Daniel 4:17-8:27

English Standard Version

¹⁷ The sentence is by the decree of ^(A)the watchers, the decision by the word of ^(B)the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^(C)rules the kingdom of men ^(D)and gives it to whom he will and ^(E)sets over it the lowliest of men.’ ¹⁸ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^(F)Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^(G)all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^(H)the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name was ^(I)Belteshazzar, was ^(J)dismayed for a while, and ^(K)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, ^(L)may the dream be for those who hate you ^(M)and its interpretation for your enemies! ^20 (N)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 (O)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 (P)it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^(Q)Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^(R)and your dominion to the ends of the earth. ²³ And because the king saw ^(S)a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^(T)‘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 ^(U)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 (V)that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^(W)to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^(X)seven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^(Y)you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. ²⁶ And as it was commanded ^(Z)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 ^(AA)practicing righteousness, ^(AB)and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ^(AC)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, ^(AD)“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^(AE)my mighty power as a royal residence and for ^(AF)the glory of my majesty?” ^31 (AG)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 (AH)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, ^(AI)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. ^(AJ)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 (AK)At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^(AL)my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^(AM)him who lives forever,

³⁶ At the same time ^(AT)my reason returned to me, and for ^(AU)the glory of my kingdom, ^(AV)my majesty and splendor returned to me. ^(AW)My counselors and ^(AX)my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^(AY)added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^(AZ)praise and extol and honor the ^(BA)King of heaven, ^(BB)for all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^(BC)those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

The Handwriting on the Wall

5 ^(BD)King Belshazzar ^(BE)made a great feast for a thousand of his ^(BF)lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

^2 (BG)Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that ^(BH)the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought in ^(BI)the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and ^(BJ)praised the ^(BK)gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

^5 (BL)Immediately ^(BM)the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw ^(BN)the hand as it wrote. ^6 (BO)Then the king's color changed, ^(BP)and his thoughts alarmed him; ^(BQ)his limbs gave way, and ^(BR)his knees knocked together. ^7 (BS)The king called loudly to bring in ^(BT)the enchanters, the ^(BU)Chaldeans, and ^(BV)the astrologers. The king declared^[b] to the wise men of Babylon, ^(BW)“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and ^(BX)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but ^(BY)they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(BZ)alarmed, and his ^(CA)color changed, and his ^(CB)lords were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen,^[c] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^(CC)“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^(CD)or your color change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom ^(CE)in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.^[d] In the days of your father, ^(CF)light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—^(CG)made him chief of the magicians, ^(CH)enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, ^12 (CI)because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^(CJ)understanding ^(CK)to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^(CL)solve problems were found in this Daniel, ^(CM)whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of ^(CN)the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. ¹⁴ I have heard of you that ^(CO)the spirit of the gods^[e] is in you, and that ^(CP)light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now ^(CQ)the wise men, the ^(CR)enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but ^(CS)they could not show the interpretation of the matter. ^16 (CT)But I have heard that you can give interpretations and ^(CU)solve problems. ^(CV)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, ^(CW)you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and ^(CX)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^(CY)“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the ^(CZ)Most High God ^(DA)gave ^(DB)Nebuchadnezzar your father ^(DC)kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. ¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^(DD)all peoples, nations, and languages ^(DE)trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. ²⁰ But ^(DF)when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^(DG)he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. ^21 (DH)He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^(DI)until he knew that the ^(DJ)Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. ²² And you his son,^{[f] (DK)}Belshazzar, ^(DL)have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, ²³ but you have lifted up yourself against ^(DM)the Lord of heaven. And ^(DN)the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. ^(DO)And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^(DP)but the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^(DQ)whose are all your ways, ^(DR)you have not honored.

²⁴ “Then from his presence ^(DS)the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered^[g] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ Tekel, ^(DT)you have been weighed^[h] in the balances and found wanting; ²⁸ Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^(DU)the Medes and ^(DV)Persians.”^[i]

²⁹ Then ^(DW)Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel ^(DX)was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

^30 (DY)That very night ^(DZ)Belshazzar the ^(EA)Chaldean king was killed. ^31 [j] And ^(EB)Darius ^(EC)the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Daniel and the Lions' Den

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^(ED)120 ^(EE)satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them ^(EF)three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^(EG)satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became ^(EH)distinguished above all ^(EI)the other high officials and ^(EJ)satraps, because ^(EK)an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^(EL)to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then ^(EM)the high officials and ^(EN)the satraps ^(EO)sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^(EP)but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^(EQ)and no error or fault was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

⁶ Then these ^(ER)high officials and ^(ES)satraps came by agreement^[k] to the king and said to him, “O ^(ET)King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the ^(EU)high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^(EV)counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^(EW)injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish ^(EX)the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^(EY)the law of ^(EZ)the Medes and the Persians, ^(FA)which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^(FB)injunction.

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where ^(FC)he had windows in his upper chamber open ^(FD)toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees ^(FE)three times a day and prayed and ^(FF)gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they ^(FG)came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^(FH)an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of ^(FI)the Medes and Persians, ^(FJ)which cannot be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, ^(FK)“Daniel, who is one ^(FL)of the exiles ^(FM)from Judah, ^(FN)pays no attention to you, O king, or ^(FO)the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^(FP)three times a day.”

¹⁴ Then ^(FQ)the king, when he heard these words, ^(FR)was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. ¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no ^(FS)injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared^[l] to Daniel, “May ^(FT)your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” ^17 (FU)And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^(FV)and the king sealed it ^(FW)with his own signet and with the signet of his ^(FX)lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^(FY)no diversions were brought to him, and ^(FZ)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of ^(GA)the living God, ^(GB)has your God, whom you serve continually, ^(GC)been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, ^(GD)“O king, live forever! ²² My God ^(GE)sent his angel ^(GF)and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^(GG)before him; ^(GH)and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^(GI)no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴ And the king commanded, and ^(GJ)those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all ^(GK)the peoples, nations, and languages ^(GL)that dwell in all the earth: ^(GM)“Peace be multiplied to you. ^26 (GN)I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion ^(GO)people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and ^(GV)the reign of ^(GW)Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of ^(GX)Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(GY)Daniel saw a dream and ^(GZ)visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. ² Daniel declared,^[m] “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, ^(HA)the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great beasts ^(HB)came up out of the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. ⁵ And behold, ^(HC)another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ⁶ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a ^(HD)leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and ^(HE)dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, ^(HF)terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; ^(HG)it devoured and broke in pieces ^(HH)and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and ^(HI)it had ten horns. ⁸ I considered the horns, and behold, ^(HJ)there came up among them another horn, a little one, ^(HK)before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and ^(HL)a mouth speaking great things.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

⁹ “As I looked,

¹¹ “I looked then because of the sound of ^(HY)the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, ^(HZ)the beast was killed, and its body destroyed ^(IA)and given over to be burned with fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, ^(IB)their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

¹³ “I saw in the night visions,

Daniel's Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me^[n] was anxious, and ^(IH)the visions of my head alarmed me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ^17 (II)‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But ^(IJ)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the truth about ^(IK)the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, ^20 (IL)and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. ²¹ As I looked, this horn ^(IM)made war with the saints and prevailed over them, ²² until the ^(IN)Ancient of Days came, and ^(IO)judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when ^(IP)the saints possessed the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said: ‘As for ^(IQ)the fourth beast,

²⁸ “Here is the end of the matter. ^(JA)As for me, Daniel, my ^(JB)thoughts greatly alarmed me, ^(JC)and my color changed, but ^(JD)I kept the matter in my heart.”

Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat

8 In the third year of the reign of ^(JE)King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, ^(JF)after that which appeared to me ^(JG)at the first. ² And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in ^(JH)Susa the citadel, which is in the province of ^(JI)Elam. And ^(JJ)I saw in the vision, ^(JK)and I was at the ^(JL)Ulai canal. ³ I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, ^(JM)a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. ⁴ I saw ^(JN)the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No ^(JO)beast ^(JP)could stand before him, ^(JQ)and there was no one who could rescue from his power. ^(JR)He did as he pleased and ^(JS)became great.

⁵ As I was considering, behold, a ^(JT)male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had ^(JU)a conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came to ^(JV)the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, ^(JW)and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. ⁷ I saw him come close to the ram, ^(JX)and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. ^(JY)And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he ^(JZ)cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. ⁸ Then ^(KA)the goat ^(KB)became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four ^(KC)conspicuous horns toward ^(KD)the four winds of heaven.

⁹ Out of one of them came ^(KE)a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward ^(KF)the south, toward the east, and toward ^(KG)the glorious land. ^10 (KH)It grew great, ^(KI)even to the host of heaven. And some of the host ^(KJ)and some^[p] of ^(KK)the stars it threw down to the ground and ^(KL)trampled on them. ^11 (KM)It became great, even as great as ^(KN)the Prince of the host. ^(KO)And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. ¹² And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,^[q] and it will throw truth to the ground, and ^(KP)it will act and prosper. ¹³ Then I heard ^(KQ)a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, ^(KR)“For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, ^(KS)the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” ¹⁴ And he said to me,^[r] “For 2,300 ^(KT)evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

The Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵ When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I ^(KU)sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having ^(KV)the appearance of a man. ^16 (KW)And I heard a man's voice ^(KX)between the banks of the ^(KY)Ulai, and it called, ^(KZ)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near where I stood. And when he came, ^(LA)I was frightened ^(LB)and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, ^(LC)O son of man, that the vision is for ^(LD)the time of the end.”

¹⁸ And when he had spoken to me, ^(LE)I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But ^(LF)he touched me and made me stand up. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of ^(LG)the indignation, for it refers to ^(LH)the appointed time of the end. ²⁰ As for ^(LI)the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of ^(LJ)Media and Persia. ²¹ And ^(LK)the goat^[s] is the king of Greece. And ^(LL)the great horn between his eyes is ^(LM)the first king. ^22 (LN)As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his^[t] nation, ^(LO)but not with his power. ²³ And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. ²⁴ His power shall be great—^(LP)but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction ^(LQ)and shall succeed in what he does, ^(LR)and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. ^25 (LS)By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind ^(LT)he shall become great. ^(LU)Without warning he shall destroy many. And he ^(LV)shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but ^(LW)by no human hand. ²⁶ The vision of ^(LX)the evenings and the mornings that has been told ^(LY)is true, but ^(LZ)seal up the vision, ^(MA)for it refers to many days from now.”

²⁷ And ^(MB)I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision ^(MC)and did not understand it.