The Holy Bible

[3:8] It was then that some Babylonians took the opportunity to denounce the Jews.

[3:9] They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May Your Majesty live forever!

[3:10] Your Majesty has issued an order that as soon as the music starts, everyone is to bow down and worship the gold statue,

[3:11] and that anyone who does not bow down and worship it is to be thrown into a blazing furnace.

[3:12] There are some Jews whom you put in charge of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who are disobeying Your Majesty's orders. They do not worship your god or bow down to the statue you set up.”

[3:13] At that, the king flew into a rage and ordered the three men to be brought before him.

[3:14] He said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you refuse to worship my god and to bow down to the gold statue I have set up?

[3:15] Now then, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, oboes, lyres, zithers, harps, and all the other instruments, bow down and worship the statue. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Do you think there is any god who can save you?”

[3:16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves.

[3:17] If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will.

[3:18] But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”

[3:19] Then Nebuchadnezzar lost his temper, and his face turned red with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual.

[3:20] And he commanded the strongest men in his army to tie the three men up and throw them into the blazing furnace.

[3:21] So they tied them up, fully dressed—shirts, robes, caps, and all—and threw them into the blazing furnace.

[3:22] Now because the king had given strict orders for the furnace to be made extremely hot, the flames burned up the guards who took the men to the furnace.

[3:23] Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, still tied up, fell into the heart of the blazing fire.

[3:24] Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement. He asked his officials, “Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?” They answered, “Yes, we did, Your Majesty.”

[3:25] “Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?” he asked. “They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt—and the fourth one looks like an angel.”

[3:26] So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door of the blazing furnace and called out, “Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego! Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!” And they came out at once.

[3:27] All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors, and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men, who had not been harmed by the fire. Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned, and there was no smell of smoke on them.

[3:28] The king said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued these men who serve and trust him. They disobeyed my orders and risked their lives rather than bow down and worship any god except their own.

[3:29] “And now I command that if anyone of any nation, race, or language speaks disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he is to be torn limb from limb, and his house is to be made a pile of ruins. There is no other god who can rescue like this.”

[3:30] And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to higher positions in the province of Babylon.

[4:1] King Nebuchadnezzar sent the following message to the people of all nations, races, and languages in the world: “Greetings!

[4:2] Listen to my account of the wonders and miracles which the Supreme God has shown me.

[4:3] “How great are the wonders God shows us! How powerful are the miracles he performs! God is king forever; he will rule for all time.

[4:4] “I was living comfortably in my palace, enjoying great prosperity.

[4:5] But I had a frightening dream and saw terrifying visions while I was asleep.

[4:6] I ordered all the royal advisers in Babylon to be brought to me so that they could tell me what the dream meant.

[4:7] Then all the fortunetellers, magicians, wizards, and astrologers were brought in, and I told them my dream, but they could not explain it to me.

[4:8] Then Daniel came in. (He is also called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god.) The spirit of the holy gods is in him, so I told him what I had dreamed. I said to him:

[4:9] Belteshazzar, chief of the fortunetellers, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you understand all mysteries. This is my dream. Tell me what it means.

[4:10] “While I was asleep, I had a vision of a huge tree in the middle of the earth.

[4:11] It grew bigger and bigger until it reached the sky and could be seen by everyone in the world.

[4:12] Its leaves were beautiful, and it was loaded down with fruit—enough for the whole world to eat. Wild animals rested in its shade, birds built nests in its branches, and every kind of living being ate its fruit.

[4:13] “While I was thinking about the vision, I saw coming down from heaven an angel, alert and watchful.

[4:14] He proclaimed in a loud voice, ‘Cut the tree down and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Drive the animals from under it and the birds out of its branches.

[4:15] But leave the stump in the ground with a band of iron and bronze around it. Leave it there in the field with the grass. “‘Now let the dew fall on this man, and let him live with the animals and the plants.

[4:16] For seven years he will not have a human mind, but the mind of an animal.

[4:17] This is the decision of the alert and watchful angels. So then, let all people everywhere know that the Supreme God has power over human kingdoms and that he can give them to anyone he chooses—even to those who are least important.’

[4:18] “This is the dream I had,” said King Nebuchadnezzar. “Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means. None of my royal advisers could tell me, but you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

[4:19] At this, Daniel, who is also called Belteshazzar, was so alarmed that he could not say anything. The king said to him, “Belteshazzar, don't let the dream and its message alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “Your Majesty, I wish that the dream and its explanation applied to your enemies and not to you.

[4:20] The tree, so tall that it reached the sky, could be seen by everyone in the world.

[4:21] Its leaves were beautiful, and it had enough fruit on it to feed the whole world. Wild animals rested under it, and birds made their nests in its branches.

[4:22] “Your Majesty, you are the tree, tall and strong. You have grown so great that you reach the sky, and your power extends over the whole world.

[4:23] While Your Majesty was watching, an angel came down from heaven and said, ‘Cut the tree down and destroy it, but leave the stump in the ground. Wrap a band of iron and bronze around it, and leave it there in the field with the grass. Let the dew fall on this man, and let him live there with the animals for seven years.’

[4:24] “This, then, is what it means, Your Majesty, and this is what the Supreme God has declared will happen to you.

[4:25] You will be driven away from human society and will live with wild animals. For seven years you will eat grass like an ox and sleep in the open air, where the dew will fall on you. Then you will admit that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and that he can give them to anyone he chooses.

[4:26] The angel ordered the stump to be left in the ground. This means that you will become king again when you acknowledge that God rules all the world.

[4:27] So then, Your Majesty, follow my advice. Stop sinning, do what is right, and be merciful to the poor. Then you will continue to be prosperous.”

[4:28] All this did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar.

[4:29] Only twelve months later, while he was walking around on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon,

[4:30] he said, “Look how great Babylon is! I built it as my capital city to display my power and might, my glory and majesty.”

[4:31] Before the words were out of his mouth, a voice spoke from heaven, “King Nebuchadnezzar, listen to what I say! Your royal power is now taken away from you.

[4:32] You will be driven away from human society, live with wild animals, and eat grass like an ox for seven years. Then you will acknowledge that the Supreme God has power over human kingdoms and that he can give them to anyone he chooses.”

[4:33] The words came true immediately. Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of human society and ate grass like an ox. The dew fell on his body, and his hair grew as long as eagle feathers and his nails as long as bird claws.

[4:34] “When the seven years had passed,” said the king, “I looked up at the sky, and my sanity returned. I praised the Supreme God and gave honor and glory to the one who lives forever. “He will rule forever, and his kingdom will last for all time.

[4:35] He looks on the people of the earth as nothing; angels in heaven and people on earth are under his control. No one can oppose his will or question what he does.

[4:36] “When my sanity returned, my honor, my majesty, and the glory of my kingdom were given back to me. My officials and my noblemen welcomed me, and I was given back my royal power with even greater honor than before.

[4:37] “And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly.”

[5:1] One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together.

[5:2] While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.

[5:3] At once the gold cups and bowls were brought in, and they all drank wine out of them

[5:4] and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

[5:5] Suddenly a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace, where the light from the lamps was shining most brightly. And the king saw the hand as it was writing.

[5:6] He turned pale and was so frightened that his knees began to shake.

[5:7] He shouted for someone to bring in the magicians, wizards, and astrologers. When they came in, the king said to them, “Anyone who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around his neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom.”

[5:8] The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

[5:9] In his distress King Belshazzar grew even paler, and his noblemen had no idea what to do.

[5:10] The queen mother heard the noise made by the king and his noblemen and entered the banquet hall. She said, “May Your Majesty live forever! Please do not be so disturbed and look so pale.

[5:11] There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was king, this man showed good sense, knowledge, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him chief of the fortunetellers, magicians, wizards, and astrologers.

[5:12] He has unusual ability and is wise and skillful in interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining mysteries; so send for this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, and he will tell you what all this means.”

[5:13] Daniel was brought at once into the king's presence, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, that Jewish exile whom my father the king brought here from Judah?

[5:14] I have heard that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you are skillful and have knowledge and wisdom.

[5:15] The advisers and magicians were brought in to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not discover the meaning.

[5:16] Now I have heard that you can find hidden meanings and explain mysteries. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around your neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom.”

[5:17] Daniel replied, “Keep your gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. I will read for Your Majesty what has been written and tell you what it means.

[5:18] “The Supreme God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great king and gave him dignity and majesty.

[5:19] He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to.

[5:20] But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor.

[5:21] He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses.

[5:22] “But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this.

[5:23] You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do.

[5:24] That is why God has sent the hand to write these words.

[5:25] “This is what was written: ‘Number, number, weight, divisions.’

[5:26] And this is what it means: number, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;

[5:27] weight, you have been weighed on the scales and found to be too light;

[5:28] divisions, your kingdom is divided up and given to the Medes and Persians.”

[5:29] Immediately Belshazzar ordered his servants to dress Daniel in a robe of royal purple and to hang a gold chain of honor around his neck. And he made him the third in power in the kingdom.

[5:30] That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed;

[5:31] and Darius the Mede, who was then sixty-two years old, seized the royal power.

[6:1] Darius decided to appoint a hundred and twenty governors to hold office throughout his empire.

[6:2] In addition, he chose Daniel and two others to supervise the governors and to look after the king's interests.

[6:3] Daniel soon showed that he could do better work than the other supervisors or the governors. Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire.

[6:4] Then the other supervisors and the governors tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel administered the empire, but they couldn't, because Daniel was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest.

[6:5] They said to each other, “We are not going to find anything of which to accuse Daniel unless it is something in connection with his religion.”

[6:6] So they went to see the king and said, “King Darius, may Your Majesty live forever!

[6:7] All of us who administer your empire—the supervisors, the governors, the lieutenant governors, and the other officials—have agreed that Your Majesty should issue an order and enforce it strictly. Give orders that for thirty days no one be permitted to request anything from any god or from any human being except from Your Majesty. Anyone who violates this order is to be thrown into a pit filled with lions.

[6:8] So let Your Majesty issue this order and sign it, and it will be in force, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

[6:9] And so King Darius signed the order.

[6:10] When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.

[6:11] When Daniel's enemies observed him praying to God,

[6:12] all of them went together to the king to accuse Daniel. They said, “Your Majesty, you signed an order that for the next thirty days anyone who requested anything from any god or from any human being except you, would be thrown into a pit filled with lions.” The king replied, “Yes, that is a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

[6:13] Then they said to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, does not respect Your Majesty or obey the order you issued. He prays regularly three times a day.”

[6:14] When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset.

[6:15] Then Daniel's enemies came back to the king and said to him, “Your Majesty knows that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians no order which the king issues can be changed.”

[6:16] So the king gave orders for Daniel to be taken and thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.”

[6:17] A stone was put over the mouth of the pit, and the king placed his own royal seal and the seal of his noblemen on the stone, so that no one could rescue Daniel.

[6:18] Then the king returned to the palace and spent a sleepless night, without food or any form of entertainment.

[6:19] At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit.

[6:20] When he got there, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?”

[6:21] Daniel answered, “May Your Majesty live forever!

[6:22] God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

[6:23] The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be pulled up out of the pit. So they pulled him up and saw that he had not been hurt at all, for he trusted God.

[6:24] Then the king gave orders to arrest all those who had accused Daniel, and he had them thrown, together with their wives and children, into the pit filled with lions. Before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke all their bones.

[6:25] Then King Darius wrote to the people of all nations, races, and languages on earth: “Greetings!

[6:26] I command that throughout my empire everyone should fear and respect Daniel's God. “He is a living God, and he will rule forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his power will never come to an end.

[6:27] He saves and rescues; he performs wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions.”

[6:28] Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

[7:1] In the first year that Belshazzar was king of Babylonia, I had a dream and saw a vision in the night. I wrote the dream down, and this is the record

[7:2] of what I saw that night: Winds were blowing from all directions and lashing the surface of the ocean.

[7:3] Four huge beasts came up out of the ocean, each one different from the others.

[7:4] The first one looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. While I was watching, the wings were torn off. The beast was lifted up and made to stand up straight. And then a human mind was given to it.

[7:5] The second beast looked like a bear standing on its hind legs. It was holding three ribs between its teeth, and a voice said to it, “Go on, eat as much meat as you can!”

[7:6] While I was watching, another beast appeared. It looked like a leopard, but on its back there were four wings, like the wings of a bird, and it had four heads. It had a look of authority about it.

[7:7] As I was watching, a fourth beast appeared. It was powerful, horrible, terrifying. With its huge iron teeth it crushed its victims, and then it trampled on them. Unlike the other beasts, it had ten horns.

[7:8] While I was staring at the horns, I saw a little horn coming up among the others. It tore out three of the horns that were already there. This horn had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting proudly.