Bible in 90 Days

The borders of Israel's land

¹³ This is what the Almighty Lord says: ‘This is the land that you will share among Israel's 12 tribes. Give one part to each tribe, but Joseph's descendants will have two parts.^{[a] 14} Share the land in equal parts for each tribe. I promised your ancestors that I would give them this land to live in. So now it will belong to you and your descendants.

¹⁵ These will be the borders of your land:

The north border goes from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon. It continues to go east, past Lebo-Hamath and to Zedad. ¹⁶ From there, it continues through Berothah and Sibraim. Those towns are on the border between Damascus and Hamath. Then it goes as far as Hazer-Hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷ The border goes from the Mediterranean Sea to Hazar-Enan. The border of Hamath is on the north side and the border of Damascus is on the south side. That is the north border of your land.

¹⁸ On the east side, the border of your land is the Jordan River. It starts between Hauran and Damascus. It goes between the region of Gilead and Israel's land, past the Salt Sea as far as Tamar. That is the east border.

¹⁹ On the south side, the border goes from Tamar to the springs of water near Meribath Kadesh. Then it goes along the Stream at Egypt's border to the Mediterranean Sea. That is the south border.

²⁰ On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea is the border of your land. It goes north to a place on the west side of Lebo-Hamath. That is the north border of your land.

²¹ You must share this land among yourselves so that each tribe of Israel receives a part. ²² Each part that you receive will belong to you and to the foreigners who live among you. Those foreigners have given birth to their own children among you. Accept them as if they were born as Israelites. They must receive land for themselves among Israel's tribes. ²³ Give them land among the tribe where they have decided to live.’

That is what the Almighty Lord says.

Each tribe gets its part of the land

48 ‘This is the list of Israel's tribes, with the land that each tribe will receive:

Dan will receive land at the north border of Israel. Their north border goes east from the Mediterranean Sea along the road to Hethlon, as far as Lebo-Hamath. From there, it goes to Hazar-Enan, on the border between Damascus and Hamath.

⁸ South of Judah's land will be a special part of the land, with the temple in the middle of it. From east to west, it will be the same size as the parts of the land for Israel's tribes. From north to south, it will be 12½ kilometres.

⁹ The part that belongs to the Lord for his temple will be 12½ kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide. ¹⁰ The priests will have a part of this holy land. Their part will measure 12½ kilometres from east to west. It will measure 5 kilometres from north to south. The Lord's temple will be in the middle of this part. ¹¹ This holy part of the land will belong to the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They are the priests who served me faithfully. They did not turn away from me as the other Levites did when Israel's people did not obey me. ¹² So the priests will have that special part of the land, next to the part for the Levites. The priests' part will be the most holy part of the land.

¹³ The Levites will also have a special part, south of the part for the priests. It will be the same size. It will measure 12½ kilometres from east to west, and 5 kilometres from north to south. So the land for the priests and for the Levites will be 12½ kilometres from east to west and 10 kilometres from north to south. ¹⁴ The special part of the land that belongs to the Lord is the best of the whole land. You must not give his land to anyone else or sell it to anyone else. It is holy and it belongs to the Lord.

¹⁵ The other part of the special land is 12½ kilometres from east to west and 2½ kilometres from north to south. That part is not holy. Ordinary people may use it. They may live there and use the fields. There will be a city in the middle of it. ¹⁶ The city will be square, 2,250 metres long on each side. ¹⁷ You must leave an open space 125 metres wide on each side of the city. ¹⁸ There will be two other pieces of land south of the special holy land. There will be a piece 2.5 kilometres wide on the east side of the city and a piece 2.5 kilometres wide on the west side. People who live in the city may use these pieces of land to grow crops. ¹⁹ There will be people from the different tribes of Israel who live in the city. Any of them may use the land to grow things.

²⁰ The whole of the special land, including the holy part and the part for the city, will be a square. Each side will be 12½ kilometres.

²¹ The parts of land on each side of the square will belong to the ruler. The part on the east side will go as far as Israel's border in the east. The part on the west side will go as far as the Mediterranean Sea. The holy part of land where the temple is will be in the middle, between them. ²² The land that belongs to the Levites and the priests, as well as the city, will be between the two parts of land that belong to the ruler. The land for Judah will be on the north side of these lands. The land for Benjamin's will be on the south side.

²³ The other tribes will each have a part of the land that is south of this special part. The land for each of these tribes will go all the way from Israel's border in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

²⁸ The border on the south side of Gad's land goes from Tamar to the springs of water near Meribath Kadesh. From there, it goes along the stream at Egypt's border to the Mediterranean Sea.

²⁹ That is how you must share the land among Israel's tribes. Each part will belong to one tribe and their descendants. I, the Almighty Lord, say this.

The gates of the city

³⁰ These will be the entrance gates on each side of the city. The wall on the north side of the city will be 2,250 metres long. ³¹ There will be three gates on that side. Each gate will have the name of one of Israel's tribes, one for Reuben, the next for Judah, and the next for Levi. ³² The wall on the east side will also be 2,250 metres long. The three gates on that side will be for Joseph, for Benjamin and for Dan. ³³ The wall on the south side will also be 2,250 metres long. The three gates on that side will be for Simeon, for Issachar and for Zebulun. ³⁴ The wall on the west side will also be 2,250 metres long. The three gates on that side will be for Gad, for Asher and for Naphtali. ³⁵ So the walls all around the city will measure 9,000 metres.

From that time on, the name of the city will be, “The Lord is there.” ’

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.^{[b] 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,^[c] 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.^[d]) 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,

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.

King Nebuchadnezzar's letter

4 This is a message from King Nebuchadnezzar.

I am sending this message to everyone in the world, the people in every nation, who speak every language. I hope that you all may have good and happy lives.

² I am happy to tell you about the powerful God who rules over everything.

⁴ I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace. I was comfortable and happy. Everything was very good for me. ⁵ Then I had a dream that made me very afraid. The thoughts in my mind gave me great trouble as I lay on my bed. ⁶ So I told all the wise men in Babylon to come to me. I wanted them to tell me what the dream meant.

⁷ When the magicians, enchanters, wise men and diviners came to me, I told them the dream. But none of them could tell me what the dream meant. ⁸ Last of all, Daniel came to me and I told him the dream. I call him Belteshazzar, like my god's name. The spirit of the holy gods is in this man, Daniel.

⁹ I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar you are the leader of my wise men. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. I know that no secret is too difficult for you to explain. Here is the dream that I saw. Tell me what it means.

¹⁰ This is the vision that I saw in my mind while I lay on my bed. I saw a tree there in front of me. It stood in the middle of the earth and it was very tall. ¹¹ The tree grew taller and stronger. Its top touched the sky, so that everyone in the world could see it. ¹² It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruits. There was enough food on it for everyone. Wild animals could live in its shade. Birds lived in its branches. It gave food for every living thing.

¹³ The vision in my mind continued while I lay on my bed. I saw a holy angel that came down from heaven. ¹⁴ The angel shouted aloud, “Cut down the tree. Cut off its branches. Tear off its leaves. Let its fruits go away to other places. The animals that are under the tree must run away. The birds that are in its branches must fly away. ¹⁵ But leave the base of the tree and its roots in the ground. Tie iron and bronze round it. Then leave it there in the grass.^[e]

Make him wet with dew from the sky. Cause him to live with the animals in the fields of grass. ¹⁶ Take his human mind away from him. Instead, give him the mind of an animal for seven years.

¹⁷ The holy angels who take care of the earth have decided this. It is their command. Now everyone will be sure that the powerful God above rules over human kingdoms. He gives authority to rule to anyone that he chooses. He causes humble men to rule as kings.” ’

¹⁸ Then I said to Belteshazzar, ‘This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, you must tell me what it means. None of the wise men in any region of my kingdom can tell me what it means. But you can tell me, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

Daniel explains the king's dream

¹⁹ Daniel, whose other name was Belteshazzar, was upset for a short time. His thoughts caused him a lot of trouble. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or what it means cause you trouble.’

Then Belteshazzar answered the king. ‘Sir, I would like the dream to be about your enemies and not about you. ²⁰ You saw a tree that grew very tall and strong until its top touched the sky. Everyone in the world could see it. ²¹ It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruits. There was enough food on it for everyone. The wild animals lived under its shade. The birds built their nests in its branches. ²² You, the king, are like that tree. You have become great and strong. Your power reaches up to the sky. Your authority reaches to the ends of the world.

²³ In your dream, you saw a holy angel who came down from heaven. He said, “Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the base of the tree and its roots in the ground. Tie iron and bronze round it. Then leave it in the grass. Make him wet with dew from the sky. Cause him to live in the fields with the wild animals for seven years.”

²⁴ Now sir, this is what the dream means. The powerful God above has decided what he will do to my lord, the king. ²⁵ People will chase you away from the city, so that you have to live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cows do. Dew from the sky will make you wet. You will live in that way for seven years. Then you will understand that the powerful God above rules over human kingdoms. He gives authority to rule to anyone that he chooses. ²⁶ The command was to leave the base of the tree and its roots in the ground. This means that you will be king again later. But before that, you will have to understand that it is God in heaven who rules. ²⁷ So King Nebuchadnezzar, please do as I suggest. Stop doing bad things. Start to do things that are right. Turn away from your sins. Instead, be kind to poor people. Then, perhaps, you will continue to be comfortable and happy.’

²⁸ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ One year later, he was walking on the flat roof of the king's palace in Babylon. ³⁰ The king said, ‘Look how great Babylon is! It is the city that I have built to be my home as king. It shows that I am a great and powerful king!’

³¹ While King Nebuchadnezzar was still boasting about his power, he heard a voice from heaven. It said, ‘I am speaking to you, King Nebuchadnezzar. I have taken away your authority to rule as king! ³² People will chase you away from the city so that you live with the wild animals. You will eat grass as cows do. I will cause you to live like that for seven years. Then you will understand that the powerful God above rules over human kingdoms. He gives authority to rule to anyone that he chooses.’

³³ Immediately the message given to Nebuchadnezzar really happened. People chased him away from the city. He ate grass as cows do. Dew from the sky made his body wet. His hair grew very long, like the feathers of an eagle. His feet became like a bird's feet.

God makes Nebuchadnezzar better

³⁴ At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up towards heaven. My own mind returned to me again. I praised the powerful God above who lives for ever. I worshipped him as a great God.

³⁶ When my own mind returned to me, I also received my authority again as king. People respected me as a great king again. My officers and important men came back to work with me. I ruled again over my kingdom. I became even greater than I was before. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise the King of heaven as a great God. He always does what is right and fair. When people are proud, he can cause them to become humble.

Belshazzar's big party^[f]

5 King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1,000 important people in his country. He drank wine with all of them. ² When he had drunk a lot of wine, he spoke to his servants. He commanded them to bring the valuable gold and silver cups, so that the people could drink from them. His father, King Nebuchadnezzar, had taken those cups from God's temple in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar wanted to drink from them, as well as his important friends, his wives and his other women. ³ So his servants brought the gold and silver cups that had come from God's temple in Jerusalem. Then the king, his wives, his other women and all the important people drank wine from those cups. ⁴ While they drank the wine, they praised their gods. Their gods were idols that were made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

A hand writes on the wall

⁵ While they were doing that, the fingers of a human hand appeared. They wrote on the wall of the king's palace, near the light that stood in the room. The king watched the hand while it wrote. ⁶ When he saw it, his face became white. He was very afraid. His knees shook and his legs became weak.

⁷ The king called for his enchanters, his wise men and his diviners to come.^[g] When they arrived, the king said to them, ‘Who can read these words? Who can tell me what they mean? Whoever can do that, I will make him great. I will put valuable purple clothes on him and he will have a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third ruler in the kingdom.’^[h]

⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the words. They could not tell the king what the words meant. ⁹ So King Belshazzar became even more afraid. His face became even whiter. His officers did not know what to do.

The queen tells Belshazzar about Daniel^[i]

¹⁰ The king's mother heard the voices of the king and his officers. So she came into the room where they were having the party. She said to the king, ‘King, live for ever! Do not be afraid. Do not shake with fear! ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was alive, this man showed that he was very wise, like the gods. He could understand secret things. Your father, Nebuchadnezzar, made him the leader of all the magicians, wise men, enchanters and diviners. ¹² His name was Daniel, but the king called him Belteshazzar. He was very clever and he knew many things. He could explain what dreams mean. He could find the answer to difficult problems. Send somebody to bring Daniel here. He will tell you what these words mean.’

Belshazzar asks Daniel to explain the message

¹³ So they brought Daniel to stand in front of the king. The king said to him, ‘Are you one of the men that my father, the king, brought here from Judah? Is your name Daniel? ¹⁴ I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you. You are very wise and clever. I have heard that you understand many things. ¹⁵ I told my wise men and enchanters to read these words. I asked them to tell me what the words mean. But they could not explain the message to me. ¹⁶ I have heard that you can tell people what their dreams mean. And I have heard that you can find the answer to difficult problems. So can you read these words? Can you tell me what they mean? If you can do that, then I will put valuable purple clothes on you. You will have a gold chain around your neck. You will become the third ruler in the kingdom.’

Daniel warns the king

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered the king, ‘You can keep your gifts for yourself. You can make someone else important. But I will read the words for the king, and I will tell him what they mean. ¹⁸ I tell you this, King Belshazzar. The powerful God who rules over everything gave authority to your father, Nebuchadnezzar, to rule as king. God made him very great and very famous, so that he ruled with power. People respected him as a great king. ¹⁹ Because God made him so great, the people in every nation, who spoke every language, were very afraid of him. If he wanted to kill someone, he could kill them. And if he wanted to save someone, he could let them live. If he wanted to make someone important, he did that. And if he wanted to make someone poor, he did that too. ²⁰ But he became very proud and he boasted about his power. So God took away his kingdom. People did not respect him any longer as king. ²¹ They chased him away from his home. His mind became like an animal's mind. He lived with the wild donkeys. He ate grass like cows do. Dew from the sky made his body wet. He lived in that way until he understood that the powerful God above rules over human kingdoms. God gives authority to rule to anyone that he chooses.

²² King Belshazzar, you are Nebuchadnezzar's son, and you knew all that. But you did not become humble. ²³ You thought that you were greater than the Lord of heaven. So you told your servants to bring the valuable cups that belong to God's temple. You yourself, your wives, your other women and your important friends drank wine from those cups. You praised your gods that were made from silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Those are idols that cannot see or hear. They cannot understand anything. But you worshipped them instead of the true God. He is the God who gives life to you. He has power over everything that you do. ²⁴ Because of that, God sent the hand that wrote this message.

²⁵ These are the words:

²⁶ This is what the words mean:

²⁷ Tekel means “weighed”. It shows that God has weighed you. But the scales show that you are too light.

²⁸ Peres means “separate”.^[j] It shows that God has cut your kingdom into two separate parts. He has given it to the people from Media and Persia.’

²⁹ When Belshazzar heard that, he caused his servants to put purple clothes on Daniel. They put a gold chain round his neck to show that he was an important person. The king told everyone that Daniel had become the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night, Belshazzar, the king of the Babylonians, died. His enemies killed him. ³¹ Then Darius from Media received power as king. He was 62 years old.

Some men speak to the king against Daniel^[k]

6 King Darius decided to choose 120 men to rule the regions of his nation. Together, they would rule the whole kingdom. ² He also chose three other men to be his officers. He gave them authority over the 120 rulers. The king wanted to be sure that they were working well. Daniel was one of the three officers. ³ Daniel did his work much better than the other officers and rulers. He was very good at his job. Daniel was so good that the king wanted to make him ruler over the whole kingdom.

⁴ The other officers and rulers were jealous. They wanted to find something bad about Daniel so that they could tell the king. They watched how Daniel worked to serve the king. But they could not find that he did any wrong thing. That was because Daniel was good and honest. He always did everything properly. ⁵ Then these men said to each other, ‘We cannot find anything that Daniel does wrong in his work. We must find something that he does to obey the laws of his God.’

⁶ So the officers and rulers agreed together what they would do. They went to the king and they said, ‘King Darius, live for ever! ⁷ All the officers in the kingdom have decided on a good idea. All the rulers, the judges, the wise people, and the leaders in the different regions agree. We think that the king should make a strong law. For 30 days, people must pray only to you, the king. If they pray to any other person or god, you must punish them. Your servants must throw them into the cave where your lions live. ⁸ You should write down this law and then you should write your name on it, as king. Then it will be a law of the Medes and the Persians which nobody can change.’

⁹ King Darius agreed. He wrote his name on this new law.^[l]

Daniel refuses to obey the king's new law

¹⁰ Daniel heard that the king had written this new law. Then he went home. He went upstairs to his room where the windows opened in the direction of Jerusalem. He bent down on his knees and he prayed to God, and he thanked God. He did that three times every day, in the same way that he had always done before.

¹¹ Then the officers and rulers who were jealous of Daniel went to see what he would do. They saw that Daniel was praying to God and he was asking God for help. ¹² So they went to tell the king about this. They said, ‘Remember that you wrote a new law. You commanded that for 30 days, nobody must pray to any god or person, except to you, the king. If anyone prays to someone else, your servants must throw them into the cave where your lions live.’

The king answered them, ‘It is true. It is a law of the Medes and the Persians and nobody can change it.’

¹³ Then the officers said to the king, ‘But Daniel does not obey your new law. He is one of the men that they brought here from Judah. He does not respect you or your law. He still prays three times every day to his God.’

¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was very sad. He tried to think of a way to save Daniel. Until sunset, the king thought about what he could do to save Daniel.^{[m] 15} Then the officers agreed together and they went back to the king. They said, ‘Remember, sir, that nobody can change a law that the king has made. It is a law of the Medes and the Persians.’

¹⁶ So the king sent his servants to fetch Daniel. Then they threw Daniel into the cave where the lions lived. The king said to Daniel, ‘You have always continued to serve your God. I am sure that he will save you.’ ¹⁷ They took a big stone and they covered the top of the lions' cave. The king put a mark on the stone with his ring of authority. He also marked it with the rings of his important men. This meant that nobody could move the big stone to save Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace. He ate no food. Nobody brought anything to him to give him pleasure. He was unable to sleep.

God shuts the lions' mouths

¹⁹ The king got up very early in the morning, at sunrise. He hurried to the cave where the lions were. ²⁰ When he got near to the cave, he was very upset. He shouted to Daniel, ‘Daniel, you have continued to worship the living God, as his servant. Was your God able to save you from the lions?’

²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, ‘King, live for ever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the lions' mouths. So the lions have not hurt me. God knows that I have done no wrong thing. I have not done anything to hurt you, the king, either.’

²³ The king was very happy when he heard Daniel's voice. He told his servants that they must pull Daniel up out of the lions' cave. So they lifted him out. When they looked at him, they saw that the lions had not hurt him at all. Daniel had trusted in his God, so God had kept him safe.

King Darius punishes the jealous men

²⁴ Then the king gave a command to his servants. They brought the jealous men who had said bad things against Daniel. They threw them into the lions' cave, together with their wives and their children. Before they reached the floor of the cave, the lions attacked them. They broke all their bones into pieces.

²⁵ After that, King Darius wrote to all the people of every nation, who spoke all languages. He wrote:

‘I hope that you all have good and happy lives.

²⁶ I have made a law for every part of my kingdom. All people must respect the God that Daniel serves. They must respect him with fear.

²⁸ So Daniel continued to have authority while Darius was king, and also when Cyrus from Persia became king.^[n]

Daniel's vision about four animals and a little horn

7 In the first year that King Belshazzar ruled Babylon, Daniel had a dream.^[o] He saw visions in his head while he lay on his bed. He wrote down what he saw in the dream.

² Daniel wrote, ‘I had a vision at night. I saw the four winds of the sky. They caused big waves in the great sea. ³ Then four large animals came out of the sea. They were all different from each other.

⁴ The first animal seemed like a lion, but it had the wings of an eagle. As I watched, someone pulled its wings off. They lifted it up and it stood on two feet like a man. They gave a man's mind to it.

⁵ Then I saw a second animal. It seemed like a bear. It raised itself up on one side and it had three ribs between its teeth. Someone said to it, “Stand up and eat the meat from many bodies.”

⁶ Then I saw another animal. It seemed like a leopard, but it had four wings on its back. They were like a bird's wings. This animal had four heads. It received authority to rule.

⁷ Then, while I looked, I saw a fourth animal in my vision. It was a terrible animal that was very strong. It had large iron teeth. It ate things and it broke them into pieces. It used its feet to stamp on everything else. It was different from the other animals. It had ten horns.

⁸ I was thinking about the horns and what they might mean. Then I saw another little horn that came up among the other ten horns. It pulled out three of those other horns to make room for itself. This little horn had eyes that looked like a man's eyes. It had a mouth that spoke proud words.

God's court

¹¹ I continued to watch as the little horn was speaking proud words. While I watched, someone killed the fourth animal. They threw its body into the fire. The fire destroyed it. ¹² The other animals also lost their power to rule, but they could continue to live for a certain time.

¹³ I continued to watch in my vision at night and this is what I saw:

Daniel learns the meaning of his vision

¹⁵ I, Daniel, had much trouble in my mind. The things that I saw in my vision frightened me. ¹⁶ So I spoke to someone who was standing near God's throne. I asked him to explain what all these things meant. He told me the meaning of my vision. ¹⁷ He said, “The four large animals are four kings. They will rule kingdoms on the earth. ¹⁸ But the holy people of the Most High God will receive authority to rule as kings. God's kingdom will belong to them for ever.”

¹⁹ Then I wanted to know about the fourth animal. It was different from all the other animals. It was a terrible animal that made me very afraid. It had large iron teeth and feet with sharp bronze claws.^[q] It ate things and it broke them into pieces. It used its feet to stamp on everything else. ²⁰ I wanted to know the meaning of the ten horns on its head.^[r] I also wanted to know about the little horn that came up among them. It pushed out three of the other horns. This horn had eyes, and a mouth that spoke proud words. The little horn seemed to be greater than the other horns. ²¹ While I was watching, the little horn attacked God's holy people. It was winning the fight against them. ²² But then the God who has ruled for ever arrived. As judge, he said that the holy people of the Most High God were good and right. Then the time came for God's holy people to receive the kingdom, so that it belonged to them.

²³ The person that I had asked told me this: “The fourth animal shows that there will be a fourth kingdom on the earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms. It will use its power to destroy the whole earth. It will stamp on everything and break them into pieces.

²⁴ The ten horns show that ten kings will rule that kingdom. After them, another king will come to rule. He will be different from the other kings. He will get power over three kings. ²⁵ He will insult the Most High God. He will be cruel to God's holy people. He will try to change the days for God's festivals and the laws about them. God's people will be under his power for three and a half times.^{[s] 26} Then God's court will be ready to judge him. He will lose his authority to rule as king. That will be the end of his kingdom for ever!

²⁷ Then the holy people who belong to the Most High God will receive authority to rule as kings. They will have authority over all the kingdoms of the earth and all their great power. The kingdom of the Most High God will continue for ever. All rulers will serve him and obey him.” 

²⁸ That is a report of everything that I saw in my vision. It caused me, Daniel, to have much trouble in my mind and my face became white. But I did not tell anyone about these things.’

Daniel sees another vision

8 In the third year that King Belshazzar ruled Babylonia, I, Daniel, had another vision. That was after the vision that I had seen before.^[t]

² In this vision, I saw that I was in the strong city of Susa, in Elam region. I was standing near the Ulai river.^{[u] 3} I looked up and I saw a male sheep that had two long horns. It was standing beside the river. One of its horns was longer than the other one. The longer horn came up later than the shorter horn. ⁴ The sheep ran towards the west, the north and the south. He used his horns to push away all other animals. No other animal could stop him. Nobody could save them from his power. He did whatever he wanted to do. He boasted about his great strength.

⁵ While I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat that was coming from the west. It ran quickly across the earth. Its feet did not even touch the ground. The goat had a large horn between its eyes. ⁶ It came towards the male sheep that had two horns. I had seen that sheep as it stood beside the river. The goat was very angry. It ran to attack the sheep with all its strength. ⁷ I saw it as it attacked the sheep. It was so angry that it hit the sheep very hard. It broke off the sheep's two horns. The sheep had no power to stop the goat. The goat knocked the sheep down to the ground and it stamped on the sheep. Nobody could save the sheep from the power of the goat.

⁸ The male goat boasted even more about its power. Its large horn became very strong. But then the horn broke. Four other large horns came up in its place. Each of these horns pointed in a different direction. ⁹ Then a little horn grew out of one of these large horns. It grew to become very big. Its power reached towards the south, towards the east and towards the Beautiful Land.^{[v] 10} Its power became so great that it reached up into heaven. It attacked heaven's army and the stars in the sky. It threw some of them down to the ground and it stamped on them. ¹¹ It boasted that it was more powerful than the Captain of heaven's army. It stopped people from offering their sacrifices to God each day. It destroyed God's temple. ¹² God's people accepted the rule of the horn, because they had turned against God. They offered their sacrifices to the horn, instead of to God. The horn stopped people from believing the truth. It was able to do everything that it wanted to do.

¹³ Then I heard two angels as they talked to each other. One angel asked, ‘How long will the things in this vision continue to happen? How long will this disgusting thing stop the sacrifices each day? How long will it stand against God and stamp on his temple and his army?’ ¹⁴ The other angel answered, ‘It will continue for 2,300 evenings and mornings. After that, God's temple will be clean again.’

An angel explains Daniel's vision

¹⁵ When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then someone came to stand in front of me. He seemed like a man. ¹⁶ I heard a person's voice. It was coming across the Ulai river. The voice said, ‘Gabriel, help this man to understand the vision.’ ¹⁷ So Gabriel came towards me, where I was standing. I was very afraid and I fell down onto the ground. He said to me, ‘You, as a human, need to understand that the vision is about the end of time.’

¹⁸ While Gabriel spoke to me I was lying with my face on the ground. I was asleep. But he touched me and he caused me to stand up. ¹⁹ Then he said to me, ‘I will tell you what will happen at the end of time. It will be a time when God is very angry. The vision shows what will happen at the time that God has chosen. That will be the time for everything to finish.

²⁰ You saw a male sheep with two horns. Those horns mean the kingdoms of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat means the kingdom of Greece. The large horn between its eyes means the first king of Greece. ²² When that large horn broke, four horns grew in its place. Those horns show that the nation of Greece will become four separate kingdoms. But they will not be as powerful as the first kingdom.

²³ Near the end of the time when those kings rule, the people will be completely wicked. Then a proud, cruel king will appear. He will deceive people. ²⁴ He will become very strong, but this will not be a result of his own power. He will completely destroy many things. He will be successful in everything that he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and the holy people who belong to God. ²⁵ Because he is clever, he will completely deceive people. He will boast about his power. People will think that they are safe, but he will kill many of them. He will stand against the Ruler of all rulers. But God will destroy him, without human help.

²⁶ This vision about the evenings and the mornings is true. I have told you what it means. But keep the vision as a secret now. It will be a long time before these things happen.’

²⁷ After I, Daniel, saw this vision, I became very weak. I was sick for many days. Then I got up. I returned to my work to serve the king. The vision caused me to be very upset. I could not understand it.