Old/New Testament
Hostages of the Babylonian Captivity
1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 Within a week, the Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with valuable objects from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar[a] brought them to the temple of his god in the land of Shinar[b] and stored them[c] in its treasure house.[d]
3 Later, the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer,[e] to bring in some Israelis of royal and noble descent. 4 They were to be young men without physical defect, handsome in appearance, skilled in all wisdom, quick to learn, prudent in how they used knowledge, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. They were to learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans.[f]
5 The king assigned them fine food and choice wine on a daily basis, ordering them to be trained for three years, at the end of which time they would enter the king’s service.[g] 6 Included among the people of Judah were Daniel,[h] Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief officer assigned the name “Belteshazzar” to Daniel, the name “Shadrach” to Hananiah, the name “Meshach” to Mishael, and the name “Abednego” to Azariah.
Daniel Chooses God’s Standard
8 Daniel determined within himself not to become defiled by the king’s menu of rich foods or by the king’s wine, so he requested permission[i] from the chief officer not to defile himself. 9 God granted to Daniel grace and compassion on the part of the chief officer. 10 The chief officer told Daniel, “I fear his majesty the king, who has determined what you eat and drink. If he notices that your faces are more pale than the other[j] young men in your group, I will forfeit my head to the king.”
11 But Daniel told the guard whom the chief officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare how we[k] look with the young men who ate the king’s rich food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you observe.”
14 So he listened to what Daniel said[l] and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days their appearance was better and their faces were well-nourished[m] compared to the young men who ate the king’s rich food. 16 So the guard took away their rich food and wine,[n] giving them vegetables. 17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge, aptitude for learning, and wisdom. Daniel also could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.
18 Then at the end of the training period[o] that the king had established, the chief officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When the king spoke to them, none of them compared to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah as they stood before the king. 20 In every matter of wisdom or understanding that the king discussed with[p] them, he found them ten times superior to all the astrologers and enchanters[q] in his entire palace.
21 So Daniel remained there in service[r] until the first year of King Cyrus.[s]
King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him.[t] As a result, he couldn’t sleep.[u] 2 So the king gave orders to summon diviners, enchanters,[v] sorcerers, and Chaldeans to reveal to the king what he had dreamed. When they came and stood before him,[w] 3 the king told them, “I have dreamed a dream and I[x] will remain troubled until I can understand it.”[y]
4 The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic:[z] “May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we’ll reveal its meaning.”
5 In reply the king told the Chaldeans, “Here is what I have commanded: If you don’t tell me both the dream and its meaning, you’ll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble. 6 But if you do relate the dream to me as well as its meaning, you’ll receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. Therefore reveal the dream to me, along with its meaning.”
7 They replied again, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we’ll disclose its meaning.”
8 The king responded,[aa] “I’m convinced that you’re stalling for time because you’re aware of what I’ve commanded. 9 So if you don’t disclose the dream to me, there will be only one sentence for all of you. You have conspired together to present lies and corrupt interpretations until the situation changes. Now tell me the dream and I’ll know that you can reveal its true[ab] meaning.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king directly, “There’s not a single man on earth who can do[ac] what the king has commanded. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing from any diviner, enchanter,[ad] or Chaldean. 11 Furthermore, what the king is asking is so difficult that no one can reveal it except the gods—and they don’t live with human beings.”
12 At this point, the king flew into a rage[ae] and issued an order to destroy all the advisors[af] of Babylon. 13 When the order went out to kill the advisors,[ag] they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.[ah]
Daniel Requests Time to Answer the King
14 Daniel responded with wisdom and discretion to Arioch, the king’s executioner, who had gone out to execute the advisors[ai] of Babylon. 15 He asked[aj] him,[ak] “Why such a harsh decree from the king?” Then Arioch informed Daniel, 16 so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar[al] for an appointment to see him[am], and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. 17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the king’s[an] command. 18 Daniel[ao] was seeking mercy, in order to ask about this mystery in the presence of the God of heaven, so that Daniel and his friends might not be executed along with the rest of the advisors[ap] of Babylon.
The King’s Dream is Revealed to Daniel
19 When the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision later that night, Daniel blessed the God of heaven 20 and said,
“May the name of God be blessed forever and ever;
wisdom and power are his for evermore.
21 It is God[aq] who alters the times and seasons,
and he removes kings and promotes kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals what is profoundly mysterious
and knows what is in the darkness;
with him dwells light.
23 To you, God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise,
because you have given me wisdom and power;
you have now revealed to me what we asked of you
by making known to us what the king commanded.”
24 After this,[ar] Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the advisors[as] of Babylon. He told him, “Don’t destroy the advisors[at] of Babylon. Bring me before the king and I’ll explain the meaning to him.”[au]
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and informed him: “I’ve found a man from the Judean captives who will make known the meaning to the king.”
Daniel Reveals the Meaning of the Dream
26 King Nebuchadnezzar[av] replied by saying to Daniel (whose Babylonian[aw] name is Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me about the dream[ax] and its meaning?”
27 By way of answer, Daniel addressed the king:[ay]
“None of the advisors,[az] enchanters,[ba] diviners, or astrologers[bb] can explain the secret that the king has requested to be made known.[bc] 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he is making known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.
“While you were in bed, the dream and the visions that came to your head were as follows: 29 Your majesty,[bd] when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind[be] about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30 As for me, this secret was made known to me, not because my own wisdom is greater than anyone else alive, but in order that the meaning may be made known to the king, and that you might understand the thoughts of your heart.
31 “Your majesty, while you were watching, you observed an enormous statue. This magnificent statue stood before you with extraordinary brilliance. Its appearance was terrifying. 32 That statue had a head made[bf] of pure gold, with its chest and arms made[bg] of silver, its abdomen and thighs made[bh] of bronze, 33 its legs made[bi] of iron, and its feet made[bj] partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together and became like chaff from a summer threshing floor that the breeze carries away without leaving a trace.[bk] Then the rock that struck the statue grew into[bl] a huge mountain and filled the entire earth.
36 “This was the dream, and we’ll now relate its meaning to the king. 37 You, your majesty, king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory, 38 so that wherever people,[bm] wild animals, or birds of the sky live, he has placed them under your control, giving you dominion over them all—you’re that head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to[bn] yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as all things are broken to pieces and shattered by iron, so it will shatter and crush everything.
41 “The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, represent[bo] a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle. 43 Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, so they will mix themselves with human offspring.[bp] Furthermore,[bq] they won’t remain together, just as iron doesn’t mix with clay.
44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty[br] left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45 Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”
Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel and His Friends
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel, paid honor to him, and commanded that an offering and incense be presented on his behalf. 47 The king told Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Secrets, because you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished many great gifts on him, including making him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over the advisors[bs] of Babylon. 49 Moreover, Daniel requested that the king appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained in the royal court.
Test What People Say
4 Dear friends, stop believing[a] every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit: Every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus the Messiah[b] has become human—and remains so—is from God. 3 But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world. 4 Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 These people belong to the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective,[c] and the world listens to them. 6 We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
God’s Love Lives in Us
7 Dear friends, let us continuously love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. 8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent his uniquely existing Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we have loved[d] God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit.
14 We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and he abides in God. 16 We have come to know and rely on[e] the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 This is how love has been perfected among us: we will have confidence on the day of judgment because, during our time in this world, we are just like him. 18 There is no fear where love exists.[f] Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love.
19 We love[g] because God[h] first loved us. 20 Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen. 21 And this is the commandment that we have from him: the person who loves God must also love his brother.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.