1. Where were some of the Jews living? 2. What was the name of the Jew girl? 3. What was the name of her kinsman? 4. How did the king choose his wife? 5. Who was the most beautiful woman? 6. Where did Mordecai sit? 7. To whom would not Mordecai bow? 8. What did Haman want to do? 9. Who consented? 10. Why was it dangerous for Esther to go and speak to the king? 11. What did the king do when he saw her? 12. What did holding out the sceptre mean? 13. What did she ask him? 14. What did she tell him? 15. What was done to Haman? 16. How were the Jews saved? [Illustration: TRIUMPH OF MORDECAI.--Esther 6:11.] SECOND READING. "Thy servants think upon her stones, and it pitieth them to see her in the dust."--_Ps. 102:14._ THERE was a good Jew named Nehemiah, whom the King of Persia had made his cup-bearer. One day one of the Jews came from Jerusalem, and told Nehemiah how sad all was at their home, the city that once had been so beautiful. There was a little bit of the Temple built up, but all the streets were heaps of ruins, and only a house or two here and there built up; and the robber tribes round were always breaking in and doing mischief. Nehemiah wept, and prayed to God for his people; and when he went in to wait on the king and queen, he still looked so sad, that they asked him what was the matter. Then he told them that he had just heard that his dear home, where his fathers' tombs were, was lying waste, and that the cruel enemies were always doing harm; and he begged the king to let him go home and try to help them. [Illustration: NEHEMIAH ARMETH THE LABORERS--Neh. 4:16,17.] So the king gave him leave, but set him a time to come back; and Nehemiah went all the long way to Jerusalem. It was quite as bad as he had heard. The houses were all down, only here and there one standing; and when he went out on his ass at night to view the ruins, there was a heap of stones where a gate should be, and a hole where a wall should be. So Nehemiah stirred up all the Jews, and they set to work to build the wall to keep out the robbers. Then the enemies laughed at them, and said a fox could break down all they built; and when they went on, people used to come and attack them, so that they had to work with swords ready to fight, and always on the watch to come to help if they heard a trumpet blown. But they kept on, and the wall was built and the gates set up; and they were safe once more from enemies coming in among them. QUESTIONS. 1. Who was Nehemiah? 2. What made him sad? 3. Who were living at Jerusalem? 4. What had happened to it? 5. What did Nehemiah do when he heard this sad news? 6. How did God begin to grant his prayer? 7. What did the king ask him? 8. What did he tell the king? 9. Where did he go? 10. What did he find there? 11. Why did they want a wall? 12. What did he set the Jews to do? 13. How did they build? 14. Who tormented them? 15. But what was finished at last? THIRD READING.