Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Daniel 2:24-3:30
Close NASB

Daniel 2:24-3:30
New American Standard Bible

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.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:24 Lit in before the king
  2. Daniel 2:25 Lit in before the king
  3. Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
  4. Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
  5. Daniel 2:28 Lit of your head
  6. Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
  7. Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
  8. Daniel 2:30 Or through
  9. Daniel 2:30 Lit which is
  10. Daniel 2:30 Lit heart
  11. Daniel 2:31 Lit its radiance was extraordinary
  12. Daniel 2:31 Or dreadful
  13. Daniel 2:34 Lit were
  14. Daniel 2:35 Lit as one
  15. Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
  16. Daniel 2:41 Lit wet clay
  17. Daniel 2:43 Lit wet clay
  18. Daniel 2:43 Or with
  19. Daniel 2:43 Lit the seed of men
  20. Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
  21. Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
  22. Daniel 2:48 Lit made Daniel great
  23. Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
  24. Daniel 2:49 Lit gate
  25. Daniel 3:1 About 90 ft. high and 9 ft. wide or 27 m and 2.7 m
  26. Daniel 3:4 Lit they command
  27. Daniel 3:4 Lit tongues
  28. Daniel 3:5 Or zither
  29. Daniel 3:5 I.e., triangular lyre
  30. Daniel 3:5 Or a type of harp
  31. Daniel 3:7 See notes v 5
  32. Daniel 3:7 MT omits bagpipe
  33. Daniel 3:7 Lit tongues
  34. Daniel 3:8 Lit ate the pieces of
  35. Daniel 3:10 See notes v 5
  36. Daniel 3:15 See notes 1, 2, 3 v 5
  37. Daniel 3:15 Or in the same hour
  38. Daniel 3:17 Or then
  39. Daniel 3:19 Lit and ordered to
  40. Daniel 3:21 Or cloaks
  41. Daniel 3:22 Lit word
  42. Daniel 3:25 Lit there is no injury in them
  43. Daniel 3:27 Lit power over
  44. Daniel 3:27 Lit their
  45. Daniel 3:27 Or coats
  46. Daniel 3:27 Lit changed
  47. Daniel 3:28 Lit and changed the king’s word
Close NLT

Daniel 2:24-3:30
New Living Translation

Daniel Interprets the Dream

24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

25 Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

26 The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

31 “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. 32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. 34 As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain,[a] but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. 35 The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

36 “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. 37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. 40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. 41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.

44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”

48 Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. 49 At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[b] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials[c] came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments,[d] bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

7 So at the sound of the musical instruments,[e] all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8 But some of the astrologers[f] went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments.[g] But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

The Blazing Furnace

19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god[h]!”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

Footnotes

  1. 2:34 As in Greek version (see also 2:45); Hebrew lacks from a mountain.
  2. 3:1 Aramaic 60 cubits [27 meters] tall and 6 cubits [2.7 meters] wide.
  3. 3:3 Aramaic the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials.
  4. 3:5 The identification of some of these musical instruments is uncertain.
  5. 3:7 Aramaic the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and other musical instruments.
  6. 3:8 Aramaic Chaldeans.
  7. 3:15 Aramaic the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
  8. 3:25 Aramaic like a son of the gods.
Next
Daniel 1
Daniel 4
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.