Jesus Predicts His Death

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks^(A) among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida^(B) in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

²³ Jesus replied, “The hour^(C) has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.^{(D) 24} Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,^(E) it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it^(F) for eternal life.^{(G) 26} Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.^(H) My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled,^(I) and what shall I say? ‘Father,^(J) save me from this hour’?^(K) No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven,^(L) “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit,^(M) not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world;^(N) now the prince of this world^(O) will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up^[a] from the earth,^(P) will draw all people to myself.”^{(Q) 33} He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.^(R)

³⁴ The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law^(S) that the Messiah will remain forever,^(T) so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man^(U) must be lifted up’?^(V) Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light^(W) just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light,^(X) before darkness overtakes you.^(Y) Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”^(Z) When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.^(AA)

Concluding Affirmations

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God^(A) so that you may know that you have eternal life.^{(B) 14} This is the confidence^(C) we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.^{(D) 15} And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know^(E) that we have what we asked of him.^(F)

¹⁶ If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life.^(G) I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.^(H) I am not saying that you should pray about that.^{(I) 17} All wrongdoing is sin,^(J) and there is sin that does not lead to death.^(K)

¹⁸ We know that anyone born of God^(L) does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one^(M) cannot harm them.^{(N) 19} We know that we are children of God,^(O) and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.^{(P) 20} We know also that the Son of God has come^(Q) and has given us understanding,^(R) so that we may know him who is true.^(S) And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.^(T)

²¹ Dear children,^(U) keep yourselves from idols.^(V)

Bildad

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite^(A) replied:

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon^(C) came to Jerusalem and besieged it.^{(D) 2} And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried^(E) off to the temple of his god in Babylonia^[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.^(F)

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility^(G)— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, handsome,^(H) showing aptitude for every kind of learning,^(I) well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language^(J) and literature of the Babylonians.^{[b] 5} The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine^(K) from the king’s table.^(L) They were to be trained for three years,^(M) and after that they were to enter the king’s service.^(N)

⁶ Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel,^(O) Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{(P) 7} The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;^(Q) to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.^(R)

⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile^(S) himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor^(T) and compassion^(U) to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[c] food and drink.^(V) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test^(W) your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”^{(X) 14} So he agreed to this and tested^(Y) them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.^{(Z) 16} So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.^(AA)

¹⁷ To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding^(AB) of all kinds of literature and learning.^(AC) And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.^(AD)

¹⁸ At the end of the time^(AE) set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.^{(AF) 20} In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians^(AG) and enchanters in his whole kingdom.^(AH)

²¹ And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^(AI)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;^(AJ) his mind was troubled^(AK) and he could not sleep.^{(AL) 2} So the king summoned the magicians,^(AM) enchanters, sorcerers^(AN) and astrologers^[d](AO) to tell him what he had dreamed.^(AP) When they came in and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles^(AQ) me and I want to know what it means.^[e]”

⁴ Then the astrologers answered the king,^[f](AR) “May the king live forever!^(AS) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁵ The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:^(AT) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces^(AU) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.^{(AV) 6} But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.^(AW) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷ Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸ Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹ If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty^(AX) for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”^(AY)

¹⁰ The astrologers^(AZ) answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.^{(BA) 11} What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,^(BB) and they do not live among humans.”

¹² This made the king so angry and furious^(BC) that he ordered the execution^(BD) of all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.^(BE)

¹⁴ When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. ¹⁵ He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. ¹⁶ At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

¹⁷ Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{(BF) 18} He urged them to plead for mercy^(BG) from the God of heaven^(BH) concerning this mystery,^(BI) so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ During the night the mystery^(BJ) was revealed to Daniel in a vision.^(BK) Then Daniel praised the God of heaven^{(BL) 20} and said:

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴ Then Daniel went to Arioch,^(BZ) whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

²⁵ Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles^(CA) from Judah^(CB) who can tell the king what his dream means.”

²⁶ The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),^(CC) “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

²⁷ Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,^{(CD) 28} but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.^(CE) He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.^(CF) Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind^(CG) as you were lying in bed^(CH) are these:^(CI)

²⁹ “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.^{(CJ) 30} As for me, this mystery has been revealed^(CK) to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

³¹ “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue,^(CL) awesome^(CM) in appearance. ³² The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴ While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands.^(CN) It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed^(CO) them.^{(CP) 35} Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away^(CQ) without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain^(CR) and filled the whole earth.^(CS)

³⁶ “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.^{(CT) 37} Your Majesty, you are the king of kings.^(CU) The God of heaven has given you dominion^(CV) and power and might and glory; ³⁸ in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.^(CW) You are that head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.^{(CX) 40} Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.^{(CY) 41} Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush^(CZ) all those kingdoms^(DA) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.^{(DB) 45} This is the meaning of the vision of the rock^(DC) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands^(DD)—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.^(DE) The dream is true^(DF) and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate^(DG) before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering^(DH) and incense be presented to him. ⁴⁷ The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods^(DI) and the Lord of kings^(DJ) and a revealer of mysteries,^(DK) for you were able to reveal this mystery.^(DL)”

⁴⁸ Then the king placed Daniel in a high^(DM) position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.^{(DN) 49} Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon,^(DO) while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.^(DP)