The Daily Audio Bible
24 Then Daniel went in to see[a] Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came[b] and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me[c] to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him.”[d]
25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I[e] have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.” 26 The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?” 27 Daniel replied to the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king. 28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,[f] and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come.[g] The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed[h] are as follows:
29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things.[i] The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. 30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom[j] than any other living person, but so that the king may understand[k] the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind.[l]
31 “You, O king, were watching as a great statue—one[m] of impressive size and extraordinary brightness—was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm. 32 As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze. 33 Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.[n] 34 You were watching as[o] a stone was cut out,[p] but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction[q] and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. 36 This was the dream. Now we[r] will set forth before the king its interpretation.
Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 Wherever human beings,[s] wild animals,[t] and birds of the sky live—he has given them into your power.[u] He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 Now after you another kingdom[v] will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces[w] all these metals,[x] so it will break in pieces and crush the others.[y] 41 In that you were seeing feet and toes[z] partly of wet clay[aa] and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay.[ab] 42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 And[ac] in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed[ad] with one another[ae] without adhering to one another, just as[af] iron does not mix with clay. 44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future.[ag] The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground[ah] and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him. 47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!” 48 Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And at Daniel’s request, the king[ai] appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served in the king’s court.[aj]
Daniel’s Friends Are Tested
3 [ak] King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden[al] statue made.[am] It was 90 feet[an] tall and 9 feet[ao] wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates,[ap] and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he[aq] had erected. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.[ar]
4 Then the herald[as] made a loud[at] proclamation: “To you, O peoples, nations, and language groups, the following command is given:[au] 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,[av] trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must[aw] bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected. 6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately[ax] be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!” 7 Therefore when they all[ay] heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes,[az] and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and language groups began bowing down and paying homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
8 Now[ba] at that time certain[bb] Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious accusations against[bc] the Jews. 9 They said[bd] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever![be] 10 You have issued an edict, O king, that everyone must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music. 11 And whoever does not bow down and pay homage must be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—and these men[bf] have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage[bg] demanded that they bring[bh] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them[bi] before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden statue that I erected? 15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?”[bj] 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar,[bk] “We do not need to give you a reply[bl] concerning this. 17 If[bm] our God whom we are serving exists,[bn] he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. 18 But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed[bo] toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders[bp] to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated. 20 He ordered strong[bq] soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So those men were tied up while still wearing their cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other clothes,[br] and were thrown into the furnace[bs] of blazing fire. 22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted[bt] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed[bu] by the leaping flames.[bv] 23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace[bw] of blazing fire while still securely bound.[bx]
God Delivers His Servants
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw[by] into[bz] the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.” 25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!”[ca] 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out,[cb] “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.[cc] 27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically[cd] unharmed by the fire.[ce] The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!
28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,[cf] “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel[cg] and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring[ch] the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than[ci] serve or pay homage to any god other than their God! 29 I hereby decree[cj] that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes[ck] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.” 30 Then Nebuchadnezzar[cl] promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Service, Suffering, and Judgment
7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer.[a] 8 Above all keep[b] your love for one another fervent,[c] because love covers a multitude of sins.[d] 9 Show hospitality[e] to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another[f] as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with[g] God’s words.[h] Whoever serves, do so with the strength[i] that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong[j] the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Dear friends, do not be astonished[k] that a trial by fire is occurring among you,[l] as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed[m] you may also rejoice and be glad.[n] 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory,[o] who is the Spirit of God,[p] rests[q] on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker.[r] 16 But if you suffer as a Christian,[s] do not be ashamed, but glorify[t] God that you bear such a name.[u] 17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house[v] of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate[w] of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of[x] the ungodly and sinners?[y] 19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good.[z]
Leading and Living in God’s Flock
5 So as your fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings and as one who shares in the glory that will be revealed, I urge the elders among you: 2 Give a shepherd’s care to[aa] God’s flock among you, exercising oversight[ab] not merely as a duty[ac] but willingly under God’s direction,[ad] not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 And do not lord it over[ae] those entrusted to you,[af] but be examples to the flock. 4 Then[ag] when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.
5 In the same way, you who are younger,[ah] be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.[ai] 6 And God will exalt you in due time,[aj] if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand[ak] 7 by casting[al] all your cares[am] on him because he cares for you. 8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion,[an] is on the prowl looking for someone[ao] to devour. 9 Resist him,[ap] strong in your faith, because you know[aq] that your brothers and sisters[ar] throughout the world[as] are enduring[at] the same kinds of suffering.[au] 10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ[av] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.[aw] 11 To him belongs[ax] the power forever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 Through Silvanus,[ay] whom I know to be a faithful brother,[az] I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify[ba] that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.[bb] 13 The church[bc] in Babylon,[bd] chosen together with you,[be] greets you, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a loving kiss.[bf] Peace to all of you who are in Christ.[bg]
כ (Kaf)
81 I desperately long for[a] your deliverance.
I find hope in your word.
82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled.[b]
I say,[c] “When will you comfort me?”
83 For[d] I am like a wineskin[e] dried up in smoke.[f]
I do not forget your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure this?[g]
When will you judge those who pursue me?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,[h]
which violates your law.[i]
86 All your commands are reliable.
I am pursued without reason.[j] Help me!
87 They have almost destroyed me here on the earth,
but I do not reject your precepts.
88 Revive me with[k] your loyal love,
that I might keep[l] the rules you have revealed.[m]
ל (Lamed)
89 O Lord, your instructions endure;
they stand secure in heaven.[n]
90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations.[o]
You established the earth and it stood firm.
91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,
for all things are your servants.
92 If I had not found encouragement in your law,[p]
I would have died in my sorrow.[q]
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have revived me.
94 I belong to you. Deliver me!
For I seek your precepts.
95 The wicked prepare to kill me,[r]
yet I concentrate on your rules.
96 I realize that everything has its limits,
but your commands are beyond full comprehension.[s]
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