Beginning
Nebuchadnezzar Declares What the Most High God Has Done for Him
4 [a] Nebuchadnezzar the king to all of the nations, the peoples and languages that live in the whole earth: “May your prosperity increase! 2 It is pleasing to me to recount the signs and wonders that the Most High God worked for me. 3 How great are his signs and wonders, how strong is his kingdom, an everlasting kingdom;[b] and his sovereignty is from generation to generation.
The Dream and the King’s Search for an Interpreter
4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was content in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 And I saw a dream and a revelation on my bed and it frightened me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 6 And a decree was sent out,[c] ordering that all the wise men of Babylon were to be brought in before me so that they may make known to me the explanation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians,[d] the conjurers,[e] the astrologers[f] and the diviners came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its explanation.[g] 8 Then at last[h] Daniel came before me whose name was[i] Belteshazzar, according to[j] the name of my god, and in whom was the spirit of the holy gods,[k] and I related the dream to him.[l]
9 “‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians,[m] I myself know that the spirit[n] of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult[o] for you. Now tell me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its explanation.[p] 10 Now these were the visions of my head as I was lying on my bed: I was gazing[q] and, look, a tree was in the midst of the earth, and its height was exalted.
11 The tree grew and it became strong,
and its height reached to heaven,[r]
and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.[s]
12 Its foliage was beautiful,
and its fruit abundant,
and in it was provision for all.
Under it the animals[t] of the field sought shade,
and in its branches the birds of heaven[u] nested,
and from it all the living beings were fed.
13 “‘I was looking in the vision of my head as I lay on my bed, and look, a watcher,[v] and a holy one, came down from heaven.
14 He cried aloud[w] and so he said:
“Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it,
and the birds from its branches.
15 But the stump of its roots
leave in the earth,
along with[x] a band of iron and bronze;
leave it in the grass of the field.
And in[y] the dew of heaven
let it[z] be watered,
and with the animals[aa]
let his lot be in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human,[ab]
and let the mind of an animal be given to him,
and let seven times pass over him.
17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers,
and the decision by the command of the holy ones,
in order that[ac] the living will know
that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind,
and to whomever[ad] he wills he gives it,
and he even sets the humblest of men over it.”
18 “‘This is the dream that I, Nebuchadnezzar the king, saw. Now[ae] you, Belteshazzar, declare its explanation, for[af] all of the wise men of my kingdom were not able to make the explanation known to me, but you are able because the spirit of holy gods is in you.’
Daniel Relates and Interprets the Dream
19 “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was distressed for some time,[ag] and his thoughts disturbed him. The king answered and he said, ‘Belteshazzar, let the dream and its explanation not disturb you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘My lord, may the dream and its explanation be for those who hate you and for your enemies. 20 The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong and its height reached to heaven[ah] and it was visible to the end of the whole earth,[ai] 21 and its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and so there was provision for all in it, and the animals[aj] of the field lived under it and in its branches nest the birds of heaven,[ak] 22 —it is you, O king, who have grown great and you have grown strong, and so your greatness has increased and it has reached to heaven[al] and your sovereignty to the end of the earth. 23 And inasmuch that the king saw the watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven[am] and he said, “Cut down the tree and destroy it, but the stump of its root in the earth leave with a band of iron and bronze in the grass of the field, and let it be watered with the dew of heaven and let his lot be with the animals of the field until seven times have passed over him.”[an] 24 This is the explanation, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king: 25 you will be driven away from human society[ao] and you will dwell[ap] with the animals[aq] of the field, and you will be caused to graze grass like the oxen yourself,[ar] and you will be watered with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time will pass over you until that you have acknowledged that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and to whom he wills[as] he gives it. 26 And in that[at] they said to leave alone the stump of the tree’s root, so your kingdom will be restored for you when[au] you acknowledge that heaven is sovereign. 27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you and your sin remove[av] with righteousness and your iniquity with having mercy on the oppressed, in case there might be a prolongation of your prosperity.’”[aw]
God Judges the King for His Hubris
28 All this happened[ax] to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace[ay] of Babylon. 30 And the king answered and said, “Is this not the great Babylon which I have built as a royal palace by the strength of my own power, and for the glory of my own majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the mouth of the king, a voice from heaven came, saying, ‘To you, King Nebuchadnezzar, it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from human society[az] and your dwelling will be with the animals[ba] of the field and they will cause you to graze the grass like oxen, and seven times will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind and that he gives it to whom he wills.’ 33 Immediately[bb] the word was fulfilled concerning[bc] Nebuchadnezzar, and he was expelled from human society[bd] and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven until his hair was like the hair of an eagle and his nails grew like a bird’s claws.
The King Praises and Extols the Most High God
34 “But at the end of that period,[be] I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and the one who lives forever[bf] I praised and I honored.
“For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty,
and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.
35 And all the dwellers of the earth
are regarded as nothing,
and he does according to[bg] his desire
in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth,
and there is not one who can hold back his hand,
or ask him,[bh] ‘What are you doing?’
36 “At that time[bi] my reason returned to me, and also the glory of my kingdom and my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my advisers and my lords[bj] searched me out, and I was established over my kingdom and abundant greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth,[bk] and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
The Mysterious Writing on the Wall
5 Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords,[bl] and in the presence of[bm] the thousand lords he was drinking wine.[bn] 2 When he tasted the wine,[bo] Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor[bp] had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords,[bq] his wives and his concubines may drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords,[br] his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.[bs]
5 Immediately[bt] human fingers[bu] appeared and they wrote opposite[bv] the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, and the king was watching[bw] the palm of the hand that was writing. 6 Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and his hip joints gave way[bx] and his knees knocked together.[by] 7 The king cried aloud[bz] to bring in the conjurers,[ca] the astrologers[cb] and the diviners; the king spoke[cc] and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.[cd] 9 Then the king, Belshazzar, became greatly terrified, and his facial features[ce] changed upon him, and his lords[cf] were perplexed.
10 Because of the words of the king and his lords,[cg] the queen came into the banqueting hall[ch] and the queen spoke up[ci] and said, “O king, live forever,[cj] and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions grow pale.[ck] 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.[cl] And in the days of your predecessor,[cm] enlightenment and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; and, O king, Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor[cn] appointed him as chief of the magicians,[co] the conjurers,[cp] the astrologers,[cq] and the diviners. Your predecessor[cr] the king did this 12 because[cs] there was found in him an excellent spirit and understanding and insight for interpreting dreams and explaining riddles and solving riddles; that is, in Daniel whom the king named[ct] Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called and he will tell the explanation.”[cu]
Daniel Deciphers and Interprets the Writing
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king spoke[cv] and said to Daniel, “You are Daniel who are one of the exiles[cw] of Judah[cx] whom my predecessor,[cy] the king, brought from Judah.[cz] 14 And I have heard that a spirit of the gods is in you and enlightenment and insight and excellent wisdom was found in you. 15 And now the wise men and the conjurers[da] were brought in before me so that they could read this writing in order to make its explanation[db] known to me, but they were not able to disclose the explanation[dc] of the matter. 16 But I have heard concerning you that you are able to produce interpretations[dd] and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation[de] to me, you will be clothed in purple and a necklace of gold will be placed around your neck and you will rule as third in command in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself or your rewards give to another; nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and I will make known to him the explanation.[df] 18 O king,[dg] the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor.[dh] 19 And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled. 20 But when[di] his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard so as to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the[dj] glory was taken away from him.[dk] 21 And he was driven away from human society[dl] and his mind was made like the animals[dm] and his dwelling was with the wild asses; and he was given[dn] grass like oxen to eat, and with[do] the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and whoever[dp] he wants he sets over it.
22 “But you his successor,[dq] Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though[dr] you knew all this. 23 And now you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords,[ds] your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine from[dt] them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone[du] that do not see and do not hear and do not know, but the God who holds your life in his hand[dv] and all of your ways come from him,[dw] you have not honored. 24 So then the palm of the hand was sent out from his presence and this writing was inscribed.
25 “Now this was the writing that was inscribed: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.’
26 “This is the explanation of the matter:[dx] ‘Mene’—God has numbered your kingdom and brought an end to it.
27 “‘Tekel’—you have been weighed on scales and you have been found wanting.[dy]
28 “‘Peres’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’”
29 Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple and placed a necklace of gold around his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him that he would be the third ruler in authority in the kingdom. 30 That same night[dz] Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. 31 [ea] And Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.[eb]
Daniel’s Integrity and His Entrapment by His Enemies
6 It pleased Darius,[ec] and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were throughout the whole kingdom,[ed] 2 and over them were three administrators, of whom Daniel was one, so that these satraps were giving account to them, and the king would not be suffering loss. 3 Then Daniel began distinguishing himself[ee] above the administrators and the satraps because[ef] an exceptional spirit was in him, and so the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the other administrators and satraps began to seek[eg] to find a pretext against Daniel in connection with the kingdom,[eh] but they were not able to find any pretext and corruption[ei] because[ej] he was trustworthy, and no[ek] negligence or corruption[el] could be found in him.[em] 5 Then these men said,[en] “We will not find any pretext[eo] against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
6 So the administrators and the satraps conspired with respect to[ep] the king and so they said to him, “Darius, O king, live forever![eq] 7 All of the administrators of the kingdom, and the prefects, the satraps, the counselors and the governors took counsel and have agreed to establish an edict of the king and to enforce a decree that whoever[er] will seek a prayer from any god or human except from you for up to thirty days will be thrown into the lion pit.[es] 8 Now, O king, establish the edict and you must sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
9 So[et] the king, Darius, signed the writing and the interdict.[eu] 10 Now when[ev] Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open[ew] toward Jerusalem), and three times daily[ex] he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as[ey] he had been doing previously.[ez] 11 Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke with the king[fa] concerning the edict of the king, “Did you not sign an edict[fb] that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lion pit?”[fc] The king answered and said, “The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
God’s Miraculous Deliverance of Daniel Again
13 Then they responded[fd] and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the exiles[fe] of Judah,[ff] is not paying any attention[fg] to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily[fh] he says his prayer.” 14 Then the king, when[fi] he heard that report,[fj] he was extremely distressed over it; and concerning Daniel[fk] he was determined[fl] to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. 15 Then these men came as a group to the king and said,[fm] “Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of[fn] the Medes and Persians that any[fo] decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed.”
16 Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought in and they threw him into the lion pit.[fp] The king said[fq] to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve faithfully,[fr] may he rescue you!” 17 And a[fs] stone was brought and it was put on the entrance of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords,[ft] so that nothing would be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night in fasting, and no food was brought in before him and his sleep fled from him.
19 Then the king got up at daybreak, at first light, and he went in haste[fu] to the lion pit.[fv] 20 And when he came near[fw] to the pit, he cried out to Daniel with a distressed voice, and the king spoke[fx] and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve faithfully, was he able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke to[fy] the king, “O king, live forever![fz] 22 My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions and they did not[ga] hurt me, because[gb] before him I was found[gc] blameless, and also before you, O king, I have not done any wrong.”
23 Then the king was exceedingly glad over it[gd] and commanded that Daniel be lifted up from the pit; and there was not any wound found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then commanded, and these men were brought who had accused Daniel,[ge] and they threw them and their children and their wives into the lion pit,[gf] and they had not reached the floor of the pit before[gg] the lions had overpowered them and they had crushed all of their bones.
The King Praises the God of Daniel and Daniel Prospers
25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the people, the nations, and the languages living in the whole earth, “May your prosperity become great! 26 I make a decree[gh] that in all the dominion of my kingdom people will be trembling and fearing before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and endures forever[gi] and his[gj] kingdom is one that will not be destroyed and his dominion has no end.[gk] 27 He is rescuing, delivering, and working signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power[gl] of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the kingdom of Darius and during the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.
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