STORY OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. Long after this, when the people had again fallen into evil ways, and Jehoiachim was king of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up and besieged the city. Jehoiachim was afraid of Nebuchadnezzar, and at once went out to him and surrendered the city. Then Nebuchadnezzar took this king, and the princes of Judah, and the builders, the carpenters, and all the strong and brave soldiers that were in Jerusalem, and carried them away as captives. And he took them to his own land, and there gave them a place to live by the river Chebar. Then king Nebuchadnezzar commanded the chief of his officers to choose for his servants in his palace at Babylon the princes of the children of Israel; those that had no fault in them, and who were young and beautiful and quick to learn. For he wanted these to be taught in all the wisdom of the Chaldeans, and to learn also the language of the Chaldeans; and after they had been instructed in these things for three years, then they were to come to the palace and wait upon the king. Among those that were chosen were four young men, named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These four were brought to Babylon, and teachers were at once set over them, that they might be taught as King Nebuchadnezzar desired. Now, the Chaldeans worshiped idols and offered up sacrifices of animals and wine to them; and the priests then ate the sacrifices and drank the wine that had been offered to their idols. But Daniel refused to eat the meat that had been offered to idols. Therefore he said to himself, "I will not eat the meat nor drink the wine that the king sends us." And the three young men who were with him refused, too, to eat and drink. Daniel spoke to the officer who had the care of him, and told him his wish regarding the food the king sent. The chief officer loved Daniel, yet he dared not do as Daniel wished. 66 I am afraid it will displease the king," he said; “for he sends you your meat and drink; and if, after a while, he should see your faces look paler and thinner than the faces of the other young men who eat food from the king's table, he will be angry with me, and may put me to death." And the chief officer gave Daniel and his friends to the care of his steward. Then Daniel went and spoke to the steward: "Try us, I beseech thee," he said, "ten days; give us, for that time, only fruit to eat, and water to drink. Afterward look at our faces and at the faces of the other young men, and if we look not as well as they, then give us whatever thou shalt think best to eat." So the steward gave them fruit for ten days; and at the end of that time their faces were indeed fatter and fairer than the faces of the other young men who ate the food from the king's table. So the three years passed by, and the chief officer brought them at last into the palace of the king. Nebuchadnezzar talked with them, and was rejoiced to find that among all those who had been chosen for his servants, none were like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abadnego. So they took their places in the palace and waited on the king. And in all the questions which the king asked them concerning the things they had learned, he found them ten times better than all the men in his kingdom. One night king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He commanded his servants to call all the wise men of Babylon to come and stand before him. "Tell us what thy dream was, and we will interpret it for thee," the wise men said. "It is very strange," the king answered; "but the dream is gone from me and I cannot remember it. Tell me what my dream was, and the interpretation of it, or you shall be cut to pieces, and your houses shall be torn down. Tell me my dream and interpret it for me, and you shall have great riches and honor." But the wise men could only say, “If the king will tell us his |