The Last Night of Babylon

A young Babylonian palace guard stood at the doorway of King Belshazzar’s feast hall.  He had dark, intense brown eyes, and had rich black, curly hair.  He was taller than most other Babylonians, and was quite an imposing figure to guard a doorway.  Zadek, the guard, watched the room restively, waiting for his shift to end.  He heard loud blasts of noise coming from the hall.  Men clapping their hands at the dancing-girls . . . a wild, drunk, man singing worse than a vulture, they all droned into the noise of the mad party.  

 

The king spent many of his nights entertaining guests with wild parties.  He cared little for his own people, occasionally doubling, or even tripling the commoners’ taxes in his drunkenness.  He would marry a woman, pretend to love her, and then move on to another when he grew weary of her. 

 

Zadek heard the king’s voice inside the hall.  “Let us give a toast to Ishtar, the great goddess.”  Zadek heard the clattering of cups as the crowd raised their drinks in a toast.  He heard the king take a noisy swig.  The king became bored of the toasts and drinks and went on to another subject.  “This cup,” he said, lifting his golden goblet higher, “Was taken from the temple of the Jewish god, Jehovah!  Strange, is it not, that this god did not protect them when we Babylonians conquered them!”  He mocked.  The people laughed.  

 

          Zadek shook his head.  Those who insult gods are terribly punished, he thought.  I hope this Jehovah is not extremely angered.  Zadek leaned back on the wall.  What if this Jehovah is stronger than what the king thinks?  What punishment might He use, if he was angered?  he wondered. 

 

          Suddenly he heard panicked screams from the guests.  Zadek ran into the feast hall, looking around to see what caused the commotion.  Several possibilities rushed through his mind all at one time, but fell apart when he saw what the guests had seen.  There, on the other side of the hall was a hand writing something on the wall.  He pushed his way through the crowd, fighting the current of jostling men and women running in the opposite direction –away from the writing.  Zadek finally managed to push through the crowd and reach the wall.  He could not identify the writing.  Could Jehovah have passed judgment on the king for his sacrilege?      

 

He ran to the king, who sat petrified on his high throne, fearfully staring at the mysterious writing.  The king saw Zadek.

 

“Guard!  Find a messenger and tell him to bring all my wise men and astrologers to me at once!”

 

“Yes, my Lord,” he replied.  The young guard rushed to the king’s messengers’ quarters, and woke one of them. 

 

“Nebo, wake up!” Zadek said.  The messenger awoke.

 

“What does the king wish me to do?” Nebo asked.

 

“Go find the wise men and astrologers in the palace, tell them to come to the feast hall immediately.”  Zadek replied.  The messenger obeyed, and Zadek returned to the hall.  An hour later the astrologers and wise men still could not understand its meaning.  The king was getting restless.  Then the queen called Zadek. 

 

“Go find a Hebrew named Belteshazzar.  He is also called Daniel.  Bring him before the king, he will be able to interpret the dream.”

 

After half an hour Daniel arrived.  He was an old man, with a thick walking stick and a white robe.  When he saw the writing the king demanded its meaning.  Daniel interpreted them.  The words meant that the king’s days were numbered, and that the Persians were to conquer his land.  The king looked worried with what he had heard, but his curiosity was satiated with the explanation that had been given, and he promoted Daniel to the third most powerful man in Babylon. 

 

Two hours later Zadek heard a crash.  He saw the door come apart.  He saw soldiers come in.  He looked at their armor, it was definitely Persian. 

 

“We’re being attacked!  No doubt we have done a great sin against the gods!” a wise man screamed.  

 

Zadek drew his sword, preparing to fight.  He faced a Persian soldier who seemed little older than himself.  The Persian’s eyes met his own.  Zadek struck first, but was easily blocked off.  The Persian was much more experienced.  He struck, and Zadek was unable to parry the blow. Then his sword flung out of his grasp, and the Persian picked up his sword. 

 

A month later, Zadek found himself training in the Persian army.  The evil, sacrilegious King Belshazzar had been killed.  Daniel, the old Hebrew advisor, became a high official in the Persian court.  The Persians were kind to Zadek, and he eventually became the commander of the thirty-fourth infantry regiment.  The Babylonian Empire had vanished, and so had Zadek’s memory of that cruel, evil city.