Illustrated bible History - Catholic Apologetics Information

184 HISTORY OF THE OLD TGSTAMENT,
you into the Im~d of' Israel, and you shall how that I nrn the
Lortl, 0 rlly ~~eople, ' "
8. ~\mangst the captives were scv~ral yol>~lg mc~i nf high
ranb, bclongiilg to tko first fa~nilics. Tlle Icing ordel-cd the
mo~t disliilguislled of tl~cse to Le brought to his own pnlace,
clotlied in kingly appnrcl, and fecl with meats from his own
t:hle. Aniong~ t these young lneri were Danicl, Annnias;
hlisnel,* A~arias.~
9. Thcy rcsolvcd not to oat of the n~cnts fi.om the king'n
table, bccause the Jcwish law furbade thc use of certai~
~neats, mid th~y Legged thc chief t;te~r.;lrcl to illlow them to
cat only ~egetnl~l~s, tuld to clrir~lr only water. Thc ~tc?warc
tvns ciisposcd ta comply with their rcqucst, but he told them
Br~t if tl~cg livcrl oiz snc:ll diet they monltl I~ecoliie so lcnrl th:~L
the king ~i~oulrl blulnc him, and purllaps punish him se verclg.
l(]. Dmliel bcsought the stcrrard to try thcln for ten dapa
with thc food :tnd clriuk they dcsirctl tu Ilt~ve. The stoward
consented, ant1 at the encl of ten days the faces of these
yoirrlg men wepc frcslzar ancl more comely than thosc of the
other young men of the court.
11. After this, the steward gave them only ocgetables and
~vat~r; but Gocl gnvc them ~visdorn and acience. \+'hen tliu
tinw ixlne that thy wcrc prc?sentcd to the king, he \i7\.as so
cl~armcrl with heir bcn~~ty :~nd wivclo~n that he rctai~~ctl them
in his servicc. The riew covcnant which deremias foretells is
the Chrislian rcligiorl, in which greatel grace is given to men ;
for which reason it is c:alled thc law of grace, while the old
tcstanlent was called the law of fcar.
- QUESTIONS.
1. ?Vhat did the people of Jndn, at last becorno? Tomhat did they
giro theirlselvcs wholly up? What more did they do? JJ71rut was
tlw rcsnlt? 5. Who marchcd againet Jerusalem, in the year
Gm, befuro Christ,? llrh,zt did Nt~buchodonosor do~v.v.hen he look tko
1 Axrxrau (pr. A~l-an-i'-ss). 2 MIEIAEI,
(pr. &fis'-a-el).
3 Aenarns (pr. Ar-adr-arrl.