered chosen men for the battle, as his lord had commanded him, up to a hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve thousand archers on horseback; and he ranged them, as a great army is ordered for the war. And he took camels and asses and mules for their baggage, an exceeding great multitude; and sheep and oxen and goats without number for their provision; and great stores of food for every man, and exceeding much gold and silver out of the king's house. And he went forth, he and all his host, on their journey, to go before King Nebuchadnezzar, and to cover all the face of the earth westward with their chariots and horsemen and chosen footmen. And a great company of many nations went forth with them like locusts, and like the sand of the earth: for they could not be numbered by reason of their multitude.
And they went out of Nineveh three days' journey toward the plain of Bectileth, and encamped from Bectileth near the mountain which is at the left hand of the upper Cilicia. And he took all his host, his footmen and horsemen and chariots, and went away from thence into the hill country, and destroyed many peoples.
And the fear and the dread of him fell upon them that dwelt on the sea coast, from the north to the south. And they sent to him messengers with words of peace, saying, "Behold, we the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the great king lie before thee: use us as it is pleasing in thy sight. Behold, our dwellings, and all our country, and all our fields of wheat, and our flocks and herds, and all the sheepcotes{82}of our tents, lie before thy face: use them as it may please thee. Behold, even our cities and they that dwell in them are thy servants: come and deal with them as it is good in thine eyes." And the men came to Holofernes, and spoke to him according to these words.
And he came down toward the sea coast, he and his host, and set garrisons in the great cities, and took out of them chosen men for allies. And they received him, they and all the country round about them, with garlands and dances and timbrels. And he cast down all their defenses, and cut down their sacred groves: and it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, that all the nations should worship Nebuchadnezzar only, and that all their tongues and their tribes should call upon him as god. And he came towards Esdraelon near to Dotaea, which is over against the great ridge of Judaea. And he encamped between Geba and Scythopolis, and he was there a whole month, that he might gather together all the baggage of his host.
The Siege of Bethulia.
(After ravaging the coast, Holofernes pushed up into the hill country to attack the cities of Israel.)
But the next day Holofernes gave command to all his army and to all his people which were come to be his allies, that they should remove their camp toward Bethulia, and take aforehand the ascents of the hill country, and make war against the children of Israel. And every mighty man of them removed that day, and the host of their men of{83}war was a hundred and seventy thousand footmen, and twelve thousand horsemen, beside the baggage, and the men that were afoot among them, an exceeding great multitude. And they encamped in the valley near unto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread out over all the land.
But the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were troubled exceedingly, and said every one to his neighbor, "Now shall these men lick up the face of all the earth; and neither the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, shall be able to bear their weight."
And every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.
But on the second day Holofernes led out all his horse in the sight of the children of Israel which were in Bethulia, and viewed the ascents to their city, and searched out the fountains of the waters, and seized upon them, and set garrisons of men of war over them, and himself departed to his people.
And there came to him all the rulers of the children of Esau, and all the leaders of the people of Moab, and the captains of the sea coast, and said,--
"Let our lord now hear a word, that thy host be not overthrown. For this people of the children of Israel do not trust in their spears, but in the height of the mountains wherein they dwell, for it is not easy to come up to the tops of their mountains. And now, my lord, fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man{84}of thy people perish. Remain in thy camp, and keep safe every man of thy host, and let thy servants get possession of the fountain of water, which issueth forth at the foot of the mountain: because all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water hence; and thirst shall kill them, and they shall give up their city: and we and our people will go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and will encamp upon them, to watch that not one man go out of the city. And they shall be consumed with famine, they and their wives and their children, and before the sword come against them they shall be laid low in the streets where they dwell. And thou shalt render them an evil reward; because they rebelled, and met thee not in peace."
And their words were pleasing in the sight of Holofernes and in the sight of all his servants; and he commanded to do as they had spoken. And the army of the children of Ammon removed, and with them five thousand of the children of Asshur, and they encamped in the valley, and seized upon the waters and the fountains of the waters of the children of Israel. And the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon, and encamped in the hill country; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians encamped in the plain, and covered all the face of the land; and their tents and baggage were pitched upon it, and they were an exceeding great multitude.
And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed them round about, and there was no way to escape from among them. And all the army of Asshur{85}remained about them, their footmen and their chariots and their horsemen, four and thirty days; and all their vessels of water failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia. And the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day: for they gave them drink by measure. And their young children were dying, and the women and the young men fainted for thirst, and they fell down in the streets of the city, and in the passages of the gates, and there was no longer any strength in them. And all the people were gathered together against Ozias, and against the rulers of the city, the young men and the women and the children, and they cried with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,--
"God be judge between you and us: because ye have done us great wrong, in that ye have not spoken words of peace with the children of Asshur. And now we have no helper: but God hath given us into their hands, that we should be laid low before them with thirst and great destruction. And now call them unto you, and deliver up the whole city for a prey to the people of Holofernes, and to all his host. For it is better for us to be made a spoil for them: for we shall be servants, and our souls shall live, and we shall not see the death of our babes before our eyes, and our wives and our children fainting in death. We take to witness against you the heaven and the earth, and our God and the Lord of our fathers, who punisheth us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers, that he do not according as we have said this day."
And there was great weeping of all with one consent{86}in the midst of the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud voice. And Ozias said to them, "Brethren, be of good courage, let us yet endure five days, in the which space the Lord our God may turn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly. But if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your words."
And he dispersed the people, every man to his own camp; and they went away unto the walls and towers of their city; and he sent the women and children into their houses: and they were brought very low in the city.
Then there arose a saviour for Israel in the person of Judith.
And in those days Judith heard thereof, whose husband was Manasses, of her tribe and of her family, and he died in the days of barley harvest. For he stood over them that bound sheaves in the field, and the heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and died in his city Bethulia. And Judith was a widow in her house three years and four months. And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and put on sackcloth; and the garments of her widowhood were upon her.
And she was of a goodly countenance, and exceeding beautiful to behold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver, and menservants, and maidservants, and cattle and lands. And there was none that gave her an evil word; for she feared God exceedingly.
And she heard the evil words of the people against the governor, because they fainted for lack of water; and{87}Judith heard all the words that Ozias spoke unto them, how he swore to them that he would deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days. And she sent her maid, who was over all things that she had, to call Ozias and the elders of her city. And they came to her, and she said to them,--
"Hear me now, O ye rulers of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your word that ye have spoken before the people this day is not right, and ye have set the oath which ye have pronounced between God and you, and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these days the Lord turn to help you. And now who are ye that have tempted God this day, and stand instead of God among the children of men? And now try the Lord Almighty and ye shall never know anything. For ye cannot find the depth of the heart of man, and ye cannot perceive the things that he thinketh: and how can ye search out God, which hath made all these things, and know his mind, and comprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord our God to anger. For if he be not minded to help us within these five days, he hath power to defend us when he will, or to destroy us before the face of our enemies. But do not ye pledge the counsels of the Lord our God: for God is not as man, that he should be threatened; neither as the son of man, that he should be turned by intreaty. Wherefore let us wait for the salvation that cometh from him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it please him. For there arose none in our age, neither is there any of us to-day,{88}tribe, or kindred, or family, or city, which worship gods made with hands, as it was in the former days; for which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and fell with a great fall before our enemies. But we know no other god beside him, wherefore we hope that he will not despise us, nor any of our race. For if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our sanctuary shall be spoiled; and of our blood shall he require the profanation thereof. And the slaughter of our brethren, and the captivity of the land, and the desolation of our inheritance, shall he turn upon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in bondage; and we shall be an offense and a reproach before them that take us for a possession. For our bondage shall bring favor: but the Lord our God shall turn it to dishonor.
"And now, brethren, let us show an example to our brethren, because their soul hangeth upon us, and the sanctuary and the house and the altar rest upon us. Besides all this let us give thanks to the Lord our God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers also. Remember all the things which he did to Abraham, and all the things in which he tried Isaac, and all the things which happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. For he hath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, to search out their hearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord doth scourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them."
And Ozias said to her, "All that thou hast spoken hast{89}thou spoken with a good heart, and there is none that shall deny thy words. For this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is manifested; but from the beginning of thy days all the people have known thine understanding, because the disposition of thy heart is good. But the people were exceeding thirsty, and compelled us to do as we spoke to them, and to bring an oath upon ourselves, which we will not break. And now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the Lord shall send us rain to fill our cisterns, and we shall faint no more."
And Judith said to them, "Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall go down to all generations among the children of our race. Ye shall stand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my maid: and, within the days after which ye said ye would deliver the city to our enemies, the Lord shall visit Israel by my hand. But ye shall not inquire of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the things be finished that I do."
And Ozias and the rulers said unto her, "Go in peace, and the Lord God be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies." And they returned from the tent and went to their stations.
But Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and the incense of that evening was now being offered at Jerusalem in the house of God, and Judith cried unto the Lord with a loud voice, and said:--