In the second years of his reogn. Nebuchadnezzar had dreans; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.
So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed, Whe they came in and stood before the king.
he said to them,"I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it neams.
The the astrolongers answered the king in Aramaic,"O king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and wel will interpret it."
The king replied to thje astrologers,"This is what I have firmly decided; If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it. I woll have you cut into pieces and you houses turned into piles of rubble.
But if you tell me the dream and expolain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewaeds and great honor, So tell me the dream and interpret it for me."
Once more they replied,"Let the king tell his servants thed ream, and we will interpret it."
Then the king answered,"I am certain that you are trving to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided.
It you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me mistreading and wicked things, hopeing the situation will change. So then, tell me the draem.and I will know that you can interpret it for me."
The astrologers answered the king,"There is not a man on earth who can do what tjhe king asks? No king however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.
What the king asks is too difficult . No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men,"
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered thee xecution of all the wise men of Babylon,
So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to took for Daniel and his freinds to put them to death.
When Arioch, the commmader of the kings guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon Daniel spoke tm him with wisdorm and tact,
He asked the kingls officer,"Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel,
At this Daniel went in to the king and asked for tine, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
He urged them to plead fofr mercy from the God of heaven concernin g this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be execulted wuth the rest of the wise men of Babylon
During the night the mystery was reveled to Daniel in a vision, Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to tehj wise and knowledge to the discerning
He reveals deep and hidden things he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you. O God of my fathers, You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me waht we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."
Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon , and to him,"Dn nit execute the wise men of Babylon, Take me to the king and I will interpret his dream for him."
Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said. "I have found a man among teh exiled from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means,"
The king asked Daniel (also Beltershazzar) "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
Daneiel replied,"No wis men enchanter magician or diviner can explain to the king the mysttery he has asked about,
but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown king, Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. You dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these,
"As you were lying them, O king your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen,
As for me this mystrey has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living me, but greater wisdom than other living men , but so tjat you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went throughj your mind.
"You looked , O king and there before you stood a large statue- an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
The head of the stadue was made of pure gold its chest and arms of silver its beelly and things of bronze
its legs of iron , its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
While you were watching a rock was cut out, but not by human hands, it struck the statue on its feet of iron, the clay and smashed them
Then the iron, the clay the bronzem teh silver and teh gold were broken to pieces at teh same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace, But the rock that struck thes tatue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
"This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.
You, O king are the king of kings, The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glroy.
in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever thy live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
"After you, another kingdom will rise , inferiot to yours. next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom,s trong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything- and as iron breaks things to lieces, so it will crush and break all the others.\
Just as you saw that the fell and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of irom, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay,
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong andd partly, brittle.
And just as you saw the irom mixed with baked clay, so tjhe people will be a mixture with baked clay, so tje people will be a mixture and will nor remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
"In tje time of tjhose kings , the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people, It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
This is the emaning of the vision of thne rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands- a rock that broke the iron the bronze, the clay, the silver and theg old to pieces. The great God has shown the ki ng what willtake place in the future. The dream is true and the interpreatation strustworthy."
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
The king said to Daniel,"Surely your God is the God of gods and tghe Lord of kings and a revealer of mtsteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."
Then the king placed Daniel in a hugh position and lavished many gifts on him, He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.
Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained ar the royal court.
Daniel 3
King Nebushadzzae made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on teh plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
He then summoned teh satraps, prefects, governors,a dvisers, treasurers, judges , magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of teh image, he had set up.
So the satraps prefects govermors,a dvisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up and they stood before it.
The the hearald loudly proclaimed,"This is what you are commanded to do. O peoples, nations and men of every language;
As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flite, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Whoever does not fall down and worship will immeddiately be thrown into a blazing furnace,"
Therefore ,as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up
At this time some astrolotgers came forward andd enounced teh Jews.
They said to King Nebuchadbezzar,"O king, live forever!
You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears tgeh sound of the hnorn, flute, zuther, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold.
and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown inti a blasing furnace.
But there are some Jews whom you have set over teh affairs of the province of Babylon-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednege-who pay no attention to you, O king, They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, So these men were bnroughjt before the king.
and Nebuchabezzar said to them,"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego , that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set jup?
Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of musuc, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into ablazing furnace, Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego replied to the king. "O Nebuchadnezzar we do not need to defend ourselves before you in thismatter.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace . the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he wikll rescue us from your hand, O king.
But even if he does not we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods, or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitued, toward them changed, He ordered tehf urnace healted seven times hotter than usual.
and commanded some of tehs trongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach. Meshach and Abednego
So these men, wearing their rones, trousers, furnace andmother clothes, were bound and thjrown into the blazing furnace.
The king's command was so urgenmt and the furnace so hot that the flames of teh fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach. Meshad and Abednego.
and these three men, firmly tied fell into the b lazing furnace,
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers,"Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"They replied,"Certainly. O king."
He said,"Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed. and the fourth looks like it son of the gods."
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the openming of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednege, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach. Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire.
and the satrap, prefects, governors and royaladvises crowded around them, They saw that the fire, had not harmed their nodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said,"Praise be to the God of SNHadrach. Meshach and Abednego, who jas senr his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him andd efied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anytjing against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego bec ut into pieces and their houses be turned into pites of rubble for no other god cans ave in this way."
Then the king promoted Shadrach. Messhach and Abednego in the nprovince of Babylon,
Daniel 4
King Nebuchadnezzar. To the peoples, nationms and men of every language, who live in all the world" May you prosper greatly!
It is my pleasure tot ell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.
I Nebuchadnezzar was at home in my palace. contented and prosperous.
I had a dream that made me alaid. As I was lying in my bed. the images and visionms that passed through my mind terrified me.
So I commaded that all teh wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
When the magicans, enchanters, astrologers andd iviners came I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream,(He is called Belteshazzar, agter the name of my god, and tgeh spirit of the holy gods is to him,)
I said,"Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my drfeam, interpret it for me.
These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed; I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middleof the land. Its heightwas enormous
The tree grew large and strong and its top touched teh sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth.
Its leaves were beaugtifu; its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all, Under it the beasts of the field found shelter and the birds of teh air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
{In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger a holy one, coming down from heaven.
He cal;led in a loud voice;"Cut down teh tree and trim off its branchesm strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
But let thes tump and its roots bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground in the grass of the field."Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven , and let him live with the animals among the plants of thee arth.
Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal till seven times pass by for him.
"The decision is announced by messebgers, the holy ones declare teh verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the nlowliest of men.
"This is thed ream that I. King Nebuchadnezzar, had Now, Belteshazzzfr, tell me waht it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me . But you can becuase the spirit of the holy gods is in you."
Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perpleved for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you." Belteshazzae answered,"My lord, if only the dream applied to your adversaries!
The tree you saw, which gfrew large and strong with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth.
with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all giving sheler to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air-
you , O king are that tree! You have become great an d strong your greatness has grown until it reaches trhe sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of thee arth.
"HYou, O king,s aw a messenger , a holy one, coming down from heaven ands aying, Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the frass of the field, while its roots remain in theg rass of thef ield, while its roots remain in tehg round. Let him be drenched with the mals, until seven times pass by for him.
"This is the interpretion, O king , and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king.
You will be driwen away from people and will live with the wild animals, you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven, Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to abyone he wishers.
The command to leave tghe stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules,
Therefore, O king, be pleased toa ccept my advice Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. it may be that then your prosperity will continue."
All this happened to king Nebuchadnezzar,
Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon
he said , "Is not this the great Babylon.I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?
The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Bebuchadnezzar, HYour royal authority has been taken from you.
You will bed riven away from people and will live with the wild animals you will eat grass like cattle, Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled , He was driven away from people anda te grass like cattle . His body was drenched with thed ew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird
At the end of that time, I Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored , Then I praised the Most High, I honored and florified him who lives forever. His kingdom endures from generation to generation,
All the peoples of tghee arth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and teh peoples of tgehe arth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him;"What have you done?
At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to myh throne and became even greater than before.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those whoi walk in pride he is able to humble.