Beginning
Israel's enemies take Daniel and his friends to Babylon
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem with his army. He put his soldiers around the city to attack it. This happened when Jehoiakim had been king of Judah for nearly three years. 2 The Lord God gave Nebuchadnezzar power over King Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar took away some special things that belonged in God's temple in Jerusalem. He took those things back to Babylon. He put them among the valuable things in the temple of his own god.
3 Nebuchadnezzar had an officer who was called Ashpenaz. Ashpenaz had authority over the king's other officers. One day, Nebuchadnezzar said to Ashpenaz, ‘Bring some of the Israelite men to me. Choose some men from the king of Judah's family, and choose some men from the other important Israelite families.’ 4 Nebuchadnezzar wanted young men who were strong and handsome. They must be clever so that they could learn and understand things quickly. They must be good enough to become King Nebuchadnezzar's servants. They would learn the language of Babylon, and they would read its books.
5 Every day, King Nebuchadnezzar sent special food for these men to eat. It was the same food and wine that he had for himself. His officers would teach the young men for three years. After that, the young men would be ready to serve the king.
6 Some of the young men from Judah that Ashpenaz chose were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The king's officer gave new names to them. Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego.
Daniel refuses to eat the king's food
8 But Daniel decided that God did not want him to eat the king's food and wine. He knew that it might be against God's rules. So he asked the king's special officer that he might not have to eat the king's food. 9 God had already caused the officer to like Daniel and to be kind to him. 10 But the officer said to Daniel, ‘I am afraid of the king, who is my master. He has chosen the food that he wants you to eat. If you eat different food, you might become weaker than the other young men. If the king sees that, he might kill me!’
11 The officer had chosen a guard to watch Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So Daniel spoke to this man. 12 He said, ‘Please sir, watch us for ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 After ten days, see what our faces and our bodies look like. Also see what the other young men who eat the king's food look like. When you look at them and you look at us, you can decide what to do with us.’
14 The guard agreed to what they said. He watched them for ten days. 15 After ten days, their faces seemed more handsome than the young men who ate the king's food. Their bodies also seemed to be fatter. 16 So the guard no longer gave them the king's food and wine to eat. He gave vegetables and water to them instead.
God makes Daniel and his friends wise
17 God helped these four young men to become clever and wise. While they studied, he helped them to learn from many different books. They could understand many things. Daniel could also understand the meaning of all kinds of dreams.
18 King Nebuchadnezzar had said that the young men must study for three years. After that time finished, the king's officer took them to the king. 19 The king spoke with all the young men. He discovered that there was nobody else like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became the king's servants.[a] 20 Whenever the king needed help to understand something important, these men showed how wise they were. They knew ten times more than any of the king's other wise men. Those men used magic or they studied the stars to know what would happen in the future. They came from all the different countries that Nebuchadnezzar ruled.
21 And Daniel lived in Babylon until the year when Cyrus became king.
The king tells his wise men to explain his dream
2 When Nebuchadnezzar had been king for two years, he had many dreams. He had trouble in his mind and he could not sleep.
2 He told his servants that they must bring the magicians, enchanters,[b] diviners and wise men to him. He wanted them to explain his dream. So they came in and they stood in front of the king. 3 Then the king said to them, ‘I have had a dream that gives me trouble in my mind. I want to know what the dream means.’
4 Then the wise men answered the king. (This is in the Aramaic language.[c]) They said, ‘King, live for ever! We are your servants. Tell us the dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’
5 The king replied to the wise men, ‘I have decided what to do. You must tell me what my dream was. Then you must tell me what it means. If not, I will punish you with death! My soldiers will cut you into pieces. They will knock down your houses so that they become heaps of stones. 6 You must tell me about the dream and you must tell me what it means. If you do that, I will give to you many gifts and great honour. So you must tell me my dream, and tell me what it means.’
7 They answered the king again, ‘We are your servants, so please tell us your dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’
8 The king said to them, ‘You know that I will not change my mind. So you are just trying to get more time. 9 If you do not tell me the dream, I will certainly punish you with death. You have agreed among yourselves to tell me lies. You want to deceive me until you can think of something better. So now, tell me the dream. Then I will believe you when you tell me what it means.’
10 The wise men answered the king, ‘There is nobody on earth who can know your dream! No king has ever asked anyone to do anything like this. No magician, enchanter or wise man could do that. Even the greatest and most powerful king has never asked anyone to do this. 11 You are asking us to do something much too difficult! Nobody can do it, except the gods. And they do not live among men.’
12 This made the king very angry. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Kill all the wise men in Babylon.’ 13 He sent a message to command them to kill all his wise men.
Some men went to look for Daniel and his friends too. They wanted to punish them with death. 14 But Daniel spoke carefully to Arioch. He was the captain of the king's soldiers who had gone to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 Daniel said to Arioch, ‘Why is the king's command so cruel?’ Then Arioch explained everything to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went to see the king. He asked the king for more time. Then he would be able to tell the king what the dream meant.
God shows the dream to Daniel
17 Then Daniel went to his home. He told his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah what had happened. 18 He told them that they should pray to God in heaven. They should pray that God would help them with this problem. They should ask God to keep them safe. Then they would not die with all the other wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night, Daniel had a vision. God showed him the secret of the king's dream. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said,
‘Praise God's great name for ever!
He has great wisdom and great power.
21 He makes things happen at the right time.
He gives to some kings authority to rule.
And he takes that authority away from other kings.
He causes some people to become wise.
He helps people to understand the things that they learn.
22 He explains difficult problems and secret things.
He knows about all things,
even when they are in dark places.
He himself lives in the light.
23 My ancestors' God,
I thank you and I praise you!
You have made me wise
and you have made me strong.
We asked you to help us,
and now you have shown me your answer.
You have explained the king's problem to us.
So I thank you.’
24 So Daniel went to see Arioch, the king's officer. The king had told Arioch to kill all the wise men of Babylon. But Daniel said to him, ‘Do not kill Babylon's wise men. Take me to the king. Then I will tell the king what his dream means.’
25 Then Arioch quickly took Daniel to meet the king. He said, ‘I have found this man, who is one of the people that you brought from Judah. He can tell you, sir, what your dream means.’
26 The king spoke to Daniel, whose other name was Belteshazzar. He asked Daniel, ‘Can you tell me my dream? And can you tell me what it means?’
27 Daniel answered the king, ‘Sir, your dream is a secret. No wise men, enchanters, magicians or diviners can tell you about it. 28 But there is a God in heaven. He explains secret things. In your dream, he has shown you what will happen in future years. Now I will tell you the dream and the visions that you had while you lay on your bed.
29 While you lay on your bed, you dreamed about future times. God explains secret things, and he has shown you what will happen in future years. 30 I am not more wise than other people. But God has explained your secret dream to me, because he wants you to know what it means. He wants you to understand the thoughts in your mind.’
The dream
31 Daniel said, ‘In your dream, you saw in front of you a statue with a man's shape. It was very big and very bright. It frightened people very much. 32 Its head was made from pure gold. The top of its body and its arms were made from silver. Its lower body was made from bronze. 33 The statue's legs were made from iron. Its feet had parts made from iron and parts made from clay. 34 While you looked, someone cut out a large stone from a mountain. But no human hand did this. The stone hit the statue on its iron and clay feet. The stone broke them into pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold all broke into pieces. They became like chaff that the wind blows away. Nobody could see any of those pieces any more. But the stone that had hit the statue became a large mountain. It filled the whole earth.’
Daniel explains the dream to the king
36 Daniel continued to say, ‘That was your dream, King Nebuchadnezzar. Now we will tell you what it means. 37 You are a great king who rules over other kings. The God of heaven has given you authority to rule. He has given you power, strength and honour. 38 He has put all the people of this world, the wild animals and the birds under your power. He has given you authority to rule them all, in every place that they live. You are like the head of gold that you saw in your dream.
39 After you, there will be another kingdom. It will not be as great as your kingdom. Then a third kingdom will come. It will be like the bronze part of the statue. It will also rule the whole earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom. It will be as strong as iron which breaks everything into pieces. Like iron, that kingdom will destroy the other kingdoms. 41 In your dream, you saw that the statue's feet and toes had parts of clay and parts of iron. This shows that this kingdom will not be united as one. Some parts will be strong, like iron. The iron that you saw shows that strength. 42 But the iron parts of the statue were mixed with clay parts. This shows that the fourth kingdom will be strong in some parts and weak in other parts. 43 You saw iron and clay that were mixed together. The two parts of that kingdom will try to become united by marriage. But that will not help them to stay together as one. Iron cannot mix properly with clay.
44 During the time when those kings rule, the God of heaven will begin a new kingdom. That kingdom will continue for ever. No other people will ever have power over it. It will break up all those other kingdoms and it will destroy them. And it will continue for ever. 45 You saw the stone that came from the mountain. It was not a human hand that cut it out. That stone broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold into pieces.
In your dream, King Nebuchadnezzar, the great God has shown you what will happen in future years. I have told you the dream, and I have told you what it means. You can be sure that all this is true.’
The king thanks Daniel
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bent down with his face towards the ground. He gave honour to Daniel. He commanded his servants to offer sacrifices and to burn incense to praise Daniel. 47 The king said to Daniel, ‘It is true that your God rules all other gods. He rules over kings and he explains secret things. I know this because you were able to explain this dream to me.’
48 Then the king made Daniel an important officer. He also gave Daniel many valuable gifts. He gave Daniel authority to rule over the whole region of Babylon. Daniel also became the most important officer with authority over all the wise men in Babylon.
49 Daniel asked the king to give important jobs to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So the king gave them authority over the region of Babylon. But Daniel himself stayed in the king's palace.
The king's statue
3 King Nebuchadnezzar caused his workers to make a gold statue. It was 30 metres high and 3 metres wide. He built it on the flat land called Dura, in the Babylon region. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent a message to all his government officers. He told them to meet together in the place where the statue was. He wanted them to see that he had built a great statue. 3 So all the officers came. Those were the rulers, the judges, the wise people, and all the leaders in the different regions of the Babylon nation. They all came together to give honour to the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.
4 Then an officer shouted aloud, ‘Listen to me, you people from every country and nation, who speak different languages! The king makes this command: 5 Listen for the sound of music from trumpets, flutes, lyres, harps or any other kind of music. When you hear the music, you must bend down low towards the ground. You must worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has built. 6 The king will punish anyone who does not do that. His soldiers will throw them immediately into a very hot fire.’
7 So, when all the people heard the different kinds of music, they obeyed. The people from every country and nation, who spoke different languages all bent down low. They worshipped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.
8 Then some wise men went to the king. They told him bad things against the Jews. 9 They said to the king, ‘King, live for ever! 10 You made a rule. You said that everyone must listen for the sound of the special music. When they hear it, they must bend down and they must worship the gold statue. 11 You said that you would punish everyone who does not obey you. You said you would throw them into the middle of a very hot fire. 12 But there are some Jewish men who do not obey you. They are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You gave them authority to take care of everything in Babylon region. Those men do not respect your authority. They do not give honour to your gods. They do not worship your gold statue.’
13 When King Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he was very angry. He told his servants to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to him. So they brought those men to stand in front of the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not give honour to my gods? And you do not worship the gold statue that I have built? 15 Next time you hear the sound of the special music, you must obey my rule. You must bend down and you must worship the statue that I have built. If you do not worship the statue, my servants will throw you immediately into the middle of a very hot fire. There is no god who can save you from my power.’
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to say anything to show you that we are not guilty. 17 We serve a great God. If you throw us into the very hot fire, he is able to keep us safe. Yes, sir, he will keep us safe from your power too. 18 But even if he does not save us, we still would not serve your gods. And we will not worship the gold statue that you have built. We want you to understand that very clearly, sir.’
The king punishes Daniel's three friends
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was even more angry with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. His face became red. He said to his servants, ‘Make the fire in the oven seven times hotter than usual.’ 20 He told the strongest men in his army, ‘Tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then throw them into the very hot fire!’
21 So the soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with ropes. They were still wearing their coats, their hats and their other clothes when the soldiers took hold of them. The soldiers threw them into the middle of the hot fire with all their clothes on. 22 The soldiers needed to obey the king in a hurry. The fire was very hot. As a result, flames from the fire killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into it. 23 So the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell into the middle of the hot fire. The ropes still held them very strongly.
24 What King Nebuchadnezzar saw next surprised him very much. He jumped up and he shouted to his officers, ‘We tied up three men and we threw them into the fire. Isn't that right?’ The officers answered the king, ‘Yes, sir, we certainly did that.’ 25 The king said, ‘But I see four men walking about in the fire! No ropes are holding them and the fire has not hurt them. The fourth man seems like a son of the gods.’
26 King Nebuchadnezzar went near to the door of the oven where the very hot fire was. He shouted aloud to the men inside, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, I see that you are servants of the powerful God who rules over everything. Now come out here!’
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 Then the king's officers, his wise men and the government rulers and leaders came near to the three men. They saw that the fire had not hurt Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego. The fire had not even burnt their hair or their clothes. They did not even have any smell from the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar's new command
28 Then King Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise the God that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego serve! He sent his angel to keep his servants safe. They continued to trust in their God. So they did not obey the command that I had made as king. They would not agree to serve any other god except their own God. They would rather have died than worship any other god. 29 No other god can save people like their God has done for them. So I make a command for the people of every nation who speak any language. They must never say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. If anyone does that, my soldiers will cut them into pieces. They will knock down those people's houses so that they become heaps of stones.’
30 Then the king gave more authority to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to rule in the region of Babylon.
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