Chapter 3 – Chapter 4

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a golden image; its height was sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits. He erected it on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 Then King: Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather together the princes, the satraps, and the magistrates, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the presidents, and all the governors of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.

3 Then the princes, the senators, and the magistrates, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the presidents, and all the governors of the provinces collected together at the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. And when they stood before the image which Nebuchadnezzar had erected,

4 A herald proclaimed in the midst of the multitude, O people, nations, and languages, to you it is spoken:

5 Whenever ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, harp, pipe, psaltery, sackbut, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye must fall down and worship the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar has erected.

6 And whosoever shall not bend the knee and adore, shall be instantly cast into the midst of a furnace of burning fire.

7 Therefore at the very same hour, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, harp, pipe, psaltery, sackbut, dulcimer, and all musical instruments, all people, languages, and nations, fell down adoring the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.

8 Wherefore the Chaldeans immediately approached and vociferously accused the Jews.

9 They spoke, and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10 Thou, O king, hast issued an edict, that as soon as every man shall hear the sound of the trumpet, harp, pipe, psaltery, sackbut, dulcimer, and all musical instruments, he shall fall down and adore the golden image.

11 And he who shall not fall down and adore, shall be east into the midst of a furnace of burning fire.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the administration of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: these men have not paid attention to thee, O king: they do not worship thy gods, and they do not adore the image which thou hast erected.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, with rage and fury, commanded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought before him: then those men (the Chaldeans) brought them up before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that ye do not worship my gods, nor yet adore the image which I have erected?

15 Now, are ye prepared, as soon as ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, harp, pipe, psaltery, sackbut, dulcimer, and all musical instruments, to fall down and adore the image which I have made? For if ye will not adore it, ye shall be east the stone hour into the midst of a furnace of burning fire: and who is that God who shall deliver you from my hand?

16 Shadrach, Meshaeh, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, we are not anxious about our reply to thee concerning this matter.

17 Behold! our God whom we worship is powerful. He can free us from the furnace of burning fire, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, and we will not adore the golden image which thou hast erected.

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the figure of his face was changed towards Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: he spoke and commanded the furnace to be heated seven times more than it was usual to heat it.

20 And he commanded the very strongest of his attendants to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to east them into the furnace of burning fire.

21 Then those men were bound in their mantles, and turbans, and garments, and were east into the furnace of burning fire.

22 Because the king’s order was urgent, and he had commanded the furnace to be made so exceedingly hot, the extremity of the flame slew the men who had taken up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23 And those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was terrified, and rose in haste, and spoke, and said to his counselors, Did we not cast these men bound into the furnace? They answered and said to the king, True, O king!

25 He answered and said, But I see four men loose, walking in the fire, and they have no hurt: and the aspect of the fourth is like the Son of a God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of burning fire; he spoke and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most High God, come forth and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire.

27 Then the satraps, generals, prefects, and counselors of the king assembled to behold those men, over whose body the fire had no power, and a hair of their head was not burnt, neither were their garments changed, nor had the smell of fire passed over them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and preserved his servants, who have trusted in him and changed the king’s edict, and delivered up their bodies, that they might neither worship nor adorn any god except their own God.

29 Hence I issue a decree, that any nation, people, and tongue, which shall utter a perverse speech against the God of these men, namely, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and his house shall be reduced to a dungheap: because there is no other God who can deliver after this method.

30 Then the king rendered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosperous in the province of Babylon.

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people, nations, and tongues, which dwell on the whole earth, peace be multiplied unto you!

2 It pleases me to narrate the signs and wonders which the High God has wrought towards me.

3 How great are his signs! how mighty his wonders! His kingdom everlasting — his dominion from age to age.

4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace:

5 I saw a dream which terrified me: and the thoughts upon my bed, and the visions of my head disturbed me.

6 And I issued a decree for bringing all the wise men of Babylon before me, who should explain the interpretation of my dream to me.

7 Then the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers entered, and I told my dream before them, and they did not furnish me with its interpretation.

8 At length Daniel was brought before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and I told my dream before him.

9 O Belteshazzar, prince of the magi, because I know the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret overcomes thee, explain the visions of the dream which I saw and its interpretation.

10 These were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold! a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong, and its height reached to heaven, and its aspect to the extremity of the earth.

12 Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and food for all was in it: the beast of the field took shelter under it, and the fowls of heaven dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was nourished by it.

13 I was gazing in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven.

14 He cried with a loud voice, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and tear off its leaves, pluck off its boughs, and scatter its fruits: Let the beast flee away from its shadow, and the birds from its branches.

15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass, in the herb of the field; and let it be wet with the rain of heaven, and let its portion be with the beast in the herb of the field.

16 Let his heart be changed from a human heart, and let the heart of a beast be given to him: and let seven times pass over him.

17 The edict is in the decree of the watchers, and the demand in the word of the holy ones, That living men may know the Most High to be ruler in the kingdom of men, He will give it to whom he will, And will raise up the humble man as its ruler:

18 I King Nebuchadnezzar saw this dream: and do thou Belteshazzar declare the interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom cannot unfold it to me: but thou canst do it, because the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, became stupified for almost one hour, and his thoughts disturbed him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream and its interpretation distress thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, O my lord, may the dream be for thine enemies, and its interpretation for thy foes.

20 The tree which thou sawest so great and strong, whose magnitude reached to heaven, and its aspect over the whole earth;

21 Whose foliage was beautiful, and whose fruit was copious, In which was food for all, and under which dwelt the beasts of the field, and on whose branches rested the birds of heaven,

22 Is thyself, O king; Thou hast become great and strong; Thy magnitude has been multiplied, and extended to the heavens; Thy power to the ends of the earth.

23 When the king saw a watcher and a holy one descend from heaven, who said, Hew down the tree and destroy it; leave only the stump of its roots in the earth; and let it be with a band of iron and brass in the herb of the field, and let it be washed with the dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beast of the field, until seven times pass over it.

24 This is the interpretation, O king: this is the decree of the most High, which concerns the lord my king.

25 They shall drive thee from men, and thy habitation shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall feed thee with grass like oxen, and shall moisten thee with the dew of heaven; and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou shalt acknowledge the most High as the ruler over the kingdom of men, who will give it to whomsoever he will.

26 And when they spoke of leaving the stump of the tree’s roots: thy kingdom shall stand for thee, from which thou shalt acknowledge that there is dominion in the heavens.

27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee; break away thy sins by righteousness, and thy iniquities by pity to the poor. Behold, there shall be a prolongation to thy peace, (a medicine for thine errors.)

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

29 After twelve months he was walking in the palace of his kingdom at Babylon.

30 The king spoke, and said, Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the royal seat of the kingdom, in the mightiness of my valor, and in the splendor of my excellency?

31 While the speech was in the mouth of the king, a voice descended from heaven, They say unto thee, O King Nebuchadnezzar, thy kingdom has departed from thee.

32 They shall expel thee from among men, and thy habitation shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou shalt acknowledge a lofty ruler in the kingdom of men, and who shall give it to whomsoever he pleases.

33 In that hour was the word completed upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was cast out from men, and eat grass like oxen, and was moistened by the dew of heaven, until his nails became like claws, and his hair like the wings of eagles.

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes to heaven, and my intellect returned to me, and I blessed him on high, and praised and glorified him living for ever, because his power is eternal, and his kingdom of perpetual duration.

35 And all the dwellers on the earth are considered as nothing; and he does according to his pleasure in the army of the heavens, and among the dwellers upon earth; there is none who can hinder his hand, or say unto him, Why dost thou act thus?

36 At the determined time my intellect returned to me, and I returned to the excellency of my kingdom; my honor and my dignity was restored to me, and my counselors and elders consulted me again; and I was established in my kingdom, and more ample dignity was added to me.

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, and extol, and glorify the king of heaven, because all his works are truth, and his ways are judgment: and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.