the antiquities of the jews-1-第140节

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in　case　they　continued　in　the　country；　and　that　out　of　anger　at
the　slaughter　of　Gedaliah；　who　had　been　by　them　set　over　it　for
governor。

6。　Now　while　they　were　under　this　deliberation；　Johanan；　the　son
of　Kareah；　and　the　rulers。　that　were　with　him；　came　to　Jeremiah
the　prophet；　and　desired　that　he　would　pray　to　God；　that　because
they　were　at　an　utter　loss　about　what　they　ought　to　do；　he　would
discover　it　to　them；　and　they　sware　that　they　would　do　whatsoever
Jeremiah　should　say　to　them。　And　when　the　prophet　said　he　would
be　their　intercessor　with　God；　it　came　to　pass；　that　after　ten
days　God　appeared　to　him；　and　said　that　he　should　inform　Johanan；
and　the　other　rulers；　and　all　the　people；　that　he　would　be　with
them　while　they　continued　in　that　country；　and　take　care　of　them；
and　keep　them　from　being　hurt　by　the　Babylonians；　of　whom　they
were　afraid；　but　that　he　would　desert　them　if　they　went　into
Egypt；　and；　out　of　this　wrath　against　them；　would　inflict　the
same　punishments　upon　them　which　they　knew　their　brethren　had
already　endured。　So　when　the　prophet　had　informed　Johanan　and　the
people　that　God　had　foretold　these　things；　he　was　not　believed；
when　he　said　that　God　commanded　them　to　continue　in　the　country；
but　they　imagined　that　he　said　so　to　gratify　Baruch；　his　own
disciple；　and　belied　God；　and　that　he　persuaded　them　to　stay
there；　that　they　might　be　destroyed　by　the　Babylonians。
Accordingly；　both　the　people　and　Johanan　disobeyed　the　counsel　of
God；　which　he　gave　them　by　the　prophet；　and　removed　into　Egypt；
and　carried　Jeremiah　and　Barnch　along　with　him。

7。　And　when　they　were　there；　God　signified　to　the　prophet　that
the　king　of　Babylon　was　about　making　an　expedition　against　the
Egyptians；　and　commanded　him　to　foretell　to　the　people　that　Egypt
should　be　taken；　and　the　king　of　Babylon　should　slay　some　of　them
and；　should　take　others　captive；　and　bring　them　to　Babylon；　which
things　came　to　pass　accordingly；　for　on　the　fifth　year　after　the
destruction　of　Jerusalem；　which　was　the　twenty…third　of　the　reign
of　Nebuchadnezzar；　he　made　an　expedition　against　Celesyria；　and
when　he　had　possessed　himself　of　it；　he　made　war　against　the
Ammonites　and　Moabites；　and　when　he　had　brought　all　these　nations
under　subjection；　he　fell　upon　Egypt；　in　order　to　overthrow　it；
and　he　slew　the　king　that　then　reigned　（15）　and　set　up　another；
and　he　took　those　Jews　that　were　there　captives；　and　led　them
away　to　Babylon。　And　such　was　the　end　of　the　nation　of　the
Hebrews；　as　it　hath　been　delivered　down　to　us；　it　having　twice
gone　beyond　Euphrates；　for　the　people　of　the　ten　tribes　were
carried　out　of　Samaria　by　the　Assyrians；　in　the　days　of　king
Hoshea；　after　which　the　people　of　the　two　tribes　that　remained
after　Jerusalem　was　taken　＇were　carried　away＇　by　Nebuchadnezzar；
the　king　of　Babylon　and　Chaldea。　Now　as　to　Shalmanezer；　he
removed　the　Israelites　out　of　their　country；　and　placed　therein
the　nation　of　the　Cutheans；　who　had　formerly　belonged　to　the
inner　parts　of　Persia　and　Media；　but　were　then　called　Samaritans；
by　taking　the　name　of　the　country　to　which　they　were　removed；　but
the　king　of　Babylon；　who　brought　out　the　two　tribes；　（16）　placed
no　other　nation　in　their　country；　by　which　means　all　Judea　and
Jerusalem；　and　the　temple；　continued　to　be　a　desert　for　seventy
years；　but　the　entire　interval　of　time　which　passed　from　the
captivity　of　the　Israelites；　to　the　carrying　away　of　the　two
tribes；　proved　to　be　a　hundred　and　thirty　years；　six　months；　and
ten　days。

CHAPTER　10。

Concerning　Daniel　And　What　Befell　Him　At　Babylon；

1。　But　now　Nebuchadnezzar；　king　of　Babylon；　took　some　of　the　most
noble　of　the　Jews　that　were　children；　and　the　kinsmen　of　Zedekiah
their　king；　such　as　were　remarkable　for　the　beauty　of　their
bodies；　and　the　comeliness　of　their　countenances；　and　delivered
them　into　the　hands　of　tutors；　and　to　the　improvement　to　be　made
by　them。　He　also　made　some　of　them　to　be　eunuchs；　which　course　he
took　also　with　those　of　other　nations　whom　he　had　taken　in　the
flower　of　their　age；　and　afforded　them　their　diet　from　his　own
table；　and　had　them　instructed　in　the　institutes　of　the　country；
and　taught　the　learning　of　the　Chaldeans；　and　they　had　now
exercised　themselves　sufficiently　in　that　wisdom　which　he　had
ordered　they　should　apply　themselves　to。　Now　among　these　there
were　four　of　the　family　of　Zedekiah；　of　most　excellent
dispositions；　one　of　whom　was　called　Daniel；　another　was　called
Ananias；　another　Misael；　and　the　fourth　Azarias；　and　the　king　of
Babylon　changed　their　names；　and　commanded　that　they　should　make
use　of　other　names。　Daniel　he　called　Baltasar；　Ananias；　Shadrach；
Misael；　Meshach；　and　Azarias；　Abednego。　These　the　king　had　in
esteem；　and　continued　to　love；　because　of　the　very　excellent
temper　they　were　of；　and　because　of　their　application　to
learning；　and　the　profess　they　had　made　in　wisdom。

2。　Now　Daniel　and　his　kinsmen　had　resolved　to　use　a　severe　diet；
and　to　abstain　from　those　kinds　of　food　which　came　from　the
king's　table；　and　entirely　to　forbear　to　eat　of　all　living
creatures。　So　he　came　to　Ashpenaz；　who　was　that　eunuch　to　whom
the　care　of　them　was　committed；　（17）　and　desired　him　to　take　and
spend　what　was　brought　for　them　from　the　king；　but　to　give　them
pulse　and　dates　for　their　food；　and　any　thing　else；　besides　the
flesh　of　living　creatures；　that　he　pleased；　for　that　their
inclinations　were　to　that　sort　of　food；　and　that　they　despised
the　other。　He　replied；　that　he　was　ready　to　serve　them　in　what
they　desired；　but　he　suspected　that　they　would　be　discovered　by
the　king；　from　their　meagre　bodies；　and　the　alteration　of　their
countenances；　because　it　could　not　be　avoided　but　their　bodies
and　colors　must　be　changed　with　their　diet；　especially　while　they
would　be　clearly　discovered　by　the　finer　appearance　of　the　other
children；　who　would　fare　better；　and　thus　they　should　bring　him
into　danger；　and　occasion　him　to　be　punished；　yet　did　they
persuade　Arioch；　who　was　thus　fearful；　to　give　them　what　food
they　desired　for　ten　days；　by　way　of　trial；　and　in　case　the　habit
of　their　bodies　were　not　altered；　to　go　on　in　the　same　way；　as
expecting　that　they　should　not　be　hurt　thereby　afterwards；　but　if
he　saw　them　look　meagre；　and　worse　than　the　rest；　he　should
reduce　them　to　their　former　diet。　Now　when　it　appeared　that　they
were　so　far　from　becoming　worse　by　the　use　of　this　food；　that
they　grew　plumper　and　fuller　in　body　than　the　rest；　insomuch　that
he　thought　those　who　fed　on　what　came　from　the　king's　table
seemed　less　plump　and　full；　while　those　that　were　with　Daniel
looked　as　if　they　had　lived　in　plenty；　and　in　all　sorts　of
luxury。　Arioch；　from　that　time；　securely　took　himself　what　the
king　sent　every　day　from　his　supper；　according　to　custom；　to　the
children；　but　gave　them　the　forementioned　diet；　while　they　had
their　souls　in　some　measure　more　pure；　and　less　burdened；　and　so
fitter　for　learning；　and　had　their　bodies　in　better　tune　for　hard
labor；　for　they　neither　had　the　former　oppressed　and　heavy　with
variety　of　meats；　nor　were　the　other　effeminate　on　the　same
account；　so　they　readily　understood　all　the　learning　that　was
among　the　Hebrews；　and　among　the　Chaldeans；　as　especially　did
Daniel；　who　being　already　sufficiently　skillful　in　wisdom；　was
very　busy　about　the　interpretation　of　dreams；　and　God　manifested
himself　to　him。

3。　Now　two　years　after　the　destruction　of　Egypt；　king
Nebuchadnezzar　saw　a　wonderful　dream；　the　accomplishment　of　which
God　showed　him　in　his　sleep；　but　when　he　arose　out　of　his　bed；　he
forgot　the　accomplishment。　So　he　sent　for　the　Chaldeans　and
magicians；　and　the　prophets；　and　told　them　that　he　had　seen　a
dream；　and　informed　them　that　he　had　forgotten　the　accomplishment
of　what　he　had　seen；　and　he　enjoined　them　to　tell　him　both　what
the　dream　was；　and　what　was　its　signification；　and　they　said　that
this　was　a　thing　impossible　to　be　discovered　by　men；　but　they
promised　him；　that　if　he　would　explain　to　them　what　dream　he　had
seen；　they　would　tell　him　its　signification。　Hereupon　he
threatened　to　put　them　to　death；　unless　they　told　him　his　dream；
and　he　gave　command　to　have　them　all　put　to　death；　since　they
confessed　they　could　not　do　what　they　were　commanded　to　do。　Now
when　Daniel　heard　that　the　king　had　given　a　command；　that　all　the
wise　men　should　be　put　to　death；　and　that　among　them　himself　and
his　three　kinsmen　were　in　danger；　he　went　to　Arioch；　who　was
captain　of　the　king's　guards；　and　desired　to　know　of　him　what　was
the　reason　why　the　king　had　given　command　that　all　the　wise　men；
and　Chaldeans；　and　magicians　should　be　slain。　So　when　he　had
learned　that　the　king　had　had　a　dream；　and　had　forgotten　it；　and
that　when　they　were　enjoined　to　inform　the　king　of　it；　they　had
said　they　could　not　do　it；　and　had　thereby　provoked　him　to　anger；
he　desired　of　Arioch　that　he　would　go　in　to　the　king；　and　desire
respite　for　the　magicians　for　one　night；　and　to　put　off　their
slaughter　so　long；　for　that　he　hoped　within　that　time　to　obtain；
by　prayer　to　God；　the　knowledge　of　the　dream。　Accordingly；　Arioch
informed　the　king　of　what　Daniel　desired。　So　the　king　bid　them
delay　the　slaughter　of　the　magic