Daniel 2:44-4:24

English Standard Version

⁴⁴ And in the days of those kings ^(A)the God of heaven will set up ^(B)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. ^(C)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and ^(D)it shall stand forever, ⁴⁵ just as ^(E)you saw that ^(F)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that ^(G)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A ^(H)great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Daniel Is Promoted

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar ^(I)fell upon his face and ^(J)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that ^(K)an offering and ^(L)incense be offered up to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your ^(M)God is God of gods and ^(N)Lord of kings, and ^(O)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great ^(P)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole ^(Q)province of Babylon and ^(R)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ Daniel made a request of the king, and he ^(S)appointed ^(T)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of ^(U)the province of Babylon. But Daniel ^(V)remained at the king's court.

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 ^(W)the plain of Dura, in ^(X)the province of Babylon. ² Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather ^(Y)the satraps, the prefects, and ^(Z)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 ^(AA)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 ^(AB)proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O ^(AC)peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that when you hear the ^(AD)sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you ^(AE)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 ^(AF)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 ^(AG)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 ^(AH)Chaldeans ^(AI)came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declared^[b] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, ^(AJ)have made a decree, that every man who ^(AK)hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, ^(AL)shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship ^(AM)shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(AN)appointed over the affairs of ^(AO)the province of Babylon: ^(AP)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^(AQ)pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar ^(AR)in furious rage commanded that ^(AS)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 ^(AT)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, ^(AU)you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^(AV)who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

^16 (AW)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, ^(AX)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 ^(AY)filled with fury, and the expression of his face ^(AZ)was changed against ^(BA)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 ^(BB)to bind ^(BC)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were ^(BD)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 ^(BE)urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^(BF)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^(BG)bound into the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^(BH)astonished and rose up ^(BI)in haste. He declared to his ^(BJ)counselors, “Did we not cast three men ^(BK)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, ^(BL)walking in the midst of the fire, and they ^(BM)are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^(BN)a son of the gods.”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^(BO)“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^(BP)Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^(BQ)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. ²⁷ And the ^(BR)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^(BS)the king's counselors gathered together and saw that ^(BT)the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^(BU)cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^(BV)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^(BW)has sent his angel and ^(BX)delivered his servants, who ^(BY)trusted in him, and set aside^[f] the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^(BZ)serve and worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore ^(CA)I make a decree: Any ^(CB)people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^(CC)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^(CD)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 ^(CE)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^(CF)the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

4 ^[g] King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^(CG)peoples, nations, and languages, ^(CH)that dwell in all the earth: ^(CI)Peace be multiplied to you! ² It has seemed good to me to show the ^(CJ)signs and wonders that the ^(CK)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 ^(CP)the visions of my head alarmed me. ⁶ So ^(CQ)I made a decree that ^(CR)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 ^(CS)the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^(CT)they could not make known to me its interpretation. ⁸ At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^(CU)Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^(CV)the spirit of the holy gods^[i]—and I told him the dream, saying, ⁹ “O Belteshazzar, ^(CW)chief of the magicians, because I know that ^(CX)the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^(CY)mystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^(CZ)the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. ^10 (DA)The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^(DB)behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. ^11 (DC)The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. ^12 (DD)Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^(DE)The beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^(DF)the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

¹³ “I saw in ^(DG)the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^(DH)a watcher, ^(DI)a holy one, came down from heaven. ¹⁴ He ^(DJ)proclaimed aloud and said thus: ^(DK)‘Chop down the tree and ^(DL)lop off its branches, ^(DM)strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^(DN)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; ^(DO)and let seven periods of time ^(DP)pass over him. ¹⁷ The sentence is by the decree of ^(DQ)the watchers, the decision by the word of ^(DR)the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^(DS)rules the kingdom of men ^(DT)and gives it to whom he will and ^(DU)sets over it the lowliest of men.’ ¹⁸ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^(DV)Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^(DW)all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^(DX)the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name was ^(DY)Belteshazzar, was ^(DZ)dismayed for a while, and ^(EA)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, ^(EB)may the dream be for those who hate you ^(EC)and its interpretation for your enemies! ^20 (ED)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 (EE)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 (EF)it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^(EG)Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^(EH)and your dominion to the ends of the earth. ²³ And because the king saw ^(EI)a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^(EJ)‘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 ^(EK)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,