Beginning
Daniel Brought to Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of (A)Jehoiakim king of Judah, (B)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the (C)Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the (D)vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of (E)Shinar, to the house of his [a]god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his [b](F)god.
3 Then the king said for Ashpenaz, the chief of his [c]officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal (G)seed and of the nobles, 4 youths in whom was (H)no defect, who were good in appearance, showing (I)insight in every branch of wisdom, being thoroughly [d]knowledgeable and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to stand in the king’s palace; and he said for him to teach them the [e]literature and (J)tongue of the (K)Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the (L)king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be [f]educated three years, at the end of which they were to (M)stand before the king. 6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were (N)Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 Then the commander of the officials set names for them; and for Daniel he set the name (O)Belteshazzar, for Hananiah (P)Shadrach, for Mishael (Q)Meshach, and for Azariah (R)Abed-nego.
Daniel’s Heart
8 But Daniel set in his heart that he would not (S)defile himself with the (T)king’s choice food or with the (U)wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God granted Daniel (V)lovingkindness and compassion before the commander of the officials, 10 and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would [g]make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be (W)given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be [h]observed before you and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that their appearance was (X)better and that [i]they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to [j]withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept (Y)giving them vegetables.
17 And as for these four youths, (Z)God gave them knowledge and insight in every branch of [k]literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of (AA)visions and dreams.
18 Then at the end of the days which the king had spoken of for bringing them in, the commander of the officials brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like (AB)Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they (AC)stood in service before the king. 20 And as for every matter of (AD)wisdom in understanding which the king sought from them, he found them (AE)ten times (AF)better than all the [l](AG)magicians and conjurers who were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel [m]continued until the (AH)first year of Cyrus the king.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
2 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar [n](AI)had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his (AJ)sleep [o]left him. 2 Then the king said to call in the [p](AK)magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the [q]Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 Then the king said to them, “I [r](AL)had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in [s](AM)Aramaic: “(AN)O king, live forever! (AO)Say the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be [t](AP)torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me (AQ)gifts and a reward and great glory; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king (AR)say the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you are buying time, inasmuch as you have seen that the word from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only (AS)one law for you. Indeed, you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [u]words before me until the time is changed; therefore say the dream to me, that I may (AT)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [v]the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to declare the matter [w]for the king, inasmuch as no great king or powerful ruler has ever asked about a matter like this of any [x](AU)magician, conjurer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the matter which the king asks is [y]difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it [z]to the king except (AV)gods, whose (AW)dwelling place is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king became (AX)indignant and very furious and said for them to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the law went forth that the wise men were to be killed; and they sought out (AY)Daniel and his friends to [aa]kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to (AZ)Arioch, the captain of the king’s [ab]bodyguard, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch, a powerful [ac]official for the king, “For what reason is the law from the king so [ad]urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and sought from the king that he would [ae]give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, to (BA)Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 so that they might (BB)seek compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (BC)destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night (BD)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel answered and said,
“Let the name of God be (BE)blessed forever and ever,
For (BF)wisdom and might belong to Him.
21 And He (BG)changes the times and the seasons;
He (BH)removes kings and [af]establishes kings;
He gives (BI)wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to [ag]men of understanding.
22 He (BJ)reveals the deep and hidden things;
(BK)He knows what is in the darkness,
And the (BL)light dwells with Him.
23 To You, O (BM)God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me (BN)wisdom and might;
Even now You have made known to me what we (BO)sought from You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: “(BP)Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch hurriedly (BQ)brought Daniel before the king and said thus to him: “I have found a man among the [ah](BR)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was (BS)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither (BT)wise men, conjurers, [ai]magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a (BU)God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [aj](BV)last days. This was your dream and the (BW)visions of your head while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [ak]turned to what would happen [al]in the future; and (BX)He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will happen. 30 But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me by any (BY)wisdom which is in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may know the (BZ)thoughts of your heart.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31 “You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great [am]image; that image, which was large and [an]of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was [ao](CA)awesome. 32 The (CB)head of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You [ap]continued looking until a (CC)stone was cut out (CD)without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and (CE)crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed [aq]all at the same time and became (CF)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that (CG)not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great (CH)mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will say (CI)its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are the (CJ)king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the [ar]kingdom, the (CK)power, the strength, and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men inhabit, or the (CL)beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has made you rule with power over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 But after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule with power over all the earth. 40 Then there will be a (CM)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. 41 Now in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron; it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with [as]common clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with [at]common clay; they will combine with one another [au]in the seed of men; but they will not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the (CN)God of heaven will (CO)cause a (CP)kingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [av]left for another people; it will (CQ)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that a (CR)stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the (CS)great God has made known to the king what (CT)will happen [aw]in the future; so the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel and Friends Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did (CU)homage to Daniel and said for them to present to him an offering and [ax](CV)fragrant incense. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly (CW)your God is a (CX)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a (CY)revealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king [ay](CZ)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule with power over the whole (DA)province of Babylon and chief [az]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel sought of the king, and he (DB)appointed (DC)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s [ba](DD)court.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image
3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an (DE)image of gold, the height of which was [bb]sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the (DF)province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the (DG)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they were standing before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then the herald loudly called out: “To you it is said, (DH)O peoples, nations, and men of every tongue, 5 that at the time you (DI)hear the sound of the horn, flute, [bc]lyre, [bd]trigon, [be]psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall [bf]immediately be (DJ)cast into the midst of a (DK)furnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, [bg]lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
We Will Not Serve Your Gods
8 For this reason at that time certain (DL)Chaldeans came near and [bh](DM)brought charges against the Jews. 9 They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “(DN)O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have (DO)made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, [bi]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to (DP)fall down and worship the golden image. 11 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have (DQ)appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, do not pay attention to you; they do not serve your gods and do not worship the golden image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in (DR)rage and wrath said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you are not serving (DS)my gods and do not worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, (DT)at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, [bj]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, then you shall fall down and worship the image that I have made. But if you do not worship, you will [bk]immediately be (DU)cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and (DV)what god is there who can save you out of my hands?”
16 (DW)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to respond to you with an answer concerning this matter. 17 [bl]If it be so, our (DX)God whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire; [bm]and (DY)He will save us out of your hand, O king. 18 (DZ)But if not, (EA)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Daniel’s Friends Delivered
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with (EB)wrath, and the image of his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered and said to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he said to certain mighty men of valor who were in his military [bn]host to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these men were tied up in their [bo](EC)trousers, their [bp]coats, their caps, and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 For this reason, because the king’s word was [bq](ED)urgent and the furnace had been heated to an extraordinary degree, the flame of the fire killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, (EE)fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and hurriedly stood up; he answered and said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast tied up into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loosed and (EF)walking about in the midst of the fire [br]without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the (EG)gods!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he answered and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the (EH)Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (EI)came out of the midst of the fire. 27 Then the (EJ)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the (EK)fire had no power over [bs]the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their [bt](EL)trousers [bu]damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the (EM)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has (EN)sent His angel and saved His servants who put their (EO)trust in Him, [bv]violating the king’s word, and gave up their bodies so as (EP)not to serve and not to worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I (EQ)make a decree that any people, nation, or tongue that says anything offensive against the God of (ER)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their (ES)houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is (ET)no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” 30 Then the king (EU)caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to succeed in the province of Babylon.
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