I am he – Day 6

₁One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before, ₂so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad? You aren't ill, so it must be that you're unhappy.”

I was startled ₃and answered, “May Your Majesty live for ever! How can I help looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

₄The emperor asked, “What is it that you want?”

I prayed to the God of Heaven, ₅and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.”

₆The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him.

₃The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families. ₄They had to be handsome, intelligent, well trained, quick to learn, and free from physical defects, so that they would be qualified to serve in the royal court. Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language. ₅The king also gave orders that every day they were to be given the same food and wine as the members of the royal court. After three years of this training they were to appear before the king. ₆Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom were from the tribe of Judah. ₇The chief official gave them new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

₈Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him,

₅₄As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. ₅₅But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right-hand side of God. ₅₆“Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right-hand side of God!”

₅₇With a loud cry the members of the Council covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, ₅₈threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. ₅₉They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ₆₀He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.

₉and said, “Why do you listen to people who say that I am trying to harm you? ₁₀You can see for yourself that just now in the cave the LORD put you in my power. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said that I would not harm you in the least, because you are the one whom the LORD chose to be king. ₁₁Look, my father, look at the piece of your robe I am holding! I could have killed you, but instead I only cut this off. This should convince you that I have no thought of rebelling against you or of harming you. You are hunting me down to kill me, even though I have not done you any wrong. ₁₂May the LORD judge which one of us is wrong! May he punish you for your action against me, for I will not harm you in the least. ₁₃You know the old saying, ‘Evil is done only by evil people.’ And so I will not harm you. ₁₄Look at what the king of Israel is trying to kill! Look at what he is chasing! A dead dog, a flea! ₁₅The LORD will judge, and he will decide which one of us is wrong. May he look into the matter, defend me, and save me from you.”