The contest before King Darius began with the first prince arguing that nothing on earth is as powerful as a king. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, he pointed to the king's absolute command: armies march at his word, cities fall, mountains are hewn down, fields are ploughed, and no one dares frustrate his orders.
The second prince countered that wine is stronger than any king. The moment a ruler drinks freely, wine overpowers him. It makes him sing and dance and reveal secrets. It turns him against his kin and makes him embrace strangers. It gives courage to the bashful and fury to the peaceful. And when the wine wears off, a man remembers nothing he has done.
Zerubbabel rose last and dismantled both arguments. Yes, the king is powerful and wine is strong, but woman surpasses them both. She gives birth to the king, suckles him, rears him, and disciplines him. When she lifts the rod, he runs. When a young man sees a beautiful woman, he abandons father and mother for her sake. Men steal, rob, cross seas, and shed blood for woman. She subdued Samson, enticed David, and inclined the heart of Solomon. Even Adam, father of all mankind, was persuaded by his wife to transgress God's word. Even the heavenly angels in the days of Noah were led astray and took mortal women.
Then Zerubbabel delivered the final blow. King, wine, and woman are all vanity. But truth reigns supreme in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the depths. Where truth dwells, wickedness cannot abide. The heavens and the earth are founded upon truth, and God is true forever. The entire court erupted: "It is true!" The king kissed Zerubbabel before all the people and declared, "Blessed be the Lord God of Zerubbabel, who hath given him the spirit of truth."