Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar^[a](B) king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ² The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.^(C) Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,^[b](D) to the house of his god,^[c] and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

³ The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials,^[d] to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family^(E) and from the nobility— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,^(F) knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace^(G)—and to teach them the Chaldean language^(H) and literature. ⁵ The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.^(I) They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to serve in the king’s court.^{[e](J) 6} Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel,^(K) Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ The chief official gave them other names: he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.^(L)

Faithfulness in Babylon

⁸ Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food^(M) or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.^{(N) 9} God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,^{(O) 10} yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid of what would happen if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life^[f] with the king.”

¹¹ So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” ¹⁴ He agreed with them about this and tested them for 10 days. ¹⁵ At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier^[g] than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.^{(P) 16} So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

Faithfulness Rewarded

¹⁷ God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding^(Q) in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams^(R) of every kind. ¹⁸ At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.^(S) So they began to serve in the king’s court. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times^[h](T) better than all the diviner-priests and mediums^(U) in his entire kingdom. ²¹ Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^(V)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams^(W) that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.^{(X) 2} So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans^[i](Y) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”

⁴ The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic^[j](Z) begins here): “May the king live forever.^(AA) Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,^[k] and your houses will be made a garbage dump.^{(AB) 6} But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me.^(AC) So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”

⁷ They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁸ The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. ⁹ If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you.^(AD) You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests.^(AE) Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any diviner-priest, medium, or Chaldean. ¹¹ What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”^{(AF) 12} Because of this, the king became violently angry^(AG) and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

¹⁴ Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard,^[l](AH) who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?”^[m](AI) Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶ So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, ¹⁸ urging them to ask the God of heaven^(AJ) for mercy^(AK) concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.^{(AL) 19} The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision^(AM) at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven ²⁰ and declared:

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,^(AV) whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”^(AW)

²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles^(AX) who can let the king know the interpretation.”

²⁶ The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,^(AY) “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?”^(AZ)

²⁷ Daniel answered the king: “No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer^(BA) is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. ²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.^(BB) Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed^(BC) were these: ²⁹ Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future.^[o](BD) The revealer of mysteries^(BE) has let you know what will happen. ³⁰ As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me,^(BF) not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.^(BG)

The Dream’s Interpretation

³¹ “My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. ³² The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, ³³ its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. ³⁴ As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,^[p](BH) struck the statue^(BI) on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.^{(BJ) 35} Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff^(BK) from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled^(BL) the whole earth.

³⁶ “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are king of kings.^(BM) The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power,^(BN) strength, and glory. ³⁸ Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the air—He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all.^(BO) You are the head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.^{(BP) 40} A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.^{[q](BQ) 41} You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, ⁴² and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. ⁴³ You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another^[r] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.

⁴⁴ “In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed,^(BR) and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms^(BS) and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ You saw a stone^(BT) break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,^[s](BU) and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.^[t](BV) The dream is true, and its interpretation certain.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.^{(BW) 47} The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings,^(BX) and a revealer of mysteries,^(BY) since you were able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.^{(BZ) 49} At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego^(CA) to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.^(CB)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue,^(CC) 90 feet high and nine feet wide.^[u] He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.^{(CD) 2} King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers^(CE) of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³ So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴ A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: ⁵ When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,^[v] lyre,^[w] harp, drum,^[x] and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship^(CF) the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”^(CG)

⁷ Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Furnace of Blazing Fire

⁸ Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse^[y](CH) the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. ¹⁰ You as king have issued a decree^(CI) that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. ¹¹ Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. ¹² There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.^(CJ) These men have ignored you,^(CK) the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

¹³ Then in a furious rage^(CL) Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue^(CM) I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”^(CN)

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. ¹⁷ If the God we serve exists,^[z] then He can rescue^(CO) us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. ¹⁸ But even if He does not rescue us,^[aa] we want you as king to know that we will not serve^(CP) your gods^(CQ) or worship the gold statue you set up.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,^(CR) and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, ²⁰ and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,^[ab] and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. ²² Since the king’s command was so urgent^[ac](CS) and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames^[ad] killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Delivered from the Fire

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm.^(CT) He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.

²⁵ He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed;^(CU) and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”^[ae](CV)

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.^{(CW) 27} When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect^(CX) on^[af] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel^[ag](CY) and rescued His servants who trusted in Him.^(CZ) They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.^{(DA) 29} Therefore I issue a decree^(DB) that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump.^(DC) For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” ³⁰ Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.^(DD)

The Plot against Daniel

6 Darius decided^[a] to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, ² and over them three administrators, including Daniel.^(A) These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.^{(B) 3} Daniel^[b] distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit,^(C) so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.^{(D) 4} The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel^(E) regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption,^(F) for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”^(G)

⁶ So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever.^{(H) 7} All the administrators of the kingdom,^(I) the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that for 30 days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den.^{(J) 8} Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict^(K) and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.”^{(L) 9} So King Darius signed the document.^(M)

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁰ When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem,^(N) and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God,^(O) just as he had done before. ¹¹ Then these men went as a group and found^(P) Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. ¹² So they approached the king^(Q) and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for 30 days any man who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.”^(R)

¹³ Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you,^(S) the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” ¹⁴ As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel^(T) and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.

¹⁵ Then these men went to the king and said to him, “You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.”^(U)

¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.^(V) The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually,^(W) rescue you!” ¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den.^(X) The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting.^(Y) No diversions^[c] were brought to him, and he could not sleep.^(Z)

Daniel Released

¹⁹ At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said,^[d] “has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you^(AA) from the lions?”

²¹ Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. ²² My God sent His angel^(AB) and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.”

²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, uninjured, for he trusted in his God.^{(AC) 24} The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel^[e](AD) were brought and thrown into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives.^(AE) They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Darius Honors God

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live in all the earth: “May your prosperity abound.^{(AF) 26} I issue a decree^(AG) that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel:^(AH)

²⁸ So Daniel prospered^(AK) during the reign of Darius and^[f] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.^(AL)