Book | Chapter | Verse | Text |
Daniel |
3 |
1 |
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. |
Daniel |
3 |
2 |
Then he sent messages to the princes, prefects, governors, advisers, counselors, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. |
Daniel |
3 |
3 |
When all these officials had arrived and were standing before the image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, |
Daniel |
3 |
4 |
a herald shouted out, "People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king's command! |
Daniel |
3 |
5 |
When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. |
Daniel |
3 |
6 |
Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." |
Daniel |
3 |
7 |
So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. |
Daniel |
3 |
8 |
But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. |
Daniel |
3 |
9 |
They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "Long live the king! |
Daniel |
3 |
10 |
You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the musical instruments. |
Daniel |
3 |
11 |
That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. |
Daniel |
3 |
12 |
But there are some Jews--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego--whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They have defied Your Majesty by refusing to serve your gods or to worship the gold statue you have set up." |
Daniel |
3 |
13 |
Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought before him. When they were brought in, |
Daniel |
3 |
14 |
Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? |
Daniel |
3 |
15 |
I will give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. What god will be able to rescue you from my power then?" |
Daniel |
3 |
16 |
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. |
Daniel |
3 |
17 |
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. |
Daniel |
3 |
18 |
But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." |
Daniel |
3 |
19 |
Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. |
Daniel |
3 |
20 |
Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. |
Daniel |
3 |
21 |
So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully clothed. |
Daniel |
3 |
22 |
And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in! |
Daniel |
3 |
23 |
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell down into the roaring flames. |
Daniel |
3 |
24 |
But suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, "Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?Yes," they said, "we did indeed, Your Majesty." |
Daniel |
3 |
25 |
"Look!" Nebuchadnezzar shouted. "I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire. They aren't even hurt by the flames! And the fourth looks like a divine being!" |
Daniel |
3 |
26 |
Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. |
Daniel |
3 |
27 |
Then the princes, prefects, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke! |
Daniel |
3 |
28 |
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king's command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. |
Daniel |
3 |
29 |
Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be crushed into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!" |
Daniel |
3 |
30 |
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon. |
Daniel |
4 |
1 |
King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: "Peace and prosperity to you! |
Daniel |
4 |
2 |
"I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. |
Daniel |
4 |
3 |
How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations. |
Daniel |
4 |
4 |
"I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. |
Daniel |
4 |
5 |
But one night I had a dream that greatly frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed. |
Daniel |
4 |
6 |
So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream meant. |
Daniel |
4 |
7 |
When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. |
Daniel |
4 |
8 |
At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) |
Daniel |
4 |
9 |
"I said to him, `O Belteshazzar, master magician, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means. |
Daniel |
4 |
10 |
" `While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth. |
Daniel |
4 |
11 |
The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. |
Daniel |
4 |
12 |
It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree. |
Daniel |
4 |
13 |
" `Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. |
Daniel |
4 |
14 |
The messenger shouted, "Cut down the tree; lop off its branches! Shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit! Chase the animals from its shade and the birds from its branches. |
Daniel |
4 |
15 |
But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live like an animal among the plants of the fields. |
Daniel |
4 |
16 |
For seven periods of time, let him have the mind of an animal instead of a human. |
Daniel |
4 |
17 |
For this has been decreed by the messengers; it is commanded by the holy ones. The purpose of this decree is that the whole world may understand that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses--even to the lowliest of humans." |
Daniel |
4 |
18 |
" `O Belteshazzar, that was the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me what it means, for no one else can help me. All the wisest men of my kingdom have failed me. But you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.' |
Daniel |
4 |
19 |
"Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, aghast at the meaning of the dream. Finally, the king said to him, `Belteshazzar, don't be alarmed by the dream and what it means.'"Belteshazzar replied, `Oh, how I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you! |
Daniel |
4 |
20 |
You saw a tree growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. |
Daniel |
4 |
21 |
It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. |
Daniel |
4 |
22 |
That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth. |
Daniel |
4 |
23 |
" `Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, "Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him eat grass with the animals of the field for seven periods of time." |
Daniel |
4 |
24 |
" `This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to you. |
Daniel |
4 |
25 |
You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. |
Daniel |
4 |
26 |
But the stump and the roots were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules. |
Daniel |
4 |
27 |
" `O King Nebuchadnezzar, please listen to me. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past by being merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.' |
Daniel |
4 |
28 |
"But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. |
Daniel |
4 |
29 |
Twelve months later, he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. |
Daniel |
4 |
30 |
As he looked out across the city, he said, `Just look at this great city of Babylon! I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city as my royal residence and as an expression of my royal splendor.' |
Daniel |
4 |
31 |
"While he was still speaking these words, a voice called down from heaven, `O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. |
Daniel |
4 |
32 |
You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.' |
Daniel |
4 |
33 |
"That very same hour the prophecy was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws. |
Daniel |
4 |
34 |
"After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. |
Daniel |
4 |
35 |
All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He has the power to do as he pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop him or challenge him, saying, `What do you mean by doing these things?' |
Daniel |
4 |
36 |
"When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and officers sought me out, and I was reestablished as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. |
Daniel |
4 |
37 |
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble those who are proud." |