MALACHI With Malachi the long line of Israelite prophets comes to an end. Of him personally we know nothing; even his very name is matter for doubt. It occurs in i. 1, and no where else in Scripture; it may be a shortened form of a name, meaning 'messenger of Jehovah,' or it may simply be the Hebrew word, 'my messenger,' wrongly taken to be a proper name. There The conditions of the time when the prophecy was uttered are plain. The Temple has long been rebuilt, the priests are grown mercenary, the people's zeal has quite faded out. are no exhortations here such as those with which Haggai urged on the work. Long years had passed by, and the nature of Malachi's protests gives us a clue as to the time. Israelites are divorcing their Israelite wives to contract marriages with foreigners, and this and the neglect of tithes and offerings is the burden of the charge. But these two things were what specially moved the wrath of Nehemiah in his second governorship (xiii. I f., 23 f.). We may with some confidence therefore assign the prophecy of Malachi to a period either during or, perhaps rather, just preceding this time (circa 432 B.C.). The absence of any reference to Nehemiah's rule favours the latter view. The book falls into three divisions. In the first (i. 1-ii. 9) is the thought of God as the loving father of His people, evil as was the return; the second (ii. 10-16) is mainly devoted to the protest against the unlawful marriages, with divorced Israelite wives weeping at the altar; and the third dwells on the coming of the Messiah as 'the Sun of Righteousness,' and the judgment of the wicked. With the announcement of the coming of the great Forerunner, O.T. prophecy ends. IN The Book of Daniel N the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of The Age Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon of the unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord Exile gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 5 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the 10 children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 20 * The beginning of each Chapter of the Authorised Version is indicated by an asterisk. 15 Daniel's Now among these were of the children of Judah, Purpose Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Han5 aniah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested 10 of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and 15 your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 20 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that 25 eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar Diet of took away the portion of their meat, and the wine Pulse & that they should drink, and gave them pulse. As Water for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had 5 understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among 10 them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and 15 astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus. * And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchad- Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, The O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, King of and we will shew the interpretation. Babylon's The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The Dream thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known 5 unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the To dream, and the interpretation thereof. 15 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. that The king answered and said, I know of certainty ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me 20 the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor 25 ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. |