twentieth year of his reign, that the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. "And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophecying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia." Ezra vi.
Cyrus the younger, brother of Artaxerxes, formed the project of dethroning him, and with the aid of 13,000 Greeks, engaged him in battle near Babylon. This battle happened about 401 years B.C.
Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, (Daniel, ix. 1,) or Artaxerxes, who reigned thirty-six years king of Chaldea, Media and Persia. Before Darius was elected king, he had married the daughter of Gobryas, whose name is not known. Artabarzanes, his eldest son by her, afterwards disputed the empire with Xerxes.
When Darius was seated on the throne, the better to secure himself therein, he married two of Cyrus' daughters, Atossa and Aristona. The former had been wife to Cambyses, her own brother, and afterwards to Smerdis the Magian, during the time he possessed the throne. Aristona was still a virgin, when Darius married her; and of all his wives, was the person he most loved. He likewise married Parmys, daughter of the true Smerdis, who was Cambyses' brother, as also Phedyma, daughter of Otanes. By these wives he had a great number of children of both sexes. And it pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole realm.
Daniel was highly esteemed by Darius, who made him first president of the kingdom; this exaltation gave great offence to the nobles, who, not being able to make any just accusation against him, prevailed upon the king to sign a rash decree, that whoever should offer any prayer or petition to either God or man, for the space of thirty days, excepting the king, should be cast into the den of lions.
The enemies of Daniel, observing that, as usual, he addressed his petitions to God, accused him, and insisted upon his incurring the penalty; but the Almighty preserved his faithful servant; and, to the great joy of the king,
