Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits¹ and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on ^uthe plain of Dura, in ^vthe province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather ^wthe satraps, the prefects, and ^xthe governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then ^wthe satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald ^yproclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O ^zpeoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the ^asound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you ^bare to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately ^cbe cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all ^zthe peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Fiery Furnace

8 Therefore at that time certain ^dChaldeans ^ecame forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared² to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, ^fhave made a decree, that every man who ^ghears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, ^gshall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship ^cshall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have ^happointed over the affairs of ^vthe province of Babylon: ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^jpay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar ^kin furious rage commanded that ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when ^lyou hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.³ But if you do not worship, ^cyou shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^mwho is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, ⁿour God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.⁴ 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was ^ofilled with fury, and the expression of his face ^pwas changed against ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ^qto bind ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were ^qbound in their cloaks, their tunics,⁵ their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was ^rurgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^sShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^qbound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^tastonished and rose up ^uin haste. He declared to his ^vcounselors, “Did we not cast three men ^wbound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, ^xwalking in the midst of the fire, and they ^yare not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^za son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^s“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^aMost High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^sShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the ^bsatraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^vthe king’s counselors gathered together and saw that ^cthe fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^dcloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^sShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^ehas sent his angel and ^fdelivered his servants, who ^gtrusted in him, and set aside⁶ the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^hserve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore ⁱI make a decree: Any ^jpeople, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^sShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^kshall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted ^sShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^lthe province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

4 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^mpeoples, nations, and languages, ⁿthat dwell in all the earth: ^oPeace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^psigns and wonders that the ^qMost High God has done for me.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 ² I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^sthe visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So ^tI made a decree that ^uall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then ^vthe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^wthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^xBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^ythe spirit of the holy gods³—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^zchief of the magicians, because I know that ^ythe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^amystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^sthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 ^sThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^bbehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 ^cThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ^dIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^eThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^ethe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in ^sthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^fa watcher, ^ga holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He ^hproclaimed aloud and said thus: ⁱ‘Chop down the tree and ^jlop off its branches, ^jstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^jLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; ^kand let seven periods of time ^lpass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of ^fthe watchers, the decision by the word of ^gthe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^mrules the kingdom of men ⁿand gives it to whom he will and ^osets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^pBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^qall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^rthe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was ^pBelteshazzar, was ^sdismayed for a while, and ^this thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^umay the dream be for those who hate you ^uand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 ^vThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^wwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^xit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^yYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^yand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^za watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^a‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^bseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^cthat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^dto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^bseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^eyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded ^fto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by ^gpracticing righteousness, ^hand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ⁱthat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, ^j“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^kmy mighty power as a royal residence and for ^kthe glory of my majesty?” 31 ^lWhile the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 ^mand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^muntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^mHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 ⁿAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^omy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^phim who lives forever,

36 At the same time ^vmy reason returned to me, and for ^wthe glory of my kingdom, ^wmy majesty and splendor returned to me. ^xMy counselors and ^ymy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^zadded to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^apraise and extol and honor the ^bKing of heaven, ^cfor all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^dthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.

The Handwriting on the Wall

5 ^eKing Belshazzar ^fmade a great feast for a thousand of his ^glords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

2 ^eBelshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that ^hthe vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father¹ had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in ^hthe golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and ⁱpraised the ^jgods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 ^kImmediately ^lthe fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw ^mthe hand as it wrote. 6 ⁿThen the king’s color changed, ^oand his thoughts alarmed him; ^phis limbs gave way, and ^qhis knees knocked together. 7 ^rThe king called loudly to bring in ^rthe enchanters, the ^sChaldeans, and ^tthe astrologers. The king declared² to the wise men of Babylon, ^u“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and ^vshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^wthey could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^xalarmed, and his ⁿcolor changed, and his ^ylords were perplexed.

10 The queen,³ because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^z“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^aor your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom ^bin whom is the spirit of the holy gods.⁴ In the days of your father, ^clight and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—^dmade him chief of the magicians, ^renchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 ^ebecause an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^funderstanding ^fto interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^gsolve problems were found in this Daniel, ^hwhom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of ⁱthe exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that ^bthe spirit of the gods⁵ is in you, and that ^clight and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now ^jthe wise men, the ^kenchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but ^lthey could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 ^mBut I have heard that you can give interpretations and ⁿsolve problems. ^oNow if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, ^oyou shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and ^pshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^q“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the ^rMost High God ^sgave ^tNebuchadnezzar your father ^ukingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^vall peoples, nations, and languages ^wtrembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But ^xwhen his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^yhe was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 ^zHe was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^zuntil he knew that the ^rMost High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,^{6 a}Belshazzar, ^bhave not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against ^cthe Lord of heaven. And ^dthe vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. ^eAnd you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^fbut the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^gwhose are all your ways, ^hyou have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence ⁱthe hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered⁷ the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, ^jyou have been weighed⁸ in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^kthe Medes and ^lPersians.”⁹

29 Then ^aBelshazzar gave the command, and Daniel ^mwas clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 ⁿThat very night ^aBelshazzar the ^oChaldean king was killed. 31 ¹⁰ And ^pDarius ^kthe Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Daniel and the Lions’ Den

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^q120 ^rsatraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them ^sthree high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^rsatraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became ^tdistinguished above all ^sthe other high officials and ^rsatraps, because ^uan excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^vto set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then ^sthe high officials and ^rthe satraps ^wsought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^xbut they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^xand no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6 Then these ^shigh officials and ^rsatraps came by agreement¹ to the king and said to him, “O ^yKing Darius, live forever! 7 All the ^shigh officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^zcounselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^ainjunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish ^athe injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^bthe law of ^cthe Medes and the Persians, ^dwhich cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^ainjunction.