O King, he shall be cast into a den of lions." The
King signed the writing and established the law. But Daniel still
knelt and prayed three times a day as before.

His enemies saw him praying, and told the King, urging him to carry
out the law. But the King was angry with himself that he had agreed to
such a law, and tried to think of some way to save Daniel. Then these
men urged that the law could not be altered. So Daniel was cast into
the den of lions, and a stone was put over the mouth of the den, which
was sealed by the King and the lords. But the King had said to Daniel,
"Thy God whom thou servest will deliver thee."

The King passed the night fasting, and could not sleep. In the
morning, very early, he arose and went to the den of lions, and cried
with a lamentable voice, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy
God able to deliver thee from the lions?" Then Daniel said, "O King,
live for ever. My God hath sent His angel and shut the lions'
mouths."

[Illustration: DANIEL AND THE LIONS.]

ESTHER BEFORE THE KING.

Ahasuerus reigned over the vast empire of Persia, and Esther, the
adopted daughter of a Jew named Mordecai, was Queen. None in the
palace knew she was a Jewess, for Mordecai had charged her not to make
it known. He abode in the king's palace, and was one of the king's
servants.

Ahasuerus promoted Haman, one of his courtiers, a cruel and wicked
man, to be over all his princes and officers; and all bowed down to
Haman and did him reverence except Mordecai, the Jew. Then was Haman
filled with wrath against Mordecai and his people, and obtained from
the king a decree ordering that all the Jews throughout his dominions
should be slain. Mordecai informed Queen Esther of this decree, and
bade her go to the king and plead for her people. Now it was one of
the laws of the palace that no one should approach the king in the
inner court unless he had been previously called; the penalty for not
obeying this law being death, unless the king should hold out the
golden sceptre to the offender so that he might live. Esther knew the
danger of approaching the king uncalled for, but she bade Mordecai to
gather the Jews so that they might spend three days in fasting and
prayer, while she and her maidens did the same, and, said she, "So
will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law, and if
I perish, I perish."

Esther went in. The king graciously held out the golden sceptre to
her, accep