Baruch
[Ecstatically] You, master. Cry aloud. Awaken them. Save them from the jaws of death.
Second Sentry
[Coming forward from the shadows] Who shouts here? You will waken the sleepers.
Jeremiah
Oh that I could awaken them. Up, Jerusalem, awake! City of God, save thyself.
Second Sentry
You are drunk. Go home to sleep.
Baruch
[Stepping between] Touch him not.
Jeremiah
I must not sleep. No one must sleep. I am the watchman. Woe to him who hinders me.
[Taking him by the shoulder] You must be moonstruck to think yourself watchman. I am the watchman. Away with you.
Baruch
Touch him not, the chosen of the Lord, the prophet.
Second Sentry
[Loosing Jeremiah] Are you Hananiah, the prophet of God?
Baruch
It is Jeremiah the prophet.
Second Sentry
Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the street that Ashur would prevail? Have you come hither to gloat over the fulfilment of your vision? Too soon, faint-heart, too soon; and yet in an apt moment, prophet of evil, to feel the weight of my anger. I will reveal you something.
Baruch
[Struggling with the sentry] Hands off, touch him not.
First Sentry
[Entering hurriedly] The king is coming. Zedekiah goes the rounds. Clear away the people.
The king! God be praised! His meaning is plain. The Lord sends him to my hand.
First Sentry
Away chatterer, away.
Second Sentry
Down with you. Away. Creep down there and keep quiet, or you shall rue it.
First Sentry
Here comes the king.
[Jeremiah and Baruch are hustled from the wall and disappear into the dark. The two sentries stand at the extreme edge of the ramparts to leave room for the king and his train to pass. When Zedekiah enters they clash spears on shields in salute and then stand to attention. Zedekiah is making the rounds, accompanied by Abimelech and others. He is unarmed and bareheaded; his face looks pale and thoughtful in the moonlight. He halts, and gazes for a time over the plain]
Zedekiah
See how the camp fires burn athwart the plain. It looks as if the black heavens had fallen upon earth, whence star after star now shines forth. A people countless in numbers is encamped round Israel. Spears are leveled; hands are raised; even in sleep, their dreams turn against us. To-morrow they will all arise as the herbage rises after rain; stillness will be replaced by the screams of death. This is perchance the last night of peaceful slumber.
Abimelech
Be not despondent, O king. Upon this very wall where now thou standest sorely troubled, stood aforetime King Hezekiah. His mind, likewise, was full of care, for in the plain beneath, wave upon wave, countless like these, lay the hosts of Senaccherib. Then, as now, the flood of Ashur threatened the holy city. But the Lord stretched forth his hand and smote the enemy with a pestilence. These walls shall never be broken. Jerusalem endureth for ever.
The Others
Jerusalem endureth for ever.
The Voice of Jeremiah
[From the darkness] Awaken, doomed city, that thou mayest save thyself. Awaken from your heavy slumbers, heedless ones, lest you be slain in sleep; awaken, for the walls are crumbling, and will crush you; awaken, for Ashur’s sword is brandished over your heads.
Zedekiah
[On the alert] Who speaks? Who speaks?
Voices
Who speaks?
The anger of the Lord hath fallen upon the disturbers of the peace. God hath sent the king of the north against Israel, to break her towers, and her pride. Awaken that ye may flee; awaken that ye may save yourselves; for he has come, the slayer of your sons, the ravisher of your daughters, he who will lay your fields waste. Awaken, awaken!
Zedekiah
[Shrinking with alarm, and then recovering himself] Who speaks?
First Sentry
A madman, Lord; he is moonstruck.
Voices
Close his mouth.—Away with him.—He is mad.
Zedekiah
Nay, bring him hither. I wish to see him. I wish to see that he who spoke was a living man. Terrible was the sound of his voice. It seemed to me as if the stones of Jerusalem were uttering lamentations, as if the words issued from the very walls.
[The two sentries hasten away into the darkness]
Abimelech
Suffer not thyself to be misled, Lord. Many in the city have been bought with Chaldean gold.
Heed him not.—Hurl him from the wall.—Hold no converse with a coward.
[Jeremiah and Baruch are brought into the light by the sentries, and Jeremiah is thrust forward to the king]
Second Sentry
This is he who spoke the words of shame. He was railing in like fashion, Lord, just before thou camest.
Zedekiah
There has been talk of one going up and down the city and foretelling disaster to the people. Is this the man?
Voices
It is he.—Jeremiah.—Curses light on him.—He foretells disaster.—Poisons men’s hearts.—Bears false witness.
Baruch
Nay, he is God’s messenger and utters words of truth. I testify for him.
Voices
Who are you to testify?—You are no more than a boy.—Heed him not.—Such vipers should be crushed.
Zedekiah
Silence. Take the young man away, for I need no testimony.
[Baruch is pushed back into the shadows]
Draw nearer, Jeremiah. Art thou he who leadest Israel astray?
Jeremiah
Israel is verily astray, but not by my leadership.
Zedekiah
I know thy voice. My heart tells me that I have heard thee speak, but never before have I seen thy face. Was it thou who criedst aloud for peace at the portal of the palace?
Jeremiah
Yea, Lord, it was I.
Zedekiah
Many voices assailed my ears in that hour, but when I had returned home at nightfall and lay sleepless on my couch, it was thy call which dinned in my ears.
Jeremiah
God’s will was that thou shouldst hearken. Woe unto thee that thou heardest not. Had it been otherwise there would be sleep on thy lids and peace in Israel.
Abimelech
[To Jeremiah] What make you here on the wall at night? Would you go over to the Chaldeans? [To the king] Have him seized, for his behavior is suspicious.
His mother is on her deathbed, for his words have broken her heart. But he shuns the house, comes here by night, and would parley with the enemy.
Jeremiah
[In alarm] My mother is dying?
Voices
He is a traitor.—Heed him not.—Cast him into prison.
Zedekiah
Be silent, all. My soul is not so weak that I can be swayed by the words of chatterers. Fear not, Jeremiah, I heard thy voice on the day when we decided upon war. It resounded in my heart, for a word of peace is the word of God. But the past is past. War now rages between Ashur and Israel. Words no longer avail. I cannot stop the war at will.
Jeremiah
Nay, Lord, but thou canst.
Zedekiah
[Wrathfully] How, tell me how? Dost thou not see the foe encompassing the walls? Dost thou not hear the spears clashing? What can I do to stop the war?
The issue is in thy hands, for thou art the king.
Zedekiah
It is too late to talk of peace.
Jeremiah
It is never too late to talk of peace.
Zedekiah
[Still more angrily] Thy words are the words of folly.
Jeremiah
The shedding of blood digs a trench between the nations. The more deeply we dig it, the harder to stop the bloodshed. Therefore let words go before the sword. Seek audience of Nebuchadnezzar; send him an envoy.
Zedekiah
I seek Nebuchadnezzar, my foe?
Jeremiah
Send envoys, while there is yet time to save Jerusalem.
Zedekiah
Why should I be the one to propose a parley?
Blessed is he who first holds out his hand for peace. Blessed is the king who spares the blood of his people.
Zedekiah
What if I were to offer my hand, only to find the offer rejected?
Jeremiah
Blessed are they who are rejected for justice’ sake, for they are men after God’s heart.
Zedekiah
I tell thee that the very children would mock me, and the women would laugh at me in my shame.
Jeremiah
Better to be followed by the laughter of fools than by the tears of widows. Think not of thyself; but of the people, which God hath appointed thee to lead. Do God’s will, though fools laugh. Thou hast raised thy head against Ashur. Humble thyself now before him.
Zedekiah
Humble myself?
Jeremiah
Humble thyself, anointed of the Lord, for the sake of Jerusalem. Open the gates, open thy heart, thus only canst thou save the city.
With the sword will I save Jerusalem, at the hazard of my life, but not of my honor. Thou knowest not what thou askest.
Jeremiah
Of thee I demand the hardest of duties, as is befitting for the Lord’s anointed. Offer up thy pride, the treasure of thy heart, for the sake of Jerusalem. Kneel before Nebuchadnezzar, even as I kneel before thee. Open the gates, and open thy heart. Abase thyself, King Zedekiah, for it is better thou shouldst be abased than that Israel should be laid low.
Zedekiah
Away with thee, away! I will humble myself before no man on earth.
Jeremiah
[Springing impetuously to his feet] Accurst, then, be the oil with which thou wast anointed. Zion has been entrusted to thy hands, and by thy hands is Zion destroyed. Mayst thou be forgotten by God’s mercy, even as thou hast forgotten Jerusalem. A curse be upon thee, murderer of Zion.
Abimelech
Throw him from the wall!
Voices
He has slandered the king.—Throw him from the wall.
[The members of the king’s train close in on Jeremiah]
Zedekiah
[Who has yielded ground as if attacked by an unseen enemy, recovering himself] Desist! Harm him not. Think ye that the curse of a fool can affright me, or an impudent word unman me? [A pause] Nevertheless, the rumor is true, and this man’s speech is full of danger. Like a ram do his words batter at men’s hearts. No longer must such a liar speak freely to the people, endeavoring to spread dismay among our warriors.
Abimelech
He should be put to death. Unworthy to live is the man who has lost faith in God.
Voices
Stone the hireling.—He would sell the town to the Chaldeans.—He prays for our defeat.—Slay him.
Zedekiah
Shall I kill the man who slandered me, that it may be said he filled me with fear? Jeremiah, I value thy words lightly as air; but once more, for thine own sake, I ask thee the question. Does thy heart faithfully assure thee that death hangs over Zion and over all within her walls? Speak freely.
Jeremiah
Death is over Jerusalem. Death’s hand is upon us all. Naught but surrender can save us.
Away then, and surrender. Save thine own life.
[Jeremiah stares at him in bewilderment]
No man shall sap our powers while he eats our bread. If thou fearest for Zion, flee from Zion. I give thee thy life. Climb down the wall; seek out Nebuchadnezzar; take shelter in his camp. If thy word be fulfilled, puff out thy cheeks and laugh at thy brethren who died for Jerusalem.
Abimelech
Too gentle, O king, in thy dealings with this slanderer.
[Jeremiah struggles for speech]
Zedekiah
Away, renegade, away! Seek out Nebuchadnezzar, whose victory thou foretellest. Kiss his feet. I stay in the midst of my people and in the home of my fathers, for my faith shall remain steadfast till my last breath. False are this man’s words! Jerusalem endureth for ever!
The Others
[Shouting] Jerusalem endureth for ever.—God’s house shall never pass away.
Zedekiah
Haste, haste to Ashur. I give thee free permission. Leave us to our deaths; and for thy part, crawl to safety.
[Controlling himself] I will not forsake Jerusalem.
Zedekiah
Didst thou not even now assure us that death was hanging over Zion? Flee, that thou at least save thyself alive.
Jeremiah
Not for my own life am I filled with sorrow. It is for the life of thousands upon thousands that my heart is heavy. I will not flee. If Zion’s walls fall, I will fall with them.
Zedekiah
I have warned thee, Jeremiah, as thou warnedst me. Henceforth thy life is in thine own charge. [To the others] Let none molest him while he keeps due measure. But should he again seek to spread terror, seize and bind him, and he shall pay for it with his life. [To Jeremiah] Guard thyself, place a seal on thy lips, lest thy life atone for speech. May God spare us, as I have spared thee to-day.
Jeremiah
[Motionless, his voice unsteady] Not myself would I guard, but Jerusalem.
Zedekiah
[Returning to the outer edge of the wall] Still they come! Still they come! The noise of their chariot wheels and the trampling of their chargers are like the growling of a storm. Terrible indeed is the king of the north. Dreadful will it be to encounter him. God save Jerusalem! [Breathes deeply] God save Jerusalem.
[Zedekiah turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought. He is followed by Abimelech and the other members of the train. The two sentries move after them out of sight]
Baruch
[Rushing forward from the shadow] Quick, quick! Hasten after him. The spirit of God is upon you. Hasten that you may compel him.
Jeremiah
[Awakening as from a trance] Compel whom?
Baruch
The king. Let your words be like flame. Save Jerusalem.
Jeremiah
The king? [He looks round horror-stricken upon the deserted wall] Lost, lost the sacred hour. My hasty tongue has ruined all.
Baruch
Try once again and you will overcome him. Already he was yielding.
Too late, too late. Why did God choose a weakling? Why did he put words of gall into my mouth?
Baruch
Do not torment yourself, master. Your sufferings confuse your mind.
Jeremiah
Think you so? But I have failed. To whom have I brought joy? I am a horror to the upright and a grievous affliction to my mother. No wife bears my child in her womb, nor does any one living believe in my words.
Baruch
I believe you. I will not forsake you. You are great. I cleave to you for your very sorrow.
Jeremiah
Praise me not. My soul burns with shame. What have I done that shall profit Jerusalem? Have I softened the king’s heart; have I led the erring people into the right path; have I found an envoy of peace? How, when I myself have faltered, shall I show the way for an envoy?
Baruch
You seek an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar to our king?
Will Nebuchadnezzar be readier to parley than Zedekiah? Kings are like boys, each waiting for the other to begin.
Baruch
[Ardently] Jeremiah, your words bear fruit in my soul.
Jeremiah
What mean you?
Baruch
This deed is for me. Well know I that the road leads through the valley of the shadow, even as yours. But I will walk it for the sake of Jerusalem. Master, farewell.
Jeremiah
Whither will you go?
Baruch
Farewell, master. Your blessing should I succeed. Spare me your curse should I fail. For Jerusalem! [He begins to climb down the wall]
Jeremiah
But Baruch, whither are you going?
Baruch
By your road. Farewell. [He disappears over the parapet]
[Leaning forward] Whither, Baruch, whither? Stay, they will seize you. Already the spies of Chaldea block every road. Baruch, stand by me in this hour. Baruch, Baruch!
First Sentry
[Running in] Who calls there in the night? What is afoot?
Jeremiah
[Standing up] I call, I call; but no one heeds me.
First Sentry
Still you, is it? What are you doing here? I thought I saw a shadow pass down the wall. Are you alone?
Jeremiah
I am alone! I am alone!
[Slowly, with heavy steps, Jeremiah passes towards the town. The sentry stares after him until he is swallowed up in the gloom. Then the soldier resumes his march to and fro in the moonlight. Nothing is heard save his footsteps on the flagstones, until from a distance the challenge: “Samson guard us”, “Samson guard us”, begins to pass once more round the walls]
THE PROPHET’S ORDEAL
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief. Isaiah LIII, 10.
The small bed-chamber where Jeremiah’s Mother lies ill. Doorways and windows are covered with curtains to exclude light and sound. The interior is so dark that the figures of those in the chamber are barely visible. The white bed-furniture is conspicuous in the gloom. Close to the bed stands Ahab, the elderly servingman.
Jochebed
[A female relative, coming from without, cautiously draws aside the curtain over the doorway] Ahab!
Ahab
Speak low! Tread softly! Her sleep is light as thistle-down. A breath will scatter it.
Jochebed
Well for one who can still sleep, when the gates of the city are being assailed.
Ahab
Not a word of the matter. Not a word of the enemy. As you love her, spare her.
Jochebed
What do you mean? What must I not speak of?
Not a word of our troubles. She knows naught of Jerusalem’s evil plight.
Jochebed
I don’t understand. She does not know that the town is besieged?
Ahab
Why should we tell her what is impending? The very thought would kill her.
Jochebed
[Greatly astonished] She does not know that Ashur is upon us? Is there still a living being within the walls who remains ignorant of our misery? How has this miracle been wrought? Are her senses closed? Is she deaf to the hosannas? Does she think we are at peace when the battering rams thunder against the walls?
Ahab
Her senses are dulled. Such noises as she hears seem the noises of a dream. I have closed the entries, shutting out sound and light.
Jochebed
She knows nothing? Wonderful, and yet horrible. Has she no suspicion?
At times she has suspected, but I have been able to calm her fears. Yesterday, when the first rams were at work, she was alarmed by the cries of the populace. Throwing off the coverlet, she wrung her hands, and declared she must forth to the walls, that war had come, that the enemy was in the city, that Zion was perishing. Her son’s prophecy was being fulfilled, the king of the north had come. She struggled to her feet. Then her knees gave way beneath her. I caught her as she fell, bore her back to bed, and persuaded her that it was all a dream, that the shouting and the hosannas were but the illusion of fever. She seemed to believe me, lying with open eyes, and listening to the muffled clamor from the street.
Jochebed
’Tis wondrous strange. But what has thus confused her?
Ahab
In her sickness she craves for her son.
Jochebed
Jeremiah, the madman! The zealot of the streets. She herself drove him from the house.
Ahab
Not for an hour since has she known happiness. She sat ever in silence, or stood at the door like one awaiting a guest. When he failed to return, her mind gradually became confused.
Why then comes he not, the reprobate, that he may restore her to health? He tramps the streets spewing curses among the people, while his mother is dying for lack of him. Why comes he not, chatterer in the market, slayer of peace?
Ahab
He knows naught of her longing. No less proud is he than she, and he will never cross the threshold until he is summoned.
Jochebed
Summon him then.
Ahab
How dare I without her command? I am but a servingman. How can I act upon words which she mutters unwitting?
Jochebed
You may and you must, since her life is at stake.
Ahab
Do you believe I should do rightly to summon Jeremiah without awaiting her command?
Jochebed
By God’s mercy I believe it. Thus will you save her alive.
God be praised, Jochebed. In my sore need I have already done what you wish.
Jochebed
A blessing on you therefor!
Ahab
I have sent my boys seeking him.
Jochebed
If they can but find him. Lacking him, she will die of mingled pride and longing.
Ahab
Truly, since she drove him forth, she has been unceasingly at war with herself.
Jochebed
Who is at peace in this stormy time?
[The mother wakens with a sigh]
Jochebed
[Speaking softly to Ahab] Ahab, she stirs, she is waking. Her eyes are still closed, but her lips move as if to speak.
[Ahab bends over the sick woman]
[Speaks with closed eyes, the tones of her voice like those of a song heard in the distance] Has he come? Is he here? Where is he, the son of my sorrow?
Jochebed
[Whispering] How wonderful! For the first time she speaks of him plainly.
Ahab
Nay, she is still dreaming.
The Mother
[Moves and opens her eyes] Are you there, Ahab? Is that you Jochebed? My dreams are dark and uneasy.
Ahab
[Tenderly] How do you feel? Have you slept well?
The Mother
How can I sleep well, when my dreams are so dreadful? Where is he? I saw him. Why did he go away?
Ahab
Whom do you mean?
The Mother
Why did he go away? Why did you let him go away?
There has been no one in the room but Jochebed and me.
The Mother
Not he? Not he? The house is haunted with dreams. [She sits up suddenly in bed, glancing round with feverish anxiety] Why do you not summon him?
Ahab
Summon whom?
The Mother
How can you ask? Can you not see that death’s hand is upon me? Yet you will not send for him.
Ahab
How should I dare …
The Mother
Alas, that I should be immured here, too ill to move, tended by blind servants with hearts of stone. Away, away.
Ahab
But mistress …
The Mother
You have betrayed me. You have forbidden him the house. I know he must have come, and you have barred the door. He has been here. My instinct tells me. He waits but the summons, and you will not send. You have denied him entry.
Ahab
Hearken, mistress …
The Mother
Woe is me! Away! May you die as I am dying, abandoned by your children; may you die in the straw like an outcast.
Ahab
Let me say a word …
The Mother
One word only will I listen to, that he is coming, that he is here.
Ahab
That is what I would fain tell you. He is coming. His footsteps draw nigh.
The Mother
[Rapturously] He is coming, my Jeremiah? Deceive me not, Ahab. Cheat not a dying woman.
Jochebed
Ahab has already sent his sons to seek out Jeremiah.
He is coming. Is it true? Yes, I hear him. I hear his footfall. I hear him in the house. He knocks at the door, knocks within my heart. Hasten, man, hasten. Why do you tarry to admit him?
Ahab
[Endeavoring to calm her] Mistress, he will be here anon. Early this morning did I send my boys.
The Mother
[In excitement once more] Nay, he will not come. Your lads are slothful, and are idling in the streets. Would they but hasten. The darkness gains on me. If I could but see him ere I sink into it. Run, Ahab, he may be at the door.
Ahab
Have patience, you will do yourself a harm.
The Mother
Why do you not let him in? Can you not hear how he is hammering at the door? I feel it in my temples. Open to him, open.
Ahab
Not yet is he here, but he will come ere long.
Jochebed
He will soon be here. Have patience a while.
No, no; he is there, but you are keeping him from me. My time is short. My limbs are cold …
[Jeremiah comes quietly into the doorway, and remains standing in doubt, his hands clenched, his head bowed as if he were carrying a heavy burden]
Ahab
Don’t throw yourself about so. He will be here anon.
[Catching sight of Jeremiah, he starts and stops speaking. Jochebed likewise preserves an anxious silence. For a few moments no one speaks in the darkened room]
The Mother
[Raising herself with difficulty] Why are you both silent? [She suddenly gives a cry of joy] Has he come? Is my Jeremiah here? Where are you, Jeremiah?
[Hesitatingly, Jeremiah moves forward a few steps. He, too, is a prey to strong emotion]
The Mother
[Stretching out her arms towards him] You are there, I feel it. Would that I could see you clearly. Why come you not close, that I may touch you?
Jeremiah
[Not moving, his hands still clenched] I dare not, I dare not. Disaster dogs my footsteps. Curses go before me. Let me stand thus apart, lest my breath harm you, lest it strike terror to your soul.
The Mother
[Feverishly] My child, my arms crave for you. Come close, dear, come close. Are my lips so hateful to you? Is my hand so estranged?
Jeremiah
I am estranged from myself, and a stranger in this house.
The Mother
Alas, he repels me, will leave me once more. What makes you so cold, so hard-hearted?
Jeremiah
A word burns between us like the sword of the angel of God.
The Mother
The curse, for which I have cursed myself a thousand times? Idle breath was it, and the wind has blown it away.
Jeremiah
Nay, Mother, the curse stands, and all the streets are filled with it. It rebounds from the wall of every house, attacks me from all men’s mouths. No longer am I your son, no longer living flesh, but the mock of the world, an outcast from my people, hated by the righteous, forgotten by God, loathed by myself. To myself leave me. Let me remain in the darkness, most accurst of all men.
The Mother
My child, were you indeed the rejected of all men, banned by the priests, outlawed by the people; had God himself thrust you away from the light of his countenance; still were you my son, blood of my blood for evermore. I will love you for their hatred, and bless you for their curse. If they have spit upon you, come that I may kiss you; if they have cast you out, come that I may take you in; home, come home to my heart. Sweet to me is the bitterness of your lips, sweet the salt of your tears; blessed is all that you do; if only you return to my mother’s heart.
Jeremiah
[Falling to his knees with a groan] Mother, spirit of eternal kindness. Mother, you give me back my lost world.
[The mother folds him in her arms, and clasps him without speaking for a time. Tremblingly she strokes his head and his body again and again. At length, as she looks at him, a strange glow of happiness lights up her face, and she speaks to him in a plaintive chant]
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
[Ecstatically, for she has heeded only the first part of Jeremiah’s speech]
Jeremiah
[Rises from his knees. He stares blankly as he mutters in amaze] Ne’er shall … an enemy … circle … our wall?
The Mother
Jeremiah
[Still shuddering] Ne’er shall … an enemy … circle … our wall?
The Mother
The Mother
Jeremiah
[Stammering] Nothing, Mother, we are hiding nothing.
The Mother
Jeremiah
Mother, you are distraught with fever. Your temples are burning, your hands are cold.
Jeremiah
Mother, calm yourself. Take my hands. I am here beside you.
The Mother
Jeremiah
Mother, Mother!
The Mother
Jeremiah
Mother, you are dreaming.
Jochebed
[Whispering] Lie to her! For her life’s sake, lie to her!
The Mother
Jeremiah
The Mother
Jeremiah
So shall it be. God will be gracious to us in death as in life.
The Mother
[Jeremiah struggles vainly for words]
Jochebed
Jeremiah
The Mother
Ahab
[Interrupting, to Jeremiah] A word, only one word.
The Mother
[She collapses suddenly. There is silence]
[Ahab and Jochebed move in alarm to the bedside and bend over the dead woman]
Jeremiah
[His voice bursting forth as when a fountain is unsealed]
Ahab
Jeremiah
Ahab
Jochebed
Jeremiah
[Ahab and Jochebed pay the last duties to the dead, pressing down the eyelids, and wrapping the body in a shroud. Ahab goes to the pitchers and sprinkles water on the ground. No sound but their solemn paces can be heard. Jeremiah stares before him in stupor. Silence prevails for a time, full of the mystery of death. Then a clamor is heard without. There is a vehement knocking at the door]
Ahab
Who knocks?
Jochebed
There is a turbulent crowd without.
Ahab
They assail the door as if they were enemies. You had better open.
Jochebed
Hark to the savages, they have burst in the door.
[The sound of splintering wood is heard. Then hasty footsteps. Zebulon, Pashur, Hananiah, the First Sentry, and many others, rush in]
Zebulon
He must be here.
A Boy
I saw him go in.
So did I.—He slipped in an hour back.—I was on watch as you ordered.—I saw him too.
Ahab
Whom do you seek?
Pashur
Deliver him up—the man you are hiding.
Zebulon
We will have blood for blood.
Ahab
What mean ye by breaking in here? Away, rabble.
Pashur
[Catching sight of the corpse, raises his hands and speaks reverently] Praise to the eternal judge. May he be merciful to the just. [Turning away he passes into the background]
The Others
[Suddenly stilled, murmur] Praise to the eternal judge.
One Speaks
[Gently] Who has died?
Ahab
One from whom God had hidden the light of his countenance. One full of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. One whose bitterest affliction was that she gave birth to the enemy of her nation.
Another Speaks
Jeremiah!
Zebulon
It is Jeremiah whom we seek. Where is Jeremiah?
Jeremiah
[Comes forward, speaking loudly in grief and indignation] Who seeks Jeremiah? Who still desires to rain curses on me? Let him come, let him curse. I am the mark for all the curses in the world.
Zebulon
It is I, wretch, who come to curse you, I, Zebulon, father of Baruch, whom you have led astray. Where is my son?
Jeremiah
[Tonelessly] How should I know? Am I your son’s keeper?
Hananiah
This man makes a charge against you. Answer, Jeremiah.
Jeremiah
He, too, makes a charge. Should I begin to bring charges I should speak from now till midnight.
He answers not.—He talks at random, evading the charge.—Pashur, Hananiah, make an end.—Pass judgment upon him.
Hananiah
Have you brought witnesses, Zebulon?
Zebulon
My son has vanished from the town. He has been continually with Jeremiah. On the ramparts, last night, this man heard Jeremiah inciting Baruch to desert to the enemy.
Hananiah
[To the First Sentry] Do you bear this witness?
First Sentry
Verily, prophet, while I stood on guard, there came two men. One was Jeremiah, well known to me. The other was young, little more than a boy, with black hair and flashing eyes.
Zebulon
It was Baruch my son, whom this man hath corrupted.
First Sentry
There was much talk between them. Jeremiah prophesied disaster, so that my heart grew hot within me.
[To the others] Do you hear? He prophesied the fall of Zion.
First Sentry
When the king had gone, and Jeremiah and the other were alone, then the other, he whom you name Baruch, climbed down the wall and deserted to the enemy, leaving Jeremiah on the ramparts.
Zebulon
Do you hear, men of Israel? I charge Jeremiah with leading my son astray, with bringing shame upon my house.
Pashur
[Advancing to the front] Your answer, Jeremiah. What say you to this charge? [Jeremiah is silent] Do you call witnesses?
Jeremiah
[In low tones] The one who would testify for me must not be named.
Pashur
Will he come forward in due time?
[Jeremiah is silent]
Voices
Make an end, make an end.
Silence. I will hold just judgment! Jeremiah, I cite you to answer. [Jeremiah is silent] You are charged with having, in defiance of the king’s command, foretold disaster.
[Jeremiah is silent]
Hananiah
Do you deny your words? [Jeremiah still holds his peace] Lo, the fear of death has moved him at length. For the first time he is silent.
Jeremiah
You who have misled Israel, would you tempt me to say No when God says Yes, and Yes when God says No? More strongly hath he tempted me to depart from his ways, yet would I not depart from them. He raised up one against me whose breath was dearer to me than the breath of my own life, but I would not yield to her, for the Lord cuts from the tree of life him whom he hath chosen for a scourge. Go, and leave me in peace.
Zebulon
I will not go. He has destroyed my son. I demand judgment.
Pashur
Twice have I charged you to speak. You have spoken when you should have been silent; now you are silent when you should speak. For the third time I cite you. [Jeremiah is silent] Hear then my judgment. No longer shall you seek to daunt the courageous, no longer shall you lead youth astray, Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah in Israel.
Jeremiah
Make short work! Wither me no longer with your glances. Enough, enough.
Pashur
You shall be lowered into a pit, that you may no longer be an offence to God’s daylight, nor your voice an affliction to the city. May you perish, and your words with you, in the darkness of the earth.
Jeremiah
Life is affliction! Words are affliction! Blessed be darkness, thrice blessed the tomb.
Pashur
Lay hands on him. Execute judgment!
Voices
Oh, just judgment!—Great is the wisdom of Pashur.—Away with Jeremiah.—Fetch a rope, that we may lower him into the pit.
[Shrinking from their touch] Touch me not. Better, far better is darkness, for the hour is at hand in Israel when the living will envy the dead, and when those that wake will envy the sleepers. My heart yearns for silence; my soul is consumed with longing that I may become brother to the dead. Make way, I will bury myself, that I may deliver myself from the world, and Israel of my presence. [He folds his arms and moves towards the doorway. The others begin to follow him hesitatingly]
Hananiah
[Bursting in on the silence with an exultant cry] Rejoice, Zion, for broken is the song of thy destruction, rent are the lips of thy slanderer. Rejoice, Zion, for eternal is thy springtime. Jerusalem endureth for ever!
[Jeremiah turns fiercely, raising his arms as if about to rebuke Hananiah. His eyes flash fire. Those at his heels draw back in alarm, as from a wild beast at bay. But Jeremiah controls himself. His arms sink to his sides, and the fierce expression vanishes from his countenance. With a last look at the dead form of his mother, he regains composure. Covering his face, he walks forth alone, like one carrying a heavy burden. The rest follow in disorder. Last of all walks Pashur, deep in thought. Ahab and Jochebed are left, looking at one another uneasily. Ahab takes a linen sheet and spreads it reverently over the body]
VOICES IN THE NIGHT
Evening cometh and the shadows lengthen. Jeremiah, VI, 4.
King Zedekiah’s bed-chamber, large and stately. It is dimly lighted, so that details are scarcely visible. What light there is comes from a lamp hanging in a golden bowl, and from the soft moonbeams which stream in through the casement. This is widely open and commands a view of the town. In the foreground stands a large table surrounded by broad seats. The curtained bed occupies the center of the background. Zedekiah is standing motionless at the window, looking down on the moonlit city. Joab, a young spearman, enters, and stands respectfully waiting for the king to notice him. Zedekiah pays no heed, but continues to gaze out of the window.
The Lad
[After a pause ventures to speak] My Lord King! [Zedekiah turns with a start] It is midnight, O King. This is the hour at which thou orderedst me to summon the council.
Zedekiah
Are they all here?
The Lad
All, at thy command.
Have they come unseen by the people and by the palace servants?
The Lad
Unseen, Lord King. By secret ways I led them hither.
Zedekiah
Where is the spy? Hast thou kept him apart?
The Lad
He tarries with the doorkeepers.
Zedekiah
Let him tarry. Summon the council.
[The Lad bows, and disappears through the doorway]
Zedekiah
[Strides to and fro, and then returns to the window. He soliloquizes] Never have I seen the stars shine so brightly. They stand confusedly in rows, like letters on the dark background of heaven, a writing which no man can read. In Babylon, they say, are interpreters and priests who serve the stars, conversing with them by night. Other kings can talk with their gods; they have shrines on their towers where they can learn the will of heaven when their hearts are troubled. Why have I no soothsayers who can tell the future? It is terrible to be the servant of a god who is always silent; whom no one has ever seen! [A pause while he contemplates the city] They are all asleep, those over whom I rule; they rest beside their wives or beside their weapons; in me is centered their need and their wakefulness. I must counsel others, but who shall counsel me? I must lead others, but who shall lead me? I am exalted over others, but over me is exalted one whom I cannot see. Below is sleep; above is silence.
[The Lad draws aside the curtain; and the five councilors enter noiselessly. They are Pashur, the high priest; Hananiah, the prophet; Imre, the oldest burgher; Abimelech, the general; Nahum, the steward. Zedekiah turns to receive them. They bow]
Zedekiah
I summoned you by night that our talk might be private. I demand from you a pledge of secrecy. Lay your hands within the priest’s hands; he will answer for you to the Most High. [Silently they raise their hands in adjuration, and each in turn lays his hand in Pashur’s] I swear by Almighty God that I will show no anger against any who opposes me. [He lays his hand in Pashur’s] Now let us take counsel. [He waves them towards the table, and all take their seats] We are in the eleventh month of the siege. The vines are green once more. Nebuchadnezzar has been unable to take Jerusalem, but we on our part have not been able to force him to raise the siege. His sword against us beats the water, but so likewise does ours beat the water against him. We have left nothing undone that might bring aid. I have sent envoys to the king of the Medes; I have sent to the princes of the east, asking their help against Ashur. The missions were fruitless. We stand alone.
[Fiercely] God is on our side.
[The others say nothing]
Zedekiah
[Quietly] God is on our side. He has set up his tabernacle upon this hill, and my own roof stands in the shadow of his holy house. But God sends trials upon his own people. Those who swore faith to us, betrayed us; the Egyptians abandoned us; we are alone. Let us take counsel together, how to fight out our quarrel with Nebuchadnezzar, or whether we can find a means to end it.
Hananiah
Let us pray to God for a miracle. Let our hearts overflow with prayer, our altars smoke with sacrifices. What we have done once hitherto, let us now do twice over.
Nahum
There is nothing left to sacrifice, neither bulls nor rams.
Hananiah
It is false. I have heard the lowing of the cattle which you refuse to deliver up to the sacrifice.
Nahum
The last we have. They are milch cows to provide food for nursing mothers and the sick.
Such thrift is impious where God is concerned. Let the sick starve and the breasts of the women run dry, so long as God receives due meed of sacrifice.
Pashur
[Earnestly] God requires no gifts to make him aware of our distresses.
Hananiah
Naught is sweeter to the Lord than the gifts of the needy. We should give to the uttermost, tearing the morsels from our own mouths.
Pashur
I know the customs. It is not for you, Hananiah, to teach me my duty, which I know better perchance than you know God’s word and God’s will.
Hananiah
Who sacrifices grudgingly, who sacrifices with a cold heart, is but a slaughterman, and no true servant of the Lord. Lo, I say unto you unless ye give of your uttermost need, ye are unworthy to stand in the light of his countenance.
Zedekiah
[Passionately] Hold your peace. Your words are past bearing. But a few grains of sand have run through the hour glass, and already you rail against one another. We do not meet to discuss what it is fitting we should render unto God. We meet to consider our pressing need, and how we can relieve it. We are in the throes of war, and to you therefore I turn first for counsel, Abimelech, general of my army.
Abimelech
Stout are the walls of Jerusalem, O King, but stouter still is my heart.
Zedekiah
And your men, old stalwart; are they, too, stout-hearted? Rarely do I hear them raise exultant cries. When I pass among them, no longer do they strike their shields. They turn away their faces.
Abimelech
War makes men silent, but it steels their hearts. No longer, indeed, do they shout with delight, for that they can use their swords freely. Custom stales all joys. But they watch and wait; strong as brass are they, guarding the walls of Jerusalem.
Zedekiah
But what if the moons still wax and wane; what if the second year of the siege begins? There is no help coming from outside.
The siege will last as long as God pleases, and we shall last as long as the siege.
Zedekiah
May the Lord fulfil thy words. [To the others] Are ye all of the same opinion?
Pashur
We must be steadfast, enduring patiently until the end.
Zedekiah
What sayest thou, Hananiah?
Hananiah
Never shall Nebuchadnezzar overthrow us. Woe unto all faint-hearts. Did it rest with me, I would put them to the sword.
Imre
Mine eyes are dim with age, but being old, I saw the days when Senaccherib was arrayed against Israel, and I saw his men lying dead in heaps around our walls. Never were the jackals so fat as in the year when Jerusalem was encircled by the enemies of the Lord. The same may happen again to those who now besiege us. Let mine eyes not be wholly darkened ere this day dawn. Jerusalem endureth for ever!
Jerusalem endureth for ever!
[A pause]
Zedekiah
Thou sayest nothing, Nahum. Wherefore art thou silent?
Nahum
Gloomy are my thoughts, Lord King, and bitter will be my speech. He thrusts not himself forward, to whom joy is lacking.
Zedekiah
I summoned you in council, one and all. Welcome is the bearer of good tidings, but no less welcome he who brings wise warnings. Speak freely.
Nahum
Shortly before you called me to the council, I was visiting the storehouses, and having the grain measured, bushel by bushel. They were full when the siege began, but now they are almost empty. No longer can we provide a whole loaf for the day’s ration.
[All sit in dismayed silence]
Zedekiah
Was there not ample provision of grain from the villages? Was not an abundance of milch cows and other beasts driven within the walls?
Forget not that the siege has lasted nearly a year, and that there are many mouths to feed.
Zedekiah
[After another pause] We can reduce the rations yet further. Let nothing be wasted.
Nahum
Long have we been careful to avoid waste. Yet the storehouses gape with emptiness. Time is a mighty eater.
Zedekiah
How long, then, thinkest thou, ere famine is upon us?
Nahum
[In low tones] Three weeks, Lord. No more.
[A pause]
Zedekiah
Three weeks … And then?
Nahum
How can I answer thee, O King? God alone knows the answer. [Renewed silence]
Hananiah
[In great excitement] Cut the loaves in half. Cut them in three, and let that suffice for the day. Too long have they lived riotously, they and their concubines; let them grow lean, now, fighting the Lord’s fight.
Abimelech
My soldiers must not have their food cut down. No man can fight on an empty stomach.
Hananiah
We must all share and share alike, the soldiers as well as the others. Jerusalem is at stake.
Abimelech
My men must have their strength kept up. Let the useless mouths go hungry, the windbags and the prattlers.
Nahum
You talk folly. What would it avail to pinch ourselves unduly, seeing that there are an hundred thousand within the walls. There is food to last us three weeks. If we slaughter the beasts reserved for the temple, we can hold out a fortnight more.
Pashur
Let us keep the peace among ourselves. Ye rail against one another like enemies. Let us stand united against Nebuchadnezzar and likewise against our own people. Neither he nor they must know aught of our need.
What if he know it already?
Nahum
None can know it. Daily I set my seal on the doors of the storehouses. Neither the people nor Nebuchadnezzar can be aware of our distress.
Abimelech
God be praised. Nebuchadnezzar would show us no mercy if he knew.
Zedekiah
[After a pause] I have called you in council, elders of the people. Wars are not ended by the sword alone. I have summoned you to ask whether I should send an envoy to Nebuchadnezzar, praying him that there should be peace between our nations.
Hananiah
No peace with the blasphemers of the Almighty!
Abimelech
Let him make the first offer.
Pashur
I think it would be dangerous for us to begin. Should we open the parley, he would seek to make slaves of us.
I hold other views. Though as yet he knows nothing of our desperate plight, it can remain hidden for a few days only. We must turn these days to account.
Nahum
True are thy words, O King. We must seek mercy of Nebuchadnezzar before he triumphs over us with the sword.
Abimelech
[Bitterly] Sue for mercy! Death were better!
Pashur
We need God’s mercy, not man’s.
Hananiah
[To Nahum] Coward and traitor!
Imre
[Wearily] When will you cease quarreling? The king’s words are true. It would be folly to wait till the last hour. Let us seek parley while we can still show a bold front.
Abimelech
It is too late. The dead lying before the walls will cry reproach on us.
Pashur
It is too late. The war has heaped up such mountains of hatred.
Nay, it is not too late. [He pauses for a moment] An envoy has already passed between Nebuchadnezzar and me.
[The councilors spring excitedly to their feet]
Nahum
Thou hast received an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar? Blessed be the hour.
Hananiah
Traitor! Thou holdest parley with the enemy!
Abimelech
No treaty without our consent! Thou hast forgotten.
Pashur
Thou hast held parley, King, without consulting us? Why then are we summoned in council?
Zedekiah
Peace, peace. Can ye not wait till I have finished? Ye snap at my first word like a pack of hungry hounds. [A pause. He continues more quietly] A messenger has come from Nebuchadnezzar. I have not yet heard the message. Is this to hold parley? Is this treachery? Answer!
[All are silent for a while]
I crave thy pardon, King. It is hard to weigh one’s words when so much hangs in the balance.
Zedekiah
It is for you to decide; for you to hear the envoy, or to send him away unheard.
Nahum
Our position is desperate. We must hear him.
Imre
We can listen to his message, and be cautious about accepting it.
Abimelech
We can hear him, and can settle afterwards whether we will let him return. He may be sent only to spy out the land.
Zedekiah
What say ye, Pashur and Hananiah?
Pashur
Let us hear him.
[Hananiah is silent and averts his face]
Zedekiah
Since no one opposes, we will hear the message. [Going to the doorway he calls out] Joab, fetch the envoy. [Zedekiah returns to the table] Let each ask what questions he will. But our answers must show one mind.
[Baruch is ushered in by Joab. The latter passes out again, replacing the curtain. Baruch bows before the king]
Dost thou bring a message to Israel from King Nebuchadnezzar?
Baruch
He has sent me with a message to thee, O King.
Zedekiah
These are my councilors. Who speaks to me speaks to them also, for they and I, Israel and Israel’s king, are at one by God’s will. [Turning to the others] Question him.
Hananiah
[Scornfully] What grace does the king of the heathen vouchsafe …
Abimelech
[Interrupting] Let us consider practical matters first! What is your name?
Baruch
Baruch, son of Zebulon, of the house of Naphtali.
Abimelech
Are you then of our blood?
I am a servant of the one God, and was born in Jerusalem.
Abimelech
Does anyone here know this man?
Pashur
I know his father, a just man, and a faithful servant of the Lord.
Abimelech
How did you fall into the enemy’s hands?
Baruch
I was drawing water from Moria well when they seized me.
Abimelech
What proof have you that you are an envoy? Have you a letter, signed and sealed?
Baruch
Nebuchadnezzar gave me his signet ring, that I might pass the sentries going and returning. [He shows the ring on his finger.]
Abimelech
I have no more questions to ask. Let him deliver his message.
Baruch
When the Assyrian soldiers waylaid me, they took me to the king’s tent. Nebuchadnezzar has kept me under guard these eleven months. Sending for me yesterday, he said: “Wilt thou take my message to King Zedekiah?” Standing before him without fear, I answered: “I will.” Then spake Nebuchadnezzar: “Eleven months have I laid siege to this town. I have sworn that not again will I lie with woman until the gates of Jerusalem have been opened. But I will wait no longer. Should King Zedekiah wish for terms, let him hasten. Never has an enemy withstood me more stoutly. To none will I be more gentle than to him, should he hasten to sue for mercy.”
Abimelech
Nebuchadnezzar is a great warrior. It is an honor to have held out against him for eleven months.
Baruch
He said further: “If ye open the gates and humble yourselves ere the moon be full, I will grant you your lives. Every man may dwell in safety under his vine and under his fig tree. Though ye have shed our blood, I seek not yours, but only victory and renown. It is my will that from sunrise to sunset the nations should learn the news that none can withstand my sword; that there is no king but shall bow before me, the king of kings. I need but a sign, and your city shall be safe, your days long in the land.”
Nahum
Methinks the terms are easy.
Too easy for me to trust them.
Zedekiah
But the sign! What sign does Nebuchadnezzar demand?
Baruch
He said: “Zedekiah, who has taken up arms against me, must abase himself. When I enter the city, let him walk to meet me, from the gates of the temple to the wall, carrying his crown in his hands, and wearing a wooden yoke on his neck …”
Zedekiah
[Drawing himself up] A yoke?
Baruch
“A yoke that all men may know his stubbornness is broken and his pride humbled. I will meet him, will lift the yoke from his neck, and replace the crown on his head.”
Zedekiah
Never shall the man wear a crown whose neck has borne a yoke. Never! [He rises to his feet]
Abimelech
I could not endure it! [He also rises]
[The others remain seated and silent. After a long pause, Nahum speaks meditatively]
Nahum
From the gates of the temple to the wall?
Pashur
It is barely an hundred paces.
Imre
No more than seventy, I think. No more than seventy.
Zedekiah
[Turning fiercely upon them] Ye reckon up the paces I am to take, with my neck yoked like an ox drawing the plough? Are ye all mad to think that I shall so humble myself? Did ye show courage only while your own lives were at stake? Do ye think nothing of my shame, if ye can make your own peace? Cowards all!
Pashur
Thou hast sworn, O King, that each of us should speak freely the words which came to his mouth.
Zedekiah
Thou dost well to remind me. Pardon my anger. Speak freely.
I beseech thee to accept the terms, not for our sake alone but for that of our children.
Imre
For the sake of our country.
Pashur
For temple and altar.
Hananiah
For God, who commands it.
[Abimelech is silent, hiding his face]
Zedekiah
[Paces up and down, as the struggle rages within him. At length he steps up to the table, and speaks in solemn tones] I will do what ye demand, breaking my pride like a potter’s vessel, bowing my neck beneath the yoke.
[All move to speak, but he imposes silence, and continues]
I will take the crown from my head, and offer it up with my hands, as is enjoined. But holy is the crown of Israel, and none shall wear it whose neck hath borne a yoke. When I have put off from me the wood of shame, I shall put away likewise sceptre and ring, consigning both to my son. Young is he, but ye will counsel him. Swear that ye will be true to him, so that the people may look up to him. Swear that ye will invest him with crown and with ring.
Pashur
[Greatly moved] I swear it, O King.
Imre, Hananiah, Nahum
We swear it.
Abimelech
As a king hast thou acted. Praised be thy name.
Nahum
Eternal honor to King Zedekiah.
Zedekiah
Thus shall the walls stand fast, thus shall the holy city be saved, though I sink into the dust. Better I should perish than Zion. Jerusalem endureth for ever.
All
[Fervently] Jerusalem endureth for ever.
Zedekiah
[To Baruch] Thou hearest, boy? Go, then, to the king of Ashur, and say unto him: “Zedekiah, who hath been ruler, and hath taken up arms against thee, boweth himself before thee, that thou mayest show him thy mercy.” Hasten, that soon I may stand before the door of my house, saying to my people the precious word, “Peace”.
Baruch
[Disquieted, speaks in subdued tones] I hear, Lord King. But there is yet one other thing I have to tell thee, one more demand from the king of Ashur.
Abimelech
[Angrily] Yet more? Does not this shame suffice him?
Baruch
A trifle he termed it. It looms large in my mind.
Zedekiah
What does his pride still crave?
Baruch
He spake unto me and said: “I will take the yoke from the king’s neck and restore the crown to his head. He shall walk at my left hand, that men may know I honor him as my royal brother. But there is still one within your walls, of whom folk say that he is mightier than any. I would see this mighty one. They say that there is a god within your walls, whose countenance ye hide behind the curtains of a tabernacle, for that no one can bear to look upon him. To me, fear is unknown, and I wish to enter his presence, that I may behold him. I will not lay hands on his altar, nor touch his bread, neither will I covet his treasures. One thing only do I ask, that I may enter his tabernacle, for I would fain set eyes on him who hath proved mightier than I.” Thus spake Nebuchadnezzar.
Pashur
Never! Never!
Hananiah
The fire of the Lord consume him for the sacrilegious thought.
Pashur
Better that the temple should crumble to dust, than that the tabernacle should be desecrated.
Imre
[In consternation] He would look upon the holy of holies! Terrible is the request.
Pashur
Unbounded is the insolence of the heathen ruler! Dismiss his messenger, Lord King. Send back the envoy.
Hananiah
Send back the envoy. Never must such a thing be.
Nahum
Be not too hasty, O King. In our hands lies the welfare of the nation.
A thousand deaths were better than this shame.
Pashur
I will face death with you, will perish in the midst of your warriors.
Hananiah
[Savagely] Dismiss the envoy. Rather death than this sacrilege.
Imre
Ye talk lightly of dying. Bethink ye that your pride means seventy thousand deaths.
Pashur
Would you profane God’s holy of holies?
Imre
Life is part of God’s holiness. God himself is life.
Hananiah
It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen look on the face of Jehovah.
Nahum
Let our foes exult; let our pride be humbled. So be it, if the city outlast our pride and our lives. King Zedekiah, save Jerusalem!
Nay, dismiss the envoy.
Zedekiah
I am naught but the hand holding the scales. I stand aloof from your decision. Make up your minds. Count your votes. Speed ye, that the matter may be settled for good or for ill.
Imre
I am the oldest among you. My word is, let us comply with Nebuchadnezzar’s demands.
Hananiah
Let us refuse. God will help us. Let us refuse.
Pashur
I will not chaffer with God’s majesty. Never will I consent to such impiety.
Nahum
Let God’s city stand for ever. Accept the terms.
Zedekiah
What sayest thou, Abimelech?
Not for me to advise thee, King Zedekiah. Not for me, who am but thy servant and thy sword. By yes and by no, in life and in death, do I stand by thy decision.
Zedekiah
Two votes against two, and in my own mind there are voices twain! Conflict without; conflict within. I hold aloof, leaving it to you to direct my will. You cast it back to me like seadrift, and, trembling, I am still constrained to decide. Have I, indeed, to throw these dreadful dice?
Pashur
God will give thee light.
Zedekiah
Ah, would he but speak to me. Happy our forefathers to whom he appeared in a cloud. I stretch forth my hands towards him, but still for me the voice of heaven is dumb. I grope in the darkness, finding I know not what. Pray for me that I may be rightly guided.
Nahum
Thou hast our love, O King.
Zedekiah
Time presses. Ere the night is spent I must say yes or no; where perchance no is yes, and yes is no. God give me light. [He rises to his feet and all rise with him] Leave me to myself. The cleavage among you increases my own indecision. I shall act as my heart dictates, and it may well be that ere ye reach home I shall have made my choice, for my soul travaileth. Pray, friends, pray, that my choice may be the best for Israel. Pray for me, pray for Jerusalem.
Pashur
God give thee light. I shall not close my eyes in sleep until thou hast chosen. I will hold vigil before the altar.
Hananiah
Remember God.
Nahum
Remember the city.
Imre
Remember the children, remember the women.
Abimelech
I abide by thy choice in life or in death.
[All depart, leaving Baruch and the king]
Baruch
[Quietly] Shall I, too, take my leave, King Zedekiah?
Zedekiah
[Collecting his thoughts] What sayest thou? Nay, thou must remain.
[Baruch stands by the doorway while Zedekiah walks restlessly to and fro for a time. Then, pausing by the window, the king stares over the town, subsequently resuming his restless pacing. At length he turns and speaks to Baruch]
Zedekiah
Nebuchadnezzar demands an answer to-day?
Baruch
Yea, Lord; for to-morrow the moon is full.
Zedekiah
[Paces the floor again. Then abruptly] Thou sawest him face to face. Did he ask thee anything concerning me?
Baruch
His chief counselor and his scribe were present. The former asked me about you, but Nebuchadnezzar bade him be silent.
Zedekiah
Full of pride is he, and his wrath is like a storm over our heads. But I fear him not. Himself, he asked nothing concerning me?
Baruch
Nothing, Lord King.
To him we are naught. To him our walls are but a handful of dust. Yet we can meet defiance with defiance. For eleven months he has been breaking his teeth against the ramparts of the city, and he would dismiss us with a smile. I am not worth a word, and he rates our town at a breath. Nevertheless my yoke is not yet ready; the walls of Jerusalem still stand. We have taught him to wait, but he has not yet learned his lesson. Shall I be the slave of his caprices? He would tarry but a day? Let him tarry for weeks and months. [Drawing himself up] Take this message to Nebuchadnezzar. Say unto him …
Baruch
[In alarm] Decide not in anger, King Zedekiah.
Zedekiah
[Rigid with astonishment] How darest thou interrupt me?
Baruch
[Kneels] I implore thee, save Jerusalem. Stretch forth thine hand in peace, lest the walls crumble and the temple be shattered. Lord King, I adjure thee, open the gates, open thy heart.
Zedekiah
[Wrathfully] “Open the gates, open thy heart”. I have heard those words before. They have been put into thy mouth. One stands behind thee speaking against me with thy voice.
Baruch
Nay, Lord King. My supplication arises from the depths of my heart. Something will I tell thee, which hitherto I have withheld. It was not at Nebuchadnezzar’s summons that I went to him, but of my own free will, hoping that I might soften his heart. I saw that either side waited for the other to propose peace. Day after day, for eleven long months, did I importune him till he sent me with this message.
Zedekiah
Thou, a boy, a child? While we were holding counsel, thou soughtest out the king of kings to seek peace and ensure it?
Baruch
This did I, O King, in the urgency of my heart’s wishes.
Zedekiah
[Regards him fixedly for a time. Then, speaking sharply] Not thine own deed, this, nor thy thought.
Baruch
I went at no man’s orders.
Zedekiah
Thou speakest falsely. No boy could conceive such a deed for himself.
I swear to thee that I did it unadvised. He knew naught of it, neither commanded it nor approved.
Zedekiah
He? Who is he of whose orders thou speakest?
Baruch
[Evasively] My teacher, my master.
Zedekiah
Who is thy master, who? I would know who issues commands to the boys of this city.
Baruch
God’s servant and prophet is my master. Men call him Jeremiah.
Zedekiah
[Furiously] Jeremiah, always Jeremiah. Ever the shadow that follows my deeds, ever in revolt against me. I have cast him into a dungeon, but still, as in the beginning, rises his clamor for peace. Why this persecution? Why?
Baruch
Thou art mistaken. Jeremiah hath more love for thee than for any other in this town.
I need not his love. I spew forth his love, and I despise his anger. Who is he, that he should dare to love me? Shall one venture to stand up in the streets and give tongue, declaring that he loveth me, or loveth me not? Why should Jeremiah push in twixt me and my resolve? Would he show himself the greater of us twain? I am the king, I alone! Let him cry, Peace, peace! Not in his hand lieth the fate of Jerusalem. I am king in Zion, and never shall he boast that he frightened me with his dreams. Better the city should perish, than be saved by the hand of Jeremiah. Go thou to Nebuchadnezzar and say unto him: Never will Zedekiah bear a yoke. Never shall the king of Ashur raise the curtain before the holy of holies. Nebuchadnezzar may come with all his men; he will find Zedekiah ready to meet him.
[Baruch raising both hands imploringly, is about to speak. Zedekiah continues]
Not a word. If thou failest to carry my message, I will have Jeremiah’s head.
[Again Baruch endeavors to speak]
A single word, and Jeremiah’s life is forfeit. Away, I command thee, away!
[Baruch stands for a moment, and then, veiling his face, passes out. Zedekiah draws himself up threateningly when Baruch hesitates. As soon as the young man has gone, the king lowers his outstretched arm, and his countenance is once more shadowed with anxiety. Then he draws a deep breath and speaks]
It is finished. No longer the torture of indecision.
[He paces to and fro once more. Then he stamps twice. Joab enters]
Joab
The king calls?
Zedekiah
Wine, bring me wine. I need sleep, deep and dreamless sleep.
[Joab brings a pitcher and fills a silver goblet. Zedekiah empties it at a draught. Then he listens, and his face is again clouded]
Who is walking outside there? I hear footsteps. Does the spy still tarry?
Joab
He has gone forth, Lord. You hear the sentry, my brother Nehemiah.
Zedekiah
Tell him to tread softly when he is on guard outside my bedchamber at night. I need sleep just as much as other men.
Joab
I will see to it, Lord. [He draws aside the curtains of the bed and veils the lamp. Now the only light in the room comes from the pale moonbeams] Shall I read from the scriptures, Lord King, as heretofore?
Nay, not even the scriptures can help me. I would fain sleep, even as other men sleep. My lids ache and my heart aches likewise.
[Joab helps him to remove his outer garment. Zedekiah flings himself on the couch]
Joab
God guard thy slumbers, O King.
[Joab calls Nehemiah. Silently the two stand at the head of the bed, motionless figures holding spears. In the moonlight their shadows rise in giant silhouettes on the wall. The only sound is the gentle plashing of a fountain in the court-yard]
Zedekiah
[Springing up with a wild cry] Why do ye whisper together? Did I not command ye to silence?
Joab
[Alarmed] We said nothing, Lord King.
Zedekiah
Some one is talking. Who is it that devours my slumber? All should sleep, so that I too may sleep. Is there anyone awake in the neighboring rooms?
Joab
No one, Lord King. Nor anywhere throughout the palace.
So I alone hold vigil. Why should all the burden be laid upon me? All the walls of the city, all the towers of care? Get me wine.
[Joab fills the goblet once more. Zedekiah drains it and flings it away. With a groan he lies down again. All is still save for the murmur of the fountain. Zedekiah, who has been lying motionless on the bed, now very quietly sits up in the gloom. Crouching like a wild beast about to spring, he listens intently. Then he suddenly screams]
Zedekiah
Some one is speaking. I hear a voice which drones unendingly. I have given orders that none shall speak in my house. The voice is chanting. But I have forbidden that any should sing under my roof. Do ye not hear it?
Joab
I hear nothing, Lord.
Nehemiah
No sound has reached me.
Zedekiah
[Glares at the two lads. Crouching he listens for a moment, and breaks forth again] I hear it, I tell you; an interminable monotone. Listen, Joab, here where I am listening. It is somewhere beneath us, burrowing like a mole in the darkness of my slumber, devouring my sleep. Canst not hear, lad?
[Listens intently for a moment, and then shudders] I hear a voice rising from the depths. Like the voice of one singing. The spirits of the deep are awake beneath the house. The voice laments and moans like a caged beast.
Nehemiah
Perchance it is but the wind moaning through a cranny.
Zedekiah
I hear words; I feel them without understanding them. Who dares to sing by night in my house? Is it so well with my slaves that they must sing while I toss sleepless? Away, Joab, and silence the disturber.
[Joab hastens out. Zedekiah crouches, listening. He seems at first to hear something. Then he raises his head, and subsequently lowers it to listen once more. Suddenly three dull blows are heard. The king listens eagerly. He draws a breath of relief]
God be praised, the voice is stilled.
[Joab reenters with troubled mien]
Who was talking?
Joab
[Trembling] I know not, Lord, I did not find him. As I neared the marketplace, the noise of singing came to me louder, rising as it were from the depths of the earth. I followed the direction of the sound. There was no one singing in the marketplace. The utterance had a hollow ring, as if it came from a well or from a pit. Now I could hear the words, and they were terrible. Thrice did I strike the ground with the haft of my spear. Then was the Gehenna silent.
Zedekiah
What were the words?
Joab
[Shuddering] I dare not repeat them.
Zedekiah
Tell me the words, I command thee.
Joab
It was blasphemy that rose from the pit.
Zedekiah
Repeat the words, if you fear my anger.
Joab
[Complies. His voice rises in a psalm]