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BELSHAZZARS FEAST,

COX.

PELSHAZZAR’S PEAST.

wi are going now to read
\| about another king of
Babylon, who reigned
some time after Nebu-
chadnezzar’s death: his
name was Belshazzar. He was
proud and rebellious, as Nebuchad-
nezzar once was; but he did not,
like Nebuchadnezzar, repent and
turn to God before his death. God
let Judah go into captivity, to
punish them for their sins, but He
was angry with their enemies who
afflicted them; and He said He
would destroy those enemies, and
deliver His own people, when
the right time should come. God
had said this, by His prophet,
many years before. He had taught
Isaiah what armies should come
against Babylon, and the name
of the prince who should com-
mand them. These armies now
came from Media and Persia; and
they were commanded by Cyrus,
the king of Persia’s son. They
came to Babylon, and began to
besiege it; but Belshazzar thought
himself very safe in his strong city,
and did not fear his enemies.

One night there was a great feast
in Babylon. Belshazzar was there,
and his princes and nobles. They
all eat, and drank, and made merry ;

 

and brought out the holy vessels,

which Nebuchadnezzar had taken
from God’s temple in Jerusalem,
and poured wine into them, and
praised their idol gods of gold, and
silver, and iron, and brass, and
wood, and stone. But all the time,

the eye of God was upon this
wicked company; He heard they
blaspheming His holy name, ang
soon He was going to punish them,
While they were all feasting, Bel.
shazzar looked up to the wail of the
room where they were sitting, and
he saw the fingers of a man’s hand
writing upon the wall. He could no}
tell who was writing; he saw only the
fingers, and the words written ; and
he could not understand the words,
Then Belshazzar was very much
frightened; and he called all his
Wise men, and asked them to read
and explain the writing upon the
wall, and promised to give great
honors and riches to any one who
could interpret it. But the wise
men could not read nor understand
the writing. Like Nebudchadnez-
zar’s dream, it came from God;
and only one taught by God’s Spirit,
had wisdom to read and interpret
it. At last, Belshazzar’s mother,
queen Nitocris, came into the room,
and told the king about Daniel; for
she remembered that he had ex-

plained Nebuchadnezzar’s dream,

when the wise men of Babylon could
not. When Belshazzar heard this,
he sent for Daniel directly. So
Daniel was brought in, and the
king spoke to him, and said, “1
have heard that thou hast wisdom
to understand hard things, and to
give interpretations. If now thou
canst read and interpret this writing, —
which the wise men of Babylon
cannot understand, I will clothe thee
in scarlet, and give thee a chain of