The History of Antiquity, Vol. 6 (of 6)Duncker, Max
History
The History of Antiquity, Vol. 6 (of 6)
Duncker, Max
History, Ancient
Then Daniel was summoned, one of the Jews
whom Nebuchadnezzar brought from Babylon, who had already interpreted
dreams for Nebuchadnezzar which the wise men of Babylon could not
expound, and had remained true to the religion of Jehovah under all
temptations. He read the words, which were Hebrew,--Mene, Tekel,
Peres,--and explained them: Thy kingdom is "numbered"; thou hast been
"weighed" in the balance and found wanting, because thy heart is not
humbled, and thou honourest not the God in whose hand is thy breath and
all thy fortunes; thy kingdom has been "divided" among the Medes and
Persians. Then the king commanded to put the purple robe on Daniel, and
the golden chain upon his neck, and proclaim him third in the kingdom.
"But in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldæans slain, and
Darius the Mede received the kingdom."[73]
Only a short excerpt has come down to us of the account which Berosus
gave of the capture of Babylon. "Cyrus set out from Persia with a strong
force against Babylon. When Nabonetus heard of his approach, he went to
meet him with his army, and they joined battle. He was defeated, and
fled with a few companions into the city of the Borsippeans, where he
was besieged. Cyrus took Babylon, and as he had found the city difficult
to reduce, and stubborn, he gave orders to throw down the walls outside
the city, and then set out against Borsippa in order to get Nabonetus
into his power, by bringing the siege to an end. But Nabonetus did not
wait for the city to be taken by storm; he surrendered. Cyrus treated
him with kindness, and sent him from Babylon to Carmania, which he
appointed to be his dwelling-place. There Nabonetus lived for the
remainder of his life, and there he died." According to Eusebius, Cyrus
gave the vice-royalty of Carmania to Nabonetus, and Darius took it away
again.[74]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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