Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits^[a] and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on ^(A)the plain of Dura, in ^(B)the province of Babylon. ² Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather ^(C)the satraps, the prefects, and ^(D)the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³ Then ^(E)the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ And the herald ^(F)proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O ^(G)peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that when you hear the ^(H)sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you ^(I)are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately ^(J)be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” ⁷ Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all ^(K)the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Fiery Furnace

⁸ Therefore at that time certain ^(L)Chaldeans ^(M)came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declared^[b] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, ^(N)have made a decree, that every man who ^(O)hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, ^(P)shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship ^(Q)shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(R)appointed over the affairs of ^(S)the province of Babylon: ^(T)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^(U)pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar ^(V)in furious rage commanded that ^(W)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when ^(X)you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.^[c] But if you do not worship, ^(Y)you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^(Z)who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

^16 (AA)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, ^(AB)our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.^{[d] 18} But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was ^(AC)filled with fury, and the expression of his face ^(AD)was changed against ^(AE)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ^(AF)to bind ^(AG)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were ^(AH)bound in their cloaks, their tunics,^[e] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. ²² Because the king's order was ^(AI)urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^(AJ)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^(AK)bound into the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^(AL)astonished and rose up ^(AM)in haste. He declared to his ^(AN)counselors, “Did we not cast three men ^(AO)bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” ²⁵ He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, ^(AP)walking in the midst of the fire, and they ^(AQ)are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^(AR)a son of the gods.”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^(AS)“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^(AT)Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^(AU)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. ²⁷ And the ^(AV)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^(AW)the king's counselors gathered together and saw that ^(AX)the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^(AY)cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^(AZ)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^(BA)has sent his angel and ^(BB)delivered his servants, who ^(BC)trusted in him, and set aside^[f] the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^(BD)serve and worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore ^(BE)I make a decree: Any ^(BF)people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^(BG)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^(BH)shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king promoted ^(BI)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^(BJ)the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

4 ^[g] King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^(BK)peoples, nations, and languages, ^(BL)that dwell in all the earth: ^(BM)Peace be multiplied to you! ² It has seemed good to me to show the ^(BN)signs and wonders that the ^(BO)Most High God has done for me.

Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

^4 [h] I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. ⁵ I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^(BT)the visions of my head alarmed me. ⁶ So ^(BU)I made a decree that ^(BV)all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷ Then ^(BW)the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^(BX)they could not make known to me its interpretation. ⁸ At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^(BY)Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^(BZ)the spirit of the holy gods^[i]—and I told him the dream, saying, ⁹ “O Belteshazzar, ^(CA)chief of the magicians, because I know that ^(CB)the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^(CC)mystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^(CD)the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. ^10 (CE)The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^(CF)behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. ^11 (CG)The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. ^12 (CH)Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^(CI)The beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^(CJ)the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

¹³ “I saw in ^(CK)the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^(CL)a watcher, ^(CM)a holy one, came down from heaven. ¹⁴ He ^(CN)proclaimed aloud and said thus: ^(CO)‘Chop down the tree and ^(CP)lop off its branches, ^(CQ)strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^(CR)Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. ¹⁵ But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶ Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; ^(CS)and let seven periods of time ^(CT)pass over him. ¹⁷ The sentence is by the decree of ^(CU)the watchers, the decision by the word of ^(CV)the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^(CW)rules the kingdom of men ^(CX)and gives it to whom he will and ^(CY)sets over it the lowliest of men.’ ¹⁸ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^(CZ)Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^(DA)all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^(DB)the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name was ^(DC)Belteshazzar, was ^(DD)dismayed for a while, and ^(DE)his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^(DF)may the dream be for those who hate you ^(DG)and its interpretation for your enemies! ^20 (DH)The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, ^21 (DI)whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— ^22 (DJ)it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^(DK)Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^(DL)and your dominion to the ends of the earth. ²³ And because the king saw ^(DM)a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^(DN)‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^(DO)seven periods of time pass over him,’ ²⁴ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, ^25 (DP)that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^(DQ)to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^(DR)seven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^(DS)you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. ²⁶ And as it was commanded ^(DT)to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by ^(DU)practicing righteousness, ^(DV)and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ^(DW)that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation

²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ and the king answered and said, ^(DX)“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^(DY)my mighty power as a royal residence and for ^(DZ)the glory of my majesty?” ^31 (EA)While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, ^32 (EB)and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^(EC)until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” ³³ Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^(ED)He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

^34 (EE)At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^(EF)my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^(EG)him who lives forever,

³⁶ At the same time ^(EN)my reason returned to me, and for ^(EO)the glory of my kingdom, ^(EP)my majesty and splendor returned to me. ^(EQ)My counselors and ^(ER)my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^(ES)added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^(ET)praise and extol and honor the ^(EU)King of heaven, ^(EV)for all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^(EW)those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Greeting

^1 (A)The elder to the elect lady and her children, ^(B)whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who ^(C)know ^(D)the truth, ^2 (E)because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

^3 (F)Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Walking in Truth and Love

^4 (G)I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. ⁵ And now I ask you, dear lady—^(H)not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—^(I)that we love one another. ⁶ And ^(J)this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just ^(K)as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For ^(L)many deceivers ^(M)have gone out into the world, ^(N)those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, ^(O)so that you may not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but ^(P)may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, ^(Q)does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching ^(R)has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, ^(S)do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him ^(T)takes part in his wicked works.

Final Greetings

^12 (U)Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. ^(V)Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, ^(W)so that our joy may be complete.

¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you.