Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said: "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who hath sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God." So Nebuchadnezzar made another decree, that if any one said anything against the God of these three young men, he should be cut in pieces and his house destroyed—"because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort." And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. This is a glorious chapter of one of the greatest deliverances of the Bible; and there are plenty more! [Illustration] XXIX. QUEEN ESTHER'S REQUEST ESTHER 8.3-6 ESTHER was a very beautiful girl, and Ahasuerus the great King of the Medes and Persians chose her to be his Queen, and he loved her very much. Esther was not only beautiful in face, but she had a very beautiful character. She belonged to the people of God, called the Jews, who had been carried away captives from Palestine, and were now living in Persia. Among these Jews was a man called Mordecai, who was much respected for his goodness, and he sat in the King's Gate. When Esther's father and mother died, Mordecai took the little girl and brought her up as his own daughter. He taught her about God, and Esther was very obedient, and loved Mordecai very dearly. [Illustration: Mordecai took the little girl and brought her up.] Then Esther was made Queen, and things went on peacefully; until one day Mordecai heard that there was a plot forming to kill King Ahasuerus. He at once secretly told Esther, and she told the King; and the two conspirators were both hanged. But the King forgot to thank Mordecai, though it was written down in the Chronicles of the Kingdom. About that time the King took a great fancy to a man called Haman, who hated the Jews, and especially Mordecai, because he did not bow down to him when he passed. So Haman obtained leave from the King to fix a day when all the Jews should be killed in the whole Kingdom. But the City Shushan was much perplexed; for they knew, though the King did not, that his beloved Queen was a Jewess! When Mordecai found out all that was happening, he was bitterly grieved, and sent an urgent message to Esther, and implored her to go in and tell the King, and beg him to spare her people. But Queen Esther sent back a message to Mordecai, to remind him that if anyone ventured to go in to the King's inner Court, that person would certainly be put to death unless the King should hold out his Golden Sceptre. So Mordecai sent another urgent message to tell Esther that perhaps she had come to be Queen, to do this very thing. But if she did nothing, then she and all the Jews would perish!