Beginning

1 In the third year of the reign of Yehoiakim Melech Yehudah came Nevuchadnetzar king of Babylon unto Yerushalayim, and besieged it.

² And Hashem gave Yehoiakim Melech Yehudah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the Beis HaElohim; which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his g-d; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his g-d.

³ And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the Bnei Yisroel, and of the king’s zera (seed), and of the princes,

⁴ Yeladim in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in all chochmah (wisdom), and cunning in da’as (knowledge), and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the heikhal hamelech (king’s palace), and whom they might teach the sefer and lashon of the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

⁵ And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s food, and of the yayin which he drank, so nourishing them shanim shalosh (three years), that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

⁶ Now among these were of the Bnei Yehudah, Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah;

⁷ Unto whom the chief of the eunuchs gave names; for he gave unto Daniel the name of Beltshatzar; and to Chananyah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azaryah, of Abednego.

⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the yayin which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

⁹ Now G-d had brought Daniel into chesed and sympathy with the chief of the eunuchs.

¹⁰ And the chief of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear adoni hamelech, who hath appointed your meat and your drink; for why should he see your faces worse looking than the yeladim which are of your age? Then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

¹¹ Then said Daniel to the steward, whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah,

¹² Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, yamim asarim (ten days); and let them give us vegetables to eat, and mayim (water) to drink.

¹³ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the yeladim that eat of the portion of the king’s meat, and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

¹⁴ So he consented to them in this matter, and tested them yamim asarim (ten days).

¹⁵ And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the yeladim which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

¹⁶ Thus the steward took away the portion of their meat, and the yayin that they should drink; and gave them vegetables.

¹⁷ As for these four yeladim, G-d gave them knowledge and skill in all sefer and chochmah, and Daniel had understanding in all chazon (visions) and chalomot (dreams).

¹⁸ Now at the end of the days that the king had said he would bring them in, then the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nevuchadnetzar.

¹⁹ And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah; therefore stood they before the king.

²⁰ And in all matters of chochmah and binah that the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

²¹ And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Koresh (Cyrus).

2 And in the second year of the reign of Nevuchadnetzar, Nevuchadnetzar dreamed chalomot (dreams), wherewith his ruach was troubled, and his sleep left him.

² Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Kasdim (Chaldeans) for to show the king his chalomot. So they came and stood before the king.

³ And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a chalom (dream) and my ruach was troubled to have da’as of the chalom (dream).

⁴ Then spoke the Kasdim (Chaldeans) to the king in Aramaic, O king, live for ever; tell thy servants the chalom (dream), and we will show the pesher (interpretation, explanation).

⁵ The king answered and said to the Kasdim (Chaldeans), The decision from me is firm; if ye will not give me da’as of the chalom (dream), with the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a pile of rubble;

⁶ But if ye show the chalom (dream), and the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore show me the chalom (dream), and the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof.

⁷ They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the chalom (dream), and we will show the pesher (interpretation, explanation) of it.

⁸ The king answered and said, I have da’as of certainty that ye would gain time, because ye see the decision from me is firm.

⁹ But if ye will not give me da’as of the chalom (dream), there is but one decree for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the tide is turned; therefore tell me the chalom (dream), and I shall have da’as that ye can show me the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof.

¹⁰ The Kasdim (Chaldeans) answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter; therefore there is no melech, no matter how rav (great) or powerful, that asked such things of any magician, or enchanter, or Kasdai (Chaldean).

¹¹ And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the g-ds, whose dwelling is not with basar (flesh).

¹² For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the chachamim (wise men) of Babylon.

¹³ And the decree went forth that the chachamim should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his chaverim to be slain.

¹⁴ Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Aryoch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the chachamim of Babylon;

¹⁵ He answered and said to Aryoch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Aryoch made the thing known to Daniel.

¹⁶ Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the pesher (interpretation, explanation).

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his bais, and made the decree known to Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, his chaverim,

¹⁸ That they would plead for rachamim from the G-d of Shomayim concerning this raz (mystery, secret); that Daniel and his chaverim should not perish with the rest of the chachamim of Babylon.

¹⁹ Then was the raz revealed unto Daniel in a chazon of the lailah. Then Daniel said a brakhah to the G-d of Shomayim.

²⁰ Daniel answered and said, Baruch hashem Elohim l’olam va’ed; for chochmah (wisdom) and gevurah (might) are His;

²¹ And He changeth the times and the zmanim (seasons); He removeth melachim, and setteth up melachim; He giveth chochmah unto the chachamim, and da’as to them that know binah;

²² He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the choshech, and the light dwelleth with Him.

²³ I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou G-d of my fathers, Who hast given me chochmah and gevurah, and hast given unto me da’as now of what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went in unto Aryoch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the chachamim of Babylon; he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the chachamim of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the pesher (interpretation, explanation).

²⁵ Then Aryoch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the Bnei Golus of Yehudah, that will give da’as unto the king of the pesher (interpretation, explanation).

²⁶ The king answered and said to Daniel whose name was Beltshatzar, Art thou able to give da’as unto me of the chalom (dream) which I have seen, and the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof?

²⁷ Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The raz which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the enchanters, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;

²⁸ But there is a G-d in Shomayim that revealeth razim, and maketh known to the king Nevuchadnetzar what shall be in the acharit hayamim. Thy chalom (dream), and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

²⁹ As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that revealeth razim (secrets) maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

³⁰ But as for me, this raz is not revealed to me for any chochmah that I have more than any living, but in order that the pesher (interpretation, explanation) may be known to the king, and that thou mightest understand the thoughts of thy heart.

³¹ Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great tzelem (image, idol, statue). This great tzelem, whose brightness was extraordinary, stood before thee; and the form thereof was awesome.

³² This tzelem’s head was of fine gold, his chest and his arms of silver, his middle and his thighs of bronze,

³³ His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

³⁴ Thou sawest till that an even (stone [Moshiach; see Tehillim 118:22; Yeshayah 53:3, Tehillim 2:9]) was cut out without hands, which struck the tzelem upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

³⁵ Then was the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no trace was found of them; and the even (stone) that struck the tzelem became a great mountain, and filled kol ha’aretz.

³⁶ This is the chalom (dream); and we will tell the pesher thereof before the king.

³⁷ Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the G-d of Shomayim hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

³⁸ And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee shalit (ruler) over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

³⁹ And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall bear rule over kol ha’aretz.

⁴⁰ And the fourth mamlachah shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.

⁴¹ And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, the mamlachah shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with baked clay.

⁴² And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the mamlachah shall be partly strong, and partly fragile.

⁴³ And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with baked clay, so the zera of the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

⁴⁴ And in the days of these melachim shall the G-d of Shomayim set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these mamlechot (kingdoms), and it shall stand for ever [Lk 1:32-33].

⁴⁵ Forasmuch as thou sawest that the even (stone) was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great G-d hath made known to the king what shall come to pass after this; and the chalom (dream) is certain, and the pesher (interpretation, explanation) thereof trustworthy.

⁴⁶ Then the king Nevuchadnetzar fell upon his face, prostrate before Daniel, and paid him honor and ordered that a minchah and incense be presented to him.

⁴⁷ The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a surety it is, that your G-d is G-d of g-ds, and L-rd of melachim, and a revealer of razim (secrets), seeing thou couldest reveal this raz.

⁴⁸ Then the king exalted Daniel to a high position, and gave him many great mattanot (gifts), and made him shalit (ruler) over the whole province of Babylon, and placed him in charge of all the chachamim of Babylon.

⁴⁹ Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon, but Daniel remained at the royal court.

3 Nevuchadnetzar the king made a tzelem of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

² Then Nevuchadnetzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the tzelem which Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up.

³ Then the satraps, the prefects, and governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up; and they stood before the tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar had set up.

⁴ Then a karoz (herald) cried aloud, To you it is ommanded, O people, nations, and languages,

⁵ That at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, pipes, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king hath set up;

⁶ And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery attun (furnace).

⁷ Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up.

⁸ Wherefore at that time certain Kasdim (Chaldeans) came near, and accused the Yehudim.

⁹ They spoke and said to the king Nevuchadnetzar, O king, live for ever.

¹⁰ Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and pipes, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden tzelem;

¹¹ And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery attun (furnace).

¹² There are certain Yehudim whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have disregarded thee; they serve (pay-lammed-chet, serve as deity) not thy g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which thou hast set up.

¹³ Then Nevuchadnetzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

¹⁴ Nevuchadnetzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do ye not serve my g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which I have set up?

¹⁵ Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and pipes, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the tzelem which I have made, well; but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery attun; and who is that G-d that shall deliver you out of my hands?

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nevuchadnetzar, we are not needful to answer thee in this matter.

¹⁷ If it be so, Eloheinu whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

¹⁸ But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not be the ones serving as deity (pey-lammed-chet) thy g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which thou hast set up.

¹⁹ Then was Nevuchadnetzar full of fury, and the expression on his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the attun seven times hotter than usual.

²⁰ And he commanded certain gibborim (mighty men) of valor that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery attun.

²¹ Then these anashim (men) were bound in their mantles, their tunics, and their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²² Therefore because the king’s commandment was severe, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flames of the eish (fire) violently killed those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ Then Nevuchadnetzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast shloshah anashim (three men) bound into the midst of the eish (fire)? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

²⁵ He answered and said, Lo, I see anashim arba’ah (four men) free (not bound, loose), walking in the midst of the eish (fire), and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Bar Elohin (Ben Elohim, Hebrew).

²⁶ Then Nevuchadnetzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of El Elyon (G-d Most High), come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the eish (fire).

²⁷ And the satraps, governors, and administrators, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the eish (fire) had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their garments affected, nor the smell of eish (fire) had passed on them.

²⁸ Then Nevuchadnetzar spoke, and said, Baruch Elohim shel Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who hath sent His malach, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve ([as deity], peylammed-chet) nor worship any g-d, except their own G-d.

²⁹ Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the G-d of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a pile of rubble, because there is no other g-d that can deliver like this.

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.