²⁴ Thereupon, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to kill the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “^(A)Do not kill the wise men of Babylon! Take me ^[a]into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”

²⁵ Then Arioch hurriedly ^(B)brought Daniel ^[b]into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the ^[c](C)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” ²⁶ The king said to Daniel, whose name was ^(D)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” ²⁷ Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the secret about which the king has inquired, neither ^(E)wise men, sorcerers, soothsayer priests, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. ²⁸ However, there is a ^(F)God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the ^[d](G)latter days. This was your dream and the ^(H)visions ^[e]in your mind while on your bed. ²⁹ As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts ^[f]turned to what would take place ^[g]in the future; and ^(I)He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. ³⁰ But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me ^[h]for any ^(J)wisdom ^[i]residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the ^(K)thoughts of your ^[j]mind.

The King’s Dream

³¹ “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and ^[k]of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was ^[l](L)awesome. ³² The ^(M)head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ You ^[m]continued watching until a ^(N)stone was broken off ^(O)without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and ^(P)crushed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces ^[n]all at the same time, and they were ^(Q)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that ^(R)not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great ^(S)mountain and filled the entire earth.

The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom

³⁶ “This was the dream; and now we will tell ^(T)its interpretation before the king. ³⁷ You, O king, are the ^(U)king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the ^[o]kingdom, the ^(V)power, the strength, and the honor; ³⁸ and wherever the sons of mankind live, or the ^(W)animals of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has handed them over to you and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

Medo-Persia and Greece

³⁹ And after you another kingdom will arise inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Rome

⁴⁰ Then there will be a ^(X)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron smashes and crushes everything, so, like iron that crushes, it will smash and crush all these things. ⁴¹ And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have within it some of the toughness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with ^[p]common clay. ⁴² And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile. ⁴³ In that you saw the iron mixed with ^[q]common clay, they will combine with one another ^[r]in ^[s]their descendants; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Divine Kingdom

⁴⁴ And in the days of those kings the ^(Y)God of heaven will ^(Z)set up a ^(AA)kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be ^[t]left for another people; it will ^(AB)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ Just as you saw that a ^(AC)stone was broken off from the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the ^(AD)great God has made known to the king what ^(AE)will take place ^[u]in the future; so the dream is certain and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel Promoted

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid ^(AF)humble respect to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and ^(AG)incense. ⁴⁷ The king responded to Daniel and said, “^(AH)Your God truly is a ^(AI)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a ^(AJ)revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” ⁴⁸ Then the king ^[v](AK)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire ^(AL)province of Babylon, and chief ^[w]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ And Daniel made a request of the king, and he ^(AM)appointed ^(AN)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s ^[x](AO)court.

The King’s Golden Image

3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a ^(AP)statue of gold, the height of which was ^[y]sixty cubits, and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^(AQ)province of Babylon. ² Nebuchadnezzar the king also sent word to assemble the ^(AR)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ^[z]the command is given, you ^(AS)peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[aa]languages, ⁵ that at the moment you ^(AT)hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[ab]lyre, ^[ac]trigon, ^[ad]psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. ⁶ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be ^(AU)thrown into the middle of a ^(AV)furnace of blazing fire.” ⁷ Therefore as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ^[ae]lyre, trigon, psaltery, ^[af]bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[ag]languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused

⁸ For this reason at that time certain ^(AW)Chaldeans came forward and ^[ah](AX)brought charges against the Jews. ⁹ They began to speak and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^(AY)O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have ^(AZ)made a decree that every person who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ^[ai]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, is to ^(BA)fall down and worship the golden statue. ¹¹ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(BB)appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods, nor do they worship the golden statue which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^(BC)rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar began speaking and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^(BD)my gods, nor worship the golden statue that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready, ^(BE)at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[aj]lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ^[ak]immediately be ^(BF)thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^(BG)what god is there who can rescue you from my hands?”

^16 (BH)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not in need of an answer to give you concerning this matter. ¹⁷ If it be so, our ^(BI)God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire; ^[al]and ^(BJ)He will rescue us from your hand, O king. ^18 (BK)But even if He does not, ^(BL)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

Daniel’s Friends Protected

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^(BM)wrath, and his facial expression was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered ^[am]by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ Then these men were tied up in their ^(BN)trousers, their ^[an]coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire. ²² For this reason, because the king’s ^[ao]command was ^(BO)harsh and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. ²³ But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^(BP)fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up quickly; he said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Absolutely, O king.” ²⁵ He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and ^(BQ)walking about in the middle of the fire ^[ap]unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^(BR)gods!” ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^(BS)Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^(BT)came out of the middle of the fire. ²⁷ The ^(BU)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the ^(BV)fire had no ^[aq]effect on ^[ar]the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their ^[as](BW)trousers ^[at]damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^(BX)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^(BY)sent His angel and rescued His servants who put their ^(BZ)trust in Him, ^[au]violating the king’s command, and surrendered their bodies ^(CA)rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I ^(CB)make a decree that any people, nation, or population of any language that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^(CC)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^(CD)houses made a rubbish heap, because there is ^(CE)no other god who is able to save in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king ^(CF)made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego prosperous in the province of Babylon.

^7 (A)The end of all things ^[a]is near; therefore, ^(B)be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of ^[b]prayer. ⁸ Above all, ^(C)keep fervent in your love for one another, because ^(D)love covers a multitude of sins. ^9 (E)Be hospitable to one another without ^(F)complaint. ^10 (G)As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good ^(H)stewards of the ^[c]multifaceted grace of God. ^11 (I)Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking ^(J)actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving ^[d](K)by the strength which God supplies; so that ^(L)in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, ^(M)to whom belongs the glory and ^[e]dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Share the Sufferings of Christ

^12 (N)Beloved, do not be surprised at the ^(O)fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; ¹³ but to the degree that you ^(P)share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the ^(Q)revelation of His glory ^(R)you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted ^[f](S)for the name of Christ, ^(T)you are blessed, ^(U)because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you. ¹⁵ Make sure that ^(V)none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a ^[g](W)troublesome meddler; ¹⁶ but if anyone suffers as a ^(X)Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to ^(Y)glorify God in this name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(Z)to begin ^[h]with ^(AA)the household of God; and if it ^(AB)begins ^[i]with us first, what will be the outcome for those ^(AC)who do not obey the ^(AD)gospel of God? ^18 (AE)And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, ^[j]what will become of the ^(AF)godless man and the sinner? ¹⁹ Therefore, those also who suffer according to ^(AG)the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Serve God Willingly

5 ^(AH)Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your ^(AI)fellow elder and a ^(AJ)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a ^[k](AK)fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: ² shepherd ^(AL)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, ^(AM)not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and ^(AN)not ^[l]with greed but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as ^(AO)domineering over ^[m]those assigned to your care, but by ^[n]proving to be ^[o](AP)examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief ^(AQ)Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(AR)unfading ^[p](AS)crown of glory. ^5 (AT)You ^[q]younger men, likewise, ^(AU)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with ^(AV)humility toward one another, because ^(AW)God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

⁶ Therefore ^(AX)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ having cast all your ^(AY)anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. ^8 (AZ)Be of sober spirit, ^(BA)be on the alert. Your adversary, ^(BB)the devil, prowls around like a roaring ^(BC)lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 [r](BD)So resist him, ^(BE)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(BF)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your ^[s]brothers and sisters who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered ^(BG)for a little while, the ^(BH)God of all grace, who ^(BI)called you to His ^(BJ)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself ^(BK)perfect, ^(BL)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ^11 (BM)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹² Through ^(BN)Silvanus, our faithful brother ^[t](for so I regard him), ^(BO)I have written to you briefly, ^[u]exhorting and testifying that this is ^(BP)the true grace of God. ^(BQ)Stand firm in it! ¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, ^(BR)Mark. ^14 (BS)Greet one another with a kiss of love.

^(BT)Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

Kaph

Lamedh