sps them by the hand, and a mighty shout of good
feeling and gladness resounds from thrice ten thousand tongues. The king
then, turning to the multitude, in a loud voice exclaims:

"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his
angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have yielded
their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their
own God. Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and
language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces; because there is no other
god that can deliver after this sort. And now, by the command of the
king, let that image be taken down, and let it be carried to the temple
of Belus, and there, in a secluded part, let it remain."

The assembly was now disbanded and broken up by royal authority. The
masses began to move homeward with deep astonishment. The golden image
was lost sight of, and the miraculous deliverance of the three Hebrews
was the all-absorbing theme. The priests of Belus were utterly
confounded. This mighty demonstration of the power of Jehovah soon spread
throughout the land. The numerous Hebrew captives were treated with much
more kindness; thousands of Chaldeans lost all confidence in their gods,
and learned to pay their homage at the shrine of Jehovah.

Daniel returned from the court of Pharaoh, after having arranged all
things to the satisfaction of his sovereign, in whose estimation he now
stood higher than ever. The three brothers were held in awe and reverence
by all, and the king communed with them freely on all subjects. Their
lives were rendered comfortable, and, according to the late decree of the
king, whosoever dared to speak disrespectfully of their God did so at his
imminent peril.

The priests of Belus kept much within their temple, and whenever they
appeared in public, it was with far greater modesty and much less
arrogance. They were fast losing the confidence of the populace, and the
worship of the gods was greatly disregarded. The great Rab Mag was
universally admired, and his three companions stood above reproach.

CHAPTER XIX.

FOR some years after that wonderful display of Divine power, as exhibited
before vast thousands on the plains of Dura, Chaldea was comparatively
free from wars.

The king contented himself with adding to the already magnificent
grandeur of the seat of his empire. Thousands were continua