Daniel Cross References - ISV

¹ Hostages of the Babylonian CaptivityIn the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ² Within a week, the Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with valuable objects from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar brought them to the temple of his god in the land of Shinar and stored them in its treasure house.
³ Later, the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer, to bring in some Israelis of royal and noble descent. ⁴ They were to be young men without physical defect, handsome in appearance, skilled in all wisdom, quick to learn, prudent in how they used knowledge, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. They were to learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
⁵ The king assigned them fine food and choice wine on a daily basis, ordering them to be trained for three years, at the end of which time they would enter the king’s service. ⁶ Included among the people of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ The chief officer assigned the name “Belteshazzar” to Daniel, the name “Shadrach” to Hananiah, the name “Meshach” to Mishael, and the name “Abednego” to Azariah.
⁸ Daniel Chooses God’s StandardDaniel determined within himself not to become defiled by the king’s menu of rich foods or by the king’s wine, so he requested permission from the chief officer not to defile himself. ⁹ God granted to Daniel grace and compassion on the part of the chief officer. ¹⁰ The chief officer told Daniel, “I fear his majesty the king, who has determined what you eat and drink. If he notices that your faces are more pale than the other young men in your group, I will forfeit my head to the king.”
¹¹ But Daniel told the guard whom the chief officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare how we look with the young men who ate the king’s rich food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you observe.”
¹⁴ So he listened to what Daniel said and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵ At the end of ten days their appearance was better and their faces were well-nourished compared to the young men who ate the king’s rich food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their rich food and wine, giving them vegetables. ¹⁷ As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge, aptitude for learning, and wisdom. Daniel also could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.
¹⁸ Then at the end of the training period that the king had established, the chief officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ When the king spoke to them, none of them compared to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah as they stood before the king. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom or understanding that the king discussed with them, he found them ten times superior to all the astrologers and enchanters in his entire palace.
²¹ So Daniel remained there in service until the first year of King Cyrus.

¹ Jehoiakim Serves NebuchadnezzarDuring his lifetime, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim, who became his vassal for three years, after which he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. ² The LORD sent raiding parties from the Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in keeping with the message from the LORD that he had spoken through his servants, the prophets.

¹³ Jerusalem’s Citizens are Sent into ExileNebuchadnezzar carried off from there all of the treasures of the LORD’s Temple, along with the treasures in the king’s palace. He cut into pieces all the gold vessels in the LORD’s Temple that King Solomon of Israel had made, just as the LORD had said would happen.

⁵ Jehoiakim’s Reign; Nebuchadnezzar’s First Capture of JerusalemJehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, but he practiced what the LORD his God considered to be evil. ⁶ As a result, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. ⁷ Nebuchadnezzar also took articles from the LORD’s Temple to Babylon and placed them in his temple in Babylon.

¹⁰ His kingdom began in the region of Shinar with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh.

² As people migrated westward, they came across a plain in the region of Shinar and settled there.

⁴⁹ “The LORD will raise a distant nation against you from the other side of the earth. Swooping down like a vulture, ⁵⁰ it will be a nation whose language you don’t understand, whose stern appearance neither shows regard nor extends grace to anyone whether old or young. ⁵¹ Its army will consume the offspring of your animals and the produce of your soil until you are exterminated. They will leave you without your grain, wine, oil, the increase of your cattle, and the lamb of your flock, until you are completely destroyed. ⁵² They’ll besiege all your cities until your high and fortified walls in which you have trusted collapse throughout the land. Indeed, they will besiege all your cities, which the LORD your God gave you.”

³⁰ How can one person chase a thousand of them and two put a myriad to flight, unless their Rock delivers them and the LORD gives them up?

¹⁴ So in his burning anger against Israel, the LORD gave them into the domination of marauders who plundered them. The enemies who surrounded the Israelis controlled them, and they were no longer able to withstand their adversaries.

⁸ Then in his burning anger against Israel, the LORD delivered them to domination by King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. So the Israelis served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

² so the LORD turned them over to domination by Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.

²³ Some time later, the Philistine officials got together to present a magnificent sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to throw a party, because they were claiming, “Our god has given Samson into our control!”
²⁴ When the people saw Samson, they praised their god, claiming: Our god has given our enemy into our control; the one who was destroying our land, and who has killed many of us.

² Then the Philistines took the Ark of God, brought it to the temple of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon.

⁹ They cut off his head and stripped him of his weapons. They sent people throughout the territory of the Philistines to report the good news in the temples of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of Asherah and fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth-shan.

⁷ Nebuchadnezzar also took articles from the LORD’s Temple to Babylon and placed them in his temple in Babylon.

⁷ Temple Instruments ReturnedKing Cyrus also brought out from storage the service instruments from the Temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his gods.

⁴¹ He turned them over to domination by nations where those who hated them ruled over them. ⁴² Their enemies oppressed them, so that they were humiliated by their power.

¹¹ At that time, the LORD will reach out his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

²⁴ God Punishes Israel“Who handed Jacob over to looters, and Israel to robbers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? After all, they weren’t willing to walk in his ways, and they wouldn’t obey his instruction,

¹⁹ For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says about the pillars, the bronze sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that remain in this city ²⁰ that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he took Jehoiakim’s son Jeconiah, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon—

⁴⁴ I’ll punish Bel in Babylon, and I’ll make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth. The nations will no longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon will fall.

³⁷ You, your majesty, king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory, ³⁸ so that wherever people, wild animals, or birds of the sky live, he has placed them under your control, giving you dominion over them all—you’re that head of gold.

² Under the influence of wine, Belshazzar ordered that the gold and silver vessels his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in so the king, his officials, his wives, and his mistresses could drink from them. ³ As ordered, they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the sanctuary of God’s Temple in Jerusalem, and the king, his officials, his wives, and mistresses drank from them.

¹⁸ Your majesty, the Most High God gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty, as well as greatness, glory, and splendor.

¹⁶ Therefore he sacrifices to his fishing net, and burns incense in the presence of his dragnet, because by them his assets increase and he gets plenty of food.

¹¹ He answered me, “To the land of Shinar, so they can build a temple to the woman in the basket. Then when its preparations are complete, the basket will be set there in its place.”

¹⁷ ‘Watch out! The days are coming when everything that’s in your house—everything that your ancestors have saved up right to this day—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ declares the LORD. ¹⁸ ‘Some of your descendants—your very own seed, whom you will father—will be carried away to become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

¹⁵ He sent Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon, along with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

⁷ ‘Then some of your own sons, who will come from your loins, whom you will father, will be taken away to become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

¹ Gedaliah is AssassinatedIn the seventh month, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ten men. While they were dining together there at Mizpah,

¹⁸ Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting— the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face or who has a very long limb, ¹⁹ or a person who has a fractured foot or hand, ²⁰ has scoliosis, is a dwarf, or has an eye defect, an itching disease, scabs, or a crushed testicle. ²¹ None of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to approach to bring offerings of the LORD made by fire, since he has a defect. He is not to approach to offer the food of his God.

¹⁹ If a man disfigures his fellow, whatever he did is to be done to him also. ²⁰ Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him.

¹⁸ Afterwards, he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were the men like whom you killed at Tabor?”
They answered, “Like you, each one like the son of a king…”

²⁵ David’s Son AbsalomNow throughout all of Israel no one was as handsome as Absalom or so highly praised, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there wasn’t a single thing wrong about him.

²⁹ Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will work for kings, not unimportant people.

¹⁹ Wisdom given as strength to a wise person is better than having ten powerful men in the city.

¹⁷ As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge, aptitude for learning, and wisdom. Daniel also could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.
¹⁸ Then at the end of the training period that the king had established, the chief officer brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ When the king spoke to them, none of them compared to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah as they stood before the king. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom or understanding that the king discussed with them, he found them ten times superior to all the astrologers and enchanters in his entire palace.

² So the king gave orders to summon diviners, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to reveal to the king what he had dreamed. When they came and stood before him,

⁴ The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic: “May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we’ll reveal its meaning.”
⁵ In reply the king told the Chaldeans, “Here is what I have commanded: If you don’t tell me both the dream and its meaning, you’ll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble.

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king directly, “There’s not a single man on earth who can do what the king has commanded. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing from any diviner, enchanter, or Chaldean.

²⁰ and said, “May the name of God be blessed forever and ever; wisdom and power are his for evermore. ²¹ It is God who alters the times and seasons, and he removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

⁸ Daniel’s Friends are AccusedJust then, certain influential Chaldeans took this opportunity to come forward and denounce the Jews.

⁷ Then the diviners, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, and I told them the dream. But they could not reveal its interpretation to me.

⁷ The king cried out to bring in enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers. He announced to the advisors of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its meaning will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around his neck, and will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

¹¹ There’s a man in your kingdom in whom dwells the spirit of the holy gods. During your grandfather’s reign, he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom, like that of the gods. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar—your kingly predecessor—appointed him to be chief administrator over the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,

²⁰ “At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father’s house.

²² So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds.

²⁷ and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault.

⁴⁶ Joseph Begins Gathering GrainJoseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by traveling throughout the land of Egypt, independent from Pharaoh’s oversight.

²² Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to tell him, “Allow David to serve me, because I’m pleased with him.”

²² Solomon’s daily provisions were 30 kors of fine flour, 60 kors of meal, ²³ ten fattened oxen, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and domestic poultry.

⁸ How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees, who serve you continuously and get to listen to your wisdom!

³⁰ and a regular stipend was provided to him by the king in accordance with his needs for as long as he lived.

⁷ How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees, who serve you continually and get to listen to your wisdom!

¹⁹ Therefore, this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I’ll take you back and you will stand before me. If you speak what is worthwhile, instead of what is worthless, then you will be my spokesman. People will turn to you, but you aren’t to turn to them.

⁸ Daniel Chooses God’s StandardDaniel determined within himself not to become defiled by the king’s menu of rich foods or by the king’s wine, so he requested permission from the chief officer not to defile himself.

¹⁹ When the king spoke to them, none of them compared to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah as they stood before the king.

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread,

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you.

³ Keep giving us every day our daily bread,

³⁶ So be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”

¹⁴ Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job lived in that land, they would only save their own lives on account of their righteousness,” declares the Lord GOD.

²⁰ even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were among them, as I live” says the Lord GOD, “they couldn’t save their own sons or daughters. They would only save their own souls due to their own righteousness.”

³ Look! You’re wiser than Daniel, aren’t you? No secret is too mysterious for you!

¹⁷ Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the king’s command.

¹⁵ Signs of the End
“So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note),

¹⁴ Signs of the End
“So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

⁴⁵ Pharaoh also changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-paneah and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that’s how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

³⁴ Jehoiakim is Made King by Pharaoh NecoPharaoh Neco installed Josiah’s son Eliakim as king to replace his father Josiah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He transported Jehoahaz off to Egypt, where he died.

¹⁷ Zedekiah is Installed as KingThe king of Babylon installed Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah as king in his place and then changed his name to Zedekiah.

³ Later, the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer, to bring in some Israelis of royal and noble descent.

¹⁰ The chief officer told Daniel, “I fear his majesty the king, who has determined what you eat and drink. If he notices that your faces are more pale than the other young men in your group, I will forfeit my head to the king.”
¹¹ But Daniel told the guard whom the chief officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

²⁶ Daniel Reveals the Meaning of the DreamKing Nebuchadnezzar replied by saying to Daniel (whose Babylonian name is Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me about the dream and its meaning?”

⁴⁹ Moreover, Daniel requested that the king appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained in the royal court.

¹² “Certain influential Jewish men whom you appointed to manage the city of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—have neither paid attention to you, your majesty, nor served your gods. And they won’t worship the golden statue that you set up.”
¹³ The Threat of the Fire FurnaceNebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and furiously ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t worship my gods and that you don’t worship the golden statue that has been set up? ¹⁵ Now, if you are ready at this very moment to obey ‘the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp,’ and worship the image that I have made… If you do not so worship, you will immediately have cast yourselves into the middle of the blazing fire, and what god is there who can deliver you from my power?”
¹⁶ Daniel’s Friends Answer King NebuchadnezzarShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “It’s not necessary for us to respond in this matter. ¹⁷ Your majesty, if it be his will, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the blazing fire furnace, and he will deliver us from you. ¹⁸ But if not, rest assured, your majesty, that we won’t serve your gods, and we won’t worship the golden statue that you have set up.”
¹⁹ The King Orders an ExecutionOut of control with rage, Nebuchadnezzar’s facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. ²⁰ Then he issued orders to his elite guard to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego with ropes and throw them into the blazing fire furnace. ²¹ So the elite guard tied them up fully clothed, still wearing their robes, tunics, and turbans, and threw them into the blazing fire furnace, ²² because the king’s command was so drastic. Since the furnace was blazing hot, its flames killed those who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the blazing fire. ²³ Bound firmly with ropes, these three men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the blazing fire furnace.
²⁴ The Fourth Man in the FurnaceAstonished, King Nebuchadnezzar stood up in terror, and asked his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men into the fire, bound firmly with ropes?”
In reply they told the king, “Yes, your majesty.”
²⁵ “Look!” he told them, “I see four men walking untied and unharmed in the middle of the fire, and the appearance of the fourth resembles a divine being.”
²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the blazing fire furnace. He shouted out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. ²⁷ The regional authorities, viceroys, governors, and royal advisors gazed at those men and saw that the fire had no effect on their bodies—not a hair on their head was singed, their clothes were not burned, and they did not smell of fire.
²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and announced: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel to deliver his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and were willing to risk their lives in order not to serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ So I decree that people from any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be destroyed and their house reduced to rubble, because there is no other god who can save like this.”
³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego within the province of Babylon.

⁸ Eventually, Daniel appeared before me. (He is called Belteshazzar, in accordance with the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is within him.) I told him my dream:

¹² because he was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and understanding, along with an ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. His name is Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar. Call for Daniel, and he will reveal the meaning of the writing.”

⁴⁵ I am the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You are to be holy, because I am holy. ⁴⁶ This is the law concerning animals, every living creature that moves on the waters or swarms on land. ⁴⁷ You are to differentiate between the clean and unclean, between the living creature that can be eaten and the living creature that is not to be eaten.”

³⁸ Who ate the fat of their offerings and drank the wine that was their drink offering? Let them rise and help you and be your hiding place!’

¹⁷ Where you die, I’ll die and be buried. May the LORD do this to me—and more—if anything except death comes between you and me.”
¹⁸ When Naomi observed Ruth’s determination to travel with her, she ended the conversation.

⁵ So now I’m planning to build a temple dedicated to the LORD my God, just as the LORD told my father when he said, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne to replace you, will build the Temple dedicated to me.’

²⁸ For they adopted the worship of Baal Peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

¹⁰⁶ I have given my word and affirmed it, to keep your righteous judgments.

¹¹⁵ Leave me, you who practice evil, that I may observe the commands of my God.

⁴ Don’t let my heart turn toward evil or involve itself in wicked activities with men who practice iniquity. Let me not feast on their delicacies.

¹³ Then the LORD said, “This is how the Israelis will be eating unclean food among the nations, where I’ll be sending them.”
¹⁴ “Now, Lord GOD,” I replied, “I’ve never been defiled, ever since I was young until now. I haven’t eaten an animal that died on its own or was torn by beasts, and no unclean meat has ever entered my mouth!”

⁵ The king assigned them fine food and choice wine on a daily basis, ordering them to be trained for three years, at the end of which time they would enter the king’s service.

³ They will not live in the LORD’s land— Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. ⁴ They won’t present wine offerings to the LORD, nor will they please him. Their sacrifices will seem like food for mourners— everyone who eats them will become unclean; none of them will enter the Temple of the LORD.

¹⁴ But Peter said, “Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!”
¹⁵ Again the voice came to him a second time, “You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean.” ¹⁶ This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken back into heaven.

²³ When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done, and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord,

¹⁵ For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat. ¹⁶ Do not allow what seems good to you to be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For God’s kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit.

³⁷ However, if a man stands firm in his resolve, feels no necessity, and has made up his mind to keep her a virgin, he will be acting appropriately.

⁷ But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak. ⁸ However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do.
⁹ But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he?

¹⁸ Look at the Israelis from a human point of view. Those who eat the sacrifices share in what is on the altar, don’t they? ¹⁹ Am I suggesting that an offering made to idols means anything, or that an idol itself means anything? ²⁰ Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot dine with the Lord and dine with demons,

²⁸ However, if someone says to you, “This was offered as a sacrifice,” don’t eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience. ²⁹ I mean, of course, his conscience, not yours. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I eat with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of what I am thankful for?
³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

⁷ Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

²⁸ “Your name won’t be Jacob anymore,” the man replied, “but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you’ve emerged victorious.”

²¹ But the LORD was with Joseph. He extended gracious love to him, causing the prison warden to be pleased with Joseph.

⁵⁰ forgiving your people who have sinned against you, along with their transgressions by which they have transgressed against you.“Show your compassion in the presence of those who have taken them captive, so they may show compassion on them,

²⁷ Ezra’s Response to the LetterBlessed be the LORD God of our ancestors, who placed this decree into the king’s heart to beautify the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem ²⁸ and who showed gracious love to me before the king, before his advisors, and before all of the king’s mighty officials.
And I was strengthened because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me. So I gathered together the leaders of Israel to go with me.

¹¹ “And now, Lord, I ask you to listen to the prayer of your servant—and to the prayers of your servants who delight in revering your Name. I ask you, please prosper your servant today by granting him to receive favor from this man.”
Now I was the king’s senior security advisor.

⁴ The king answered, “What do you want?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven

³ But understand this: the LORD has set apart the godly for himself! The LORD will hear me when I cry out to him!

⁴⁶ He caused all their captors to show compassion toward them.

⁷ When a person’s ways please the LORD, even his enemies will be at peace with him.

¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household.

²⁵ Fearing any human being is a trap, but confiding in the LORD keeps anyone safe.

¹⁶ Teaching about Fasting“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward! ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that your fasting will not be noticed by others but by your Father who is in the hidden place. And your Father who watches from the hidden place will reward you.”

⁴² Yet many people, even some of the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not admit it so they would not be thrown out of the synagogue. ⁴³ For they loved the praise of human beings more than the praise of God.

²⁹ God also told them, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows throughout the earth, along with every tree that grows seed-bearing fruit. They will produce your food. ³⁰ I have given all green plants as food for every wild animal of the earth, every bird that flies, and to every living thing that crawls on the earth.” And that is what happened.

³ He humbled you, causing you to be hungry, yet he fed you with manna that neither you nor your ancestors had known, in order to teach you that human beings are not to live by food alone—instead human beings are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁶ So the guard took away their rich food and wine, giving them vegetables.

² One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

²⁵ You are to serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your food and water, and I’ll remove sickness from you.

¹ Rewards for Obedience“Indeed, if you diligently obey the LORD your God to carry out all his commands that I’m giving you today, then the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ² Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance, if you obey the LORD your God:
³ “Blessed will you be in the city and blessed will you be in the country.
⁴ “Blessed will your children be, as well as the produce of your land, the offspring of your beasts and cattle, and the offspring of your flock.
⁵ “Blessed will be your grain basket and your kneading bowl.
⁶ “Blessed will you be in your comings and goings.”
⁷ “The LORD will make your enemies, who rise against you and attack from one direction, to flee from you in seven directions.
⁸ “The LORD will send blessings for you with regard to your barns and everything you undertake. Indeed, he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is about to give you.
⁹ “The LORD will assign you to be a holy people for himself, just as he promised you, as long as you keep his commands and walk in his ways.
¹⁰ “Then all the people of the earth will observe that the name of the LORD is proclaimed among you, and they will fear you.
¹¹ “The LORD will show his abundant goodness with respect to your children, the offspring of your animals, and the produce of your farmland that he promised your ancestors he would give you.
¹² “The LORD will open his rich treasury, the heavens, to release rain upon your land in season and bless everything you undertake so that you’ll lend to many nations but won’t borrow.
¹³ “The LORD your God will make you the head and not the tail—placing you above and not beneath—if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today to keep and observe. ¹⁴ Do not deviate from any of his commands that I’m giving you today—neither to the right nor the left—to follow and serve other gods.”

⁴² Feeding of the Crowd
Later on, a man arrived from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God some bread as a first fruit offering. He had 20 loaves of barley and ripe ears of corn in his sack. So Elisha said, “Give them to the people so they can eat.”
⁴³ Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Will this serve 100 men?”
But he replied, “Distribute it to the people so they can eat, because this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have a surplus!’” ⁴⁴ So he served them, and they ate and had some left over, just as the LORD had indicated.

¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous have than the abundance of many wicked people.

²² The blessing of the LORD establishes wealth, and difficulty does not accompany it.

⁶ You have sowed much but have reaped little. You have eaten but don’t have enough to become satisfied. You have drunk but don’t have enough to become intoxicated. You have clothed yourself but don’t have enough to keep warm. And the hired laborer deposits his salary in a bag full of holes!’”

⁹ ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found! What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?’ declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. ‘It’s because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house!

² “If you don’t listen, and if you don’t choose to give honor to my name,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “then I’ll curse both you and your blessings. I’ve even cursed them already, because none of you are taking it to heart.

⁴ But he answered, “It is written, ‘One must not live on bread alone, but on every word coming out of the mouth of God.’”

⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² All of them ate and were filled.

¹² “Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

⁸ Pharaoh Seeks an InterpretationThe very next morning, he was frustrated about the dream, so he sent word to summon all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them what he had dreamed, but no one could interpret them.
⁹ Then Pharaoh’s senior security advisor spoke up. “Maybe I should make a confession. ¹⁰ When Pharaoh was angry with some of his servants, he incarcerated me in custody of the captain of the bodyguard, along with Pharaoh’s head chef. ¹¹ We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. ¹² There was a Hebrew young man incarcerated with us, who was also working as a servant to the captain of the bodyguard.
“We each related our dreams, and then he interpreted them for us. He provided specific meanings for each of our dreams. ¹³ And what he interpreted for each of us came true! Pharaoh restored me to my responsibilities, but he executed the other man.”
¹⁴ Pharaoh Tells Joseph His DreamPharoah sent word to summon Joseph quickly from the dungeon, so they shaved his beard, changed his clothes, and then sent him straight to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ “I’ve had a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “but nobody can interpret it. I’ve heard that you can interpret dreams.”

⁶ Then he told the two of them: “Pay attention to what I have to say! When there is a prophet among you, won’t I, the LORD, reveal myself to him in a vision? Won’t I speak with him in a dream?

¹² look how I’m going to do precisely what you asked. I’m giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like you.

²⁸ When this decision that the king had handed down was announced, everybody in Israel was amazed at the king, because they all saw that God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to administer justice.

²⁹ Solomon’s FameGod gave Solomon wisdom and great discernment. His insights were as numerous as sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon was wiser than any of the eastern leaders and wiser than anyone in Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone of his day—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, and wiser than Mahol’s sons Calcol and Darda.
His reputation was known throughout the surrounding nations.

¹⁰ Give me wisdom now, so I may go in and out among this people, because who can rule this great people that belongs to you?

¹² wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. Furthermore, I will give you riches, wealth, and honor—such as none of the kings owned who lived before you and none after you are to ever attain their equal.”

⁵ Uzziah kept on seeking God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him how to fear God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosperous.

⁸ However, a spirit exists in mankind, and the Almighty’s breath gives him insight.

⁹⁸ Your commands make me wiser than my adversaries, since they are always with me. ⁹⁹ I am more insightful than my teachers, because your decrees are my meditations. ¹⁰⁰ I have more common sense than the elders, for I observe your precepts.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

²⁶ After all, to the person who is good in God’s sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.

²⁶ His God instructs him regarding the correct way, directing him how to plant.

¹⁹ The King’s Dream is Revealed to DanielWhen the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision later that night, Daniel blessed the God of heaven

²¹ It is God who alters the times and seasons, and he removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

²³ To you, God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, because you have given me wisdom and power; you have now revealed to me what we asked of you by making known to us what the king commanded.”

⁹ “Belteshazzar, chief of the diviners, since I know that the spirit of the holy gods is within you, and no mystery too difficult for you, explain to me the vision of my dream that I saw, along with its interpretation. ¹⁰ This is what I saw in the visions of my head while I was in bed: I was looking and—listen carefully!—I saw a tree in the middle of the earth, the height of which was very great.

¹¹ There’s a man in your kingdom in whom dwells the spirit of the holy gods. During your grandfather’s reign, he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom, like that of the gods. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar—your kingly predecessor—appointed him to be chief administrator over the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, ¹² because he was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and understanding, along with an ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. His name is Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar. Call for Daniel, and he will reveal the meaning of the writing.”

¹⁴ I’ve heard about you, that a spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom.

¹ The Vision of the Four BeastsIn the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel dreamed a dream, receiving visions in his mind while in bed, after which he recorded the dream, relating this summary of events.

¹ The Vision of the Ram and Goat“During the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, saw a vision after the earlier vision that had appeared to me.

¹ Daniel’s VisionIn the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar). The message was trustworthy and concerned a great conflict. He understood it and had insight concerning the vision.

¹⁵ because I will give you the ability to speak, along with wisdom, that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

¹⁰ But they could neither refute the wisdom nor withstand the Spirit by which he kept speaking.

⁷ To each person has been given the ability to manifest the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one has been given a message of wisdom by the Spirit; to another the ability to speak with knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit; ¹⁰ to another miraculous results; to another prophecy; to another the ability to distinguish between spirits; to another various kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit produces all these results and gives what he wants to each person.

⁹ The Messiah is Above AllFor this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him.

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.

¹ Elijah Calls for a DroughtElijah the foreigner, who was an alien resident from Gilead, told Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I’m standing, there will be neither dew nor rain these next several years, except when I say so.”

⁷ Even so, your father has cheated me. He broke our wage agreement ten times. However, God didn’t allow him to harm me.

⁸ Pharaoh Seeks an InterpretationThe very next morning, he was frustrated about the dream, so he sent word to summon all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them what he had dreamed, but no one could interpret them.

¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and sorcerers, and they—along with the Egyptian magicians—did the same thing with their secret arts. ¹² So each one threw down his staff and it became a serpent, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

²² But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

⁷ But the magicians did the same thing with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ The magicians told Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.

²² none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—even though they’ve tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice—

²⁹ Solomon’s FameGod gave Solomon wisdom and great discernment. His insights were as numerous as sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon was wiser than any of the eastern leaders and wiser than anyone in Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone of his day—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, and wiser than Mahol’s sons Calcol and Darda.
His reputation was known throughout the surrounding nations. ³² Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. ³³ He described trees—everything from cedars that grow in Lebanon to hyssop that grows on a garden wall. He described animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴ People came from everywhere to hear Solomon’s advice. Every king on the earth heard of his wisdom.

¹ The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation with the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. ² She brought along a large retinue, camels laden with spices, and lots of gold and precious stones. Upon her arrival, she spoke with Solomon about everything that was on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all of her questions. Nothing was hidden from Solomon that he did not explain to her.

²³ As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom. ²⁴ All the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart.

¹² The Jews who lived near them kept coming to us, reporting at least ten times, “They’ll attack us from every direction.”

³ Ten times you’ve tried to humiliate me! You’re not ashamed to wrong me!

⁹⁹ I am more insightful than my teachers, because your decrees are my meditations.

³ The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage, and I will bring their plans to nothing. They will consult idols and spirits of the dead, and mediums and spiritists.

¹² “But stand up now with your spells and your many incantations, at which you have labored from your childhood until today, ¹³ according to your multiple schemes. Let them stand up now— those who conjure the heavens and gaze at the stars, predicting at the new moons— and save you from what is about to happen to them. ¹⁴ “See, they are just like stubble; fire burns them up. They could not even save themselves from the power of the flame. There will be no coals for warming oneself, no fire to sit by.

² So the king gave orders to summon diviners, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to reveal to the king what he had dreamed. When they came and stood before him, ³ the king told them, “I have dreamed a dream and I will remain troubled until I can understand it.”
⁴ The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic: “May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we’ll reveal its meaning.”
⁵ In reply the king told the Chaldeans, “Here is what I have commanded: If you don’t tell me both the dream and its meaning, you’ll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble. ⁶ But if you do relate the dream to me as well as its meaning, you’ll receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. Therefore reveal the dream to me, along with its meaning.”
⁷ They replied again, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we’ll disclose its meaning.”
⁸ The king responded, “I’m convinced that you’re stalling for time because you’re aware of what I’ve commanded. ⁹ So if you don’t disclose the dream to me, there will be only one sentence for all of you. You have conspired together to present lies and corrupt interpretations until the situation changes. Now tell me the dream and I’ll know that you can reveal its true meaning.”
¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king directly, “There’s not a single man on earth who can do what the king has commanded. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing from any diviner, enchanter, or Chaldean. ¹¹ Furthermore, what the king is asking is so difficult that no one can reveal it except the gods—and they don’t live with human beings.”

¹³ When the order went out to kill the advisors, they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.

²⁷ By way of answer, Daniel addressed the king:“None of the advisors, enchanters, diviners, or astrologers can explain the secret that the king has requested to be made known. ²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he is making known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.“While you were in bed, the dream and the visions that came to your head were as follows:

⁷ Then the diviners, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, and I told them the dream. But they could not reveal its interpretation to me. ⁸ Eventually, Daniel appeared before me. (He is called Belteshazzar, in accordance with the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is within him.) I told him my dream: ⁹ “Belteshazzar, chief of the diviners, since I know that the spirit of the holy gods is within you, and no mystery too difficult for you, explain to me the vision of my dream that I saw, along with its interpretation. ¹⁰ This is what I saw in the visions of my head while I was in bed: I was looking and—listen carefully!—I saw a tree in the middle of the earth, the height of which was very great. ¹¹ The tree grew large, became strong, and its top reached the sky. It could be seen to the ends of the earth. ¹² Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit bountiful, and its food sufficient for everyone. The animals of the field found shade under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it. ¹³ “Then I saw in the visions of my head while I was in bed—and take careful notice!—I saw a holy observer descend from heaven. ¹⁴ He called out aloud:‘Cut down the tree and cut off its branches. Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let the animals get out from under it, and let the birds leave its branches. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, leave the stump and its roots in the ground, but bind it with iron and bronze in the field grass. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky, and let him graze with the animals in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶ Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of an animal until seven seasons of time pass by for him. ¹⁷ This order is announced by the observers, and the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over human kingdoms and grants them to whomever he desires, and he places the least important of men over them.’ ¹⁸ “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Belteshazzar, tell me its meaning, since none of the advisors in my kingdom can tell me its interpretation. But you are able to do so because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

⁷ The king cried out to bring in enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers. He announced to the advisors of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its meaning will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around his neck, and will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
⁸ Then all the king’s advisors came in, but they were unable to read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

¹⁷ At this, Daniel answered, speaking directly to the king, “Let your gifts and rewards be given to someone else. However, I’ll read the writing for the king and tell him its meaning.

⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and their faith is a counterfeit. ⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those two men, their stupidity will be plain to everyone.

²⁸ Daniel achieved success during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian.