Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person ^(A)be subject to the governing authorities. For ^(B)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

¹¹ Jesus answered him, ^(A)“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore ^(B)he who delivered me over to you ^(C)has the greater sin.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

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

³⁶ At the same time ^(AL)my reason returned to me, and for ^(AM)the glory of my kingdom, ^(AN)my majesty and splendor returned to me. ^(AO)My counselors and ^(AP)my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^(AQ)added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^(AR)praise and extol and honor the ^(AS)King of heaven, ^(AT)for all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^(AU)those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

³³ When they heard this, they ^(A)were enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named ^(B)Gamaliel, ^(C)a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For ^(D)before these days Theudas rose up, ^(E)claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of ^(F)the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for ^(G)if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; ³⁹ but ^(H)if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You ^(I)might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, ⁴⁰ and ^(J)when they had called in the apostles, ^(K)they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. ²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” ²³ Immediately ^(A)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because ^(B)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

¹⁵ but with whoever is standing here with us today before the Lord our God, ^(A)and with whoever is not here with us today.

¹⁶ “You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed. ¹⁷ And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them. ¹⁸ Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you ^(B)a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, ¹⁹ one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. ²⁰ The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather ^(C)the anger of the Lord and ^(D)his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord ^(E)will blot out his name from under heaven. ²¹ And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. ²² And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, ^(F)will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick— ²³ the whole land burned out with brimstone and ^(G)salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, ^(H)an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, ^(I)Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— ²⁴ all the nations ^(J)will say, ^(K)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ ²⁵ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, ²⁶ and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them. ²⁷ Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, ^(L)bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, ²⁸ and the Lord ^(M)uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and ^(N)cast them into another land, as they are this day.’

²⁹ “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Put Not Your Trust in Princes