[Illustration:  To shade Jonah from the sun]

And God saw that the people of Nineveh were sorry for their wickedness, and he forgave them, and did not destroy their city.  But this made Jonah very angry.  He did not wish to have Nineveh spared, because it was the enemy of his own land; and also he feared that men would call him a false prophet when his word did not come to pass.  And Jonah said to the Lord: 

“O Lord, I was sure that it would be thus, that thou wouldest spare the city; and for that reason I tried to flee away; for I know that thou wast a gracious God, full of pity, slow to anger, and rich in mercy.  Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

And Jonah went out of the city, and built a little hut on the east side of it, and sat under its roof, to see whether God would keep the word that he had spoken.  Then the Lord caused a plant with thick leaves to grow up, and to shade Jonah from the sun; and Jonah was glad, and sat under its shadow.  But a worm destroyed the plant; and the next day a hot wind blew, and Jonah suffered from the heat; and again Jonah wished that he might die.  And the Lord said to Jonah: 

“You were sorry to see the plant die, though you did not make it grow, and though it came up in a night and died in a night.  And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, where are more than a hundred thousand little children, and also many cattle,—­all helpless and knowing nothing?”

And Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children, are all precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they know not God.

THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE

There was in the land of Judah a wicked king-named Jehoiakim, son of the good Josiah.  While Jehoiakim was ruling over the land of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, a great conqueror of the nations, came from Babylon with his army of Chaldean soldiers.  He took the city of Jerusalem, and made Jehoiakim promise to submit to him as his master.  And when he went back to his own land he took with him all the gold and silver that he could find in the Temple; and he carried away as captives very many of the princes and nobles, the best people in the land of Judah.

When these Jews were brought to the land of Chaldea or Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the prince, who had charge of his palace, to choose among these Jewish captives some young men who were of noble rank, and beautiful in their looks, and also quick and bright in their minds; young men who would be able to learn readily.  These young men were to be placed under the care of wise men, who should teach them all that they knew, and fit them to stand before the king of Babylon, so that they might be his helpers to carry out his orders; and the king wished them to be wise, so that they might give him advice in ruling his people.

Among the young men thus chosen were four Jews, men who had been brought from Judah.  By order of the king the names of these men were changed.  One of them, named Daniel, was to be called Belteshazzer; the other three young men were called Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  They were taught in all the knowledge of the Chaldeans; and after three years of training they were taken into the king’s palace.