Bible Stories and Religious ClassicsWells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Religion
Bible Stories and Religious Classics
Wells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Bible stories, English -- Juvenile literature; Christian literature for children
gladness of Israel, thou the worship doing of our people, thou didst
manly, and thy heart is comforted because thou lovedst chastity and
knewest no man after the death of thy husband, and therefore the hand of
God hath comforted thee. And therefore thou shalt be blessed world
without end, and all the people said: Fiat! fiat! be it done, be it
done. Certainly the spoils of the Assyrians were unnethe gathered and
assembled together in thirty days, of the people of Israel, but all the
proper riches that were appertaining to Holofernes and could be found
that had been his, they were given to Judith as well gold, silver, gems,
clothes, as all other appurtenances to household; and all was delivered
to her of the people, and the folks, with women and maidens, joyed in
organs and harps. Then Judith sang this song unto God saying: Begin ye
in timbrels, sing ye to the Lord in cymbals, mannerly sing to him a new
psalm. Fully joy ye, and inwardly call ye his name, and so forth. And
for this great miracle and victory all the people came to Jerusalem for
to give laud, honor, and worship unto our Lord God. And after they were
purified they offered sacrifices, vows, and behests unto God, and the
joy of this victory was solemnized during three months, and after that,
each went home again into his own city and house, and Judith returned
into Bethulia, and was made more great and clear to all men of the land
of Israel. She was joined to the virtue of chastity, so that she knew no
man all the days of her life after the death of Manasses, her husband,
and dwelled in the house of her husband an hundred and five years, and
she left her demoiselle free. After this she died and is buried in
Bethulia and all the people bewailed her seven days. During her life
after this journey was no trouble among the Jews, and the day of this
victory of the Hebrews was accepted for a feastful day, and hallowed of
the Jews and numbered among their feasts unto this day.
THE VISION OF BELSHAZZAR
The King was on his throne,
The Satraps throng'd the hall;
A thousand bright lamps shone
O'er that high festival.
A thousand cups of gold,
In Judah deem'd divine--
Jehovah's vessels hold
The godless Heathen's wine.
In that same hour and hall
The fingers of a Hand
Came forth against the wall,
And wrote as if on sand:
The fingers of a man;--
A solitary hand
Along the letters ran,
And traced them like a wand.
The monarch saw, and shook,
And bade no more rejoice;
All bloodless wax'd his look,
And tremulous his voice:--
"Let the men of lore appear,
The wisest of the earth,
And expound the words of fear,
Which mar our royal mirth."
Chaldea's seers are good,
But here they have no skill;
And the unknown letters stood
Untold and awful still.
And Babel's men of age
Are wise and deep in lore;
But now they were not sage,
They saw--but knew no more.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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