ASTYAGES (as-taai-ages)
Thank you for affording me the honour to tell you a little of myself. After my father Cyaxares (saai-ek-saries) passed away I became the next king of the Median Empire with my capital at Ecbatana.
While my father was still alive he did a brilliant thing to change a stranger into an ally. He gave my sister Amytis as wife to Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king.
Like father like son. I did exactly the same thing. I gave my daughter Mandane to marry the Persian king called Cambysis (kam-baai-ses).
At this stage we Medians dominated the military landscape. But one never knows what may happen next.
I have seen how quickly Poitical Landscapes can change overnight. My father was able to do this to the Assyrian Empire and now they are defeated and their capital Nineveh lay in ruins.
A Hebrew prophet at the palace of my sister Amytis and Nebuchadnezzar prophesied that a combined army of Medes and Persians will defeat the Babylonians and become the new world powers.
I often thought as to how this would happen?
Right now the Median Empire is at peace with the Babylonians. My sister Amytis a Median queen is married to Nebuchanezzar a Babylonian. My daughter is married Mandane is married to a Persians king, Cambyses.
PROPHECY
Because my father told me of a prophecy concerning the destruction of Nineveh I asked my scholars to see if they could find another prophecy in the Hebrews holy books concerning me and my family. And this is what they found. Man I was so excited when I read it.
It said that someone with the name of Cyrus would be born during the Babylonian rule. Furthermore that and he would give the Hebrew captives a free passage to rebuild their temple.
I was hoping that this would happen in my lifetime. And guess what? It happened when my daughter and her husband Cambyses send me a message that they had a boy and they named him Cyrus.
My proud daughter often came to visit me with her little prophetic boy called Cyrus. Is it possible to keep such a secret for one’s self?
A tremendous strong bond developed between this fellow and his grandfather.
And you know every time I looked at little Cyrus I asked myself. “Is it possible that this little fellow could become the next ruler of the world?
I saw something in this grand child of mine that was different to other children.
He was a born leader. He was kind and considered. To me he was like a future Messiah, a future deliver.
I will go to rest by my son Cyaxares my see the fulfilment of Daniel the Hebrew prophet.