"And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold he is in Dothan.

Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

"And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

"And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. "And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their

eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

"And the King of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

"And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.

"And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel" (2 Kings vi. 8-22).

QUESTIONS.

Why did the prophets want to build a new house? What is meant by strait? Of what was the house to be built? Where? What accident happened? Why was the man grieved? What did Elisha do? What was the result? What was his next miracle? Why were the soldiers sent? To what place? Who was afraid? What did Elisha pray? What did the servant see? What did Elisha bring down on the army? Where did he lead them? In whose power were they? What did the king ask? What was the answer? What was done to them? What effect had this on the army?

CHAPTER CIX.

MIRACLES OF THE PROPHETS.

THERE are three important miracles connected with the prophets, of which we have spoken already; but we will now read the account.

1. THE THREE CHILDREN IN THE FIERY FURNACE.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

"Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

"Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the

king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

"Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

"Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

"They spake and said to the King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

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"There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

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"Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

"Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

"Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning

fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

"Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

"Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the firo slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

"And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

"He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.

"Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be

the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants tha 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.

"Therefore, I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

"Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon." (Dan. iii.)

NOTES.-Flute was a kind of whistle or pipe, blown at the end. Harp, sackbut, and psaltery, are all different kinds of string instruments. The harp was like a guitar, with ten strings; the psaltery was like it, except that the rounded body of the instrument was at the top and not at the bottom; the sackbut was something like it, but in the shape of a triangle, and having four strings; the cornet was a rod of iron, bent to the shape of a horse shoe, with cross-bars, on which rings were placed, which jingled when shaken; the dulcimer is thought to have been a wind instrument, like a bag-pipe. Hosen are stockings. Astonied means astonished, or stupefied.

QUESTIONS.

Who were "the three children?" What were their Hebrew names? Who was Nebuchadnezzar? What did he set up? What did he command? Who refused to obey? Why? What was the punishment? How were they saved? Who was the fourth person? What did the king order? What were the flute, cornet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer?

CHAPTER CX.

MIRACLES OF THE PROPHETS (continued).

2. DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN.

"It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; and over these three presidents, of whom