"My ancestors didn't begin to know how to anger God!" the evil King Jehoiakim announced as he began his rule of infamy. Now, the Prophet Jeremiah struggles to curb the tide of apostasy and make the people of Judah understand that they have betrayed their God. Ezekiel grows up ministering in a Temple where he will never serve as a priest. In Babylon, Daniel and his cousins are enrolled in the University and begin their indoctrination into a pagan culture to serve as officials in the Imperial Administration. Emperor Nebuchadnezzar marries Amyhia of Media and Nitocris of Egypt. Babylon blossoms with new construction, including the fabulous Hanging Gardens and the awe-inspiring Walls of Babylon. As the Empire's power explodes, Nebuchadnezzar's wives' rivalry becomes intertwined in the dark intrigue rising up and threatening to overthrow the throne. And the problems without the borders are as pressing as those within. King Uvakshatra of Media betrays the Scythians, destroying the Coalition, and Pharaoh Necho of Egypt marches on Philistia and Phoenecia. Chaos reigns and judgment is inevitable.
Excerpt: Daniel had never actually seen Nebuchadnezzar before, and though he knew it, he was still surprised to see how young the king was. Only nineteen years old, Nebuchadnezzar wore a beard, but it was sparse, and though he was tall, he was slender like a boy, his shoulders not yet having attained their width.
Watching him, Daniel gradually realized that it was easier to blame a faceless evil, to hate someone he couldn't picture in his mind...
While Daniel stared, Nebuchadnezzar suddenly turned his head ad looked directly at him.
For an instant, their eyes met and the suzerain faltered in midstride. To Daniel, it seemed as if lightning had struck him, and time stood still. The hubbub of the crowd faded into a distant hum, and the world around receded until only he and the king remained, focused and highlighted in crystal clarity. Dumbfounded the Judean youth continued to stare. If he didn't believe in the Babylonians' concept of destiny before, this at least seemed to be something very like it...
He is Mine and you will bring him to Me.
Him!?! ME!?! In that instant, in the blink of an eye, Daniel felt his world turned upside down. This was the man who had invaded his land and left it in poverty by deporting its most productive citizens. This was the man who was responsible for his present state, the man who tore him from his family, friends, and entire life. This was the man who had ordered his mutilation and indoctrination into the very center of occultic paganism.
The king, with a thoughtful look on his face, reluctantly turned back to his duties and walked on.
Daniel remained, shaken and wondering what in the world, or outside of it had just happened...
