Daniel 2 Cross References - ISV

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar’s DreamDuring the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him. As a result, he couldn’t sleep. 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.”
¹² At this point, the king flew into a rage and issued an order to destroy all the advisors of Babylon. ¹³ When the order went out to kill the advisors, they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.
¹⁴ Daniel Requests Time to Answer the KingDaniel responded with wisdom and discretion to Arioch, the king’s executioner, who had gone out to execute the advisors of Babylon. ¹⁵ He asked him, “Why such a harsh decree from the king?” Then Arioch informed Daniel, ¹⁶ so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar for an appointment to see him, and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. ¹⁷ Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the king’s command. ¹⁸ Daniel was seeking mercy, in order to ask about this mystery in the presence of the God of heaven, so that Daniel and his friends might not be executed along with the rest of the advisors of Babylon.
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 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. ²² He reveals what is profoundly mysterious and knows what is in the darkness; with him dwells light. 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.”
²⁴ After this, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the advisors of Babylon. He told him, “Don’t destroy the advisors of Babylon. Bring me before the king and I’ll explain the meaning to him.”
²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and informed him: “I’ve found a man from the Judean captives who will make known the meaning to the king.”
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?”
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: ²⁹ Your majesty, when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place. ³⁰ As for me, this secret was made known to me, not because my own wisdom is greater than anyone else alive, but in order that the meaning may be made known to the king, and that you might understand the thoughts of your heart. ³¹ “Your majesty, while you were watching, you observed an enormous statue. This magnificent statue stood before you with extraordinary brilliance. Its appearance was terrifying. ³² That statue had a head made of pure gold, with its chest and arms made of silver, its abdomen and thighs made of bronze, ³³ its legs made of iron, and its feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together and became like chaff from a summer threshing floor that the breeze carries away without leaving a trace. Then the rock that struck the statue grew into a huge mountain and filled the entire earth. ³⁶ “This was the dream, and we’ll now relate its meaning to the king. 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. ³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth. ⁴⁰ Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as all things are broken to pieces and shattered by iron, so it will shatter and crush everything. ⁴¹ “The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, represent a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle. ⁴³ Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, so they will mix themselves with human offspring. Furthermore, they won’t remain together, just as iron doesn’t mix with clay. ⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. ⁴⁵ Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”
⁴⁶ Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel and His FriendsThen King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel, paid honor to him, and commanded that an offering and incense be presented on his behalf. ⁴⁷ The king told Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Secrets, because you were able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished many great gifts on him, including making him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over the advisors of Babylon. 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.

⁵ Then the two of them each had a dream. They both had their dreams the same night, and there were separate interpretations for each dream—the senior security advisor and the head chef to the king of Egypt, who had confined them in prison. ⁶ When Joseph came to see them in the morning, he noticed how downcast they looked! They were both very sad. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers, who were with him in prison in his master’s house, “Why are you so sad today?”
⁸ “We had a dream,” they replied, “but there’s no one to interpret it.”
“Interpretations belong to God,” Joseph told them, “so please tell me your stories.”

¹ Pharaoh’s DreamTwo years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, ² when all of a sudden seven healthy, plump cows emerged from the Nile to graze in the grass that grew in the reeds that lined the bank. ³ Right after that, seven more cows came up out of the Nile. Ugly and gaunt, they stood next to the other cows on the bank of the Nile River. ⁴ But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up.
⁵ After he had fallen back to sleep, he had a second dream, in which seven ears of plump, fruit-filled grain grew up on a single stalk. ⁶ Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them ⁷ and ate up the seven plump, fruit-filled ears. Then Pharaoh woke up a second time, and it had been a very vivid dream!
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.”
¹⁶ “I can’t do that,” Joseph replied, “but God is concerned about Pharaoh’s well-being.”
¹⁷ So Pharaoh told Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, ¹⁸ and all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank. ¹⁹ Just then, seven other cows emerged after them, poor, ugly, and appearing very gaunt in their flesh. I’ve never seen anything as ugly as those cows anywhere in the entire land of Egypt! ²⁰ But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! ²¹ Not only that,” Pharaoh continued, “after they had finished devouring the cows, nobody could tell that they had gobbled them up, because they were just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. ²² Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk. ²³ All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. ²⁴ But the thin ears gobbled up the seven good ears. I told all this to my advisors, but nobody was able to explain it to me.”
²⁵ Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream“Pharaoh’s dreams are identical,” Joseph replied. “God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. ²⁶ The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. ²⁷ The seven gaunt cows that arose after the healthy cows are seven years, as are the seven gaunt ears scorched by the east wind. There will be seven years of famine. ²⁸ So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. ²⁹ Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, ³⁰ but after them seven years of famine are ahead, during which all of the abundance will be forgotten throughout the land of Egypt. The famine will ravage the land so severely that ³¹ there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe.
³² “Now since Pharaoh had that dream twice, it means that this event has been scheduled by God, and God will bring it to pass very soon. ³³ Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Also, let Pharaoh immediately proceed to appoint supervisors over the land of Egypt, who will collect one fifth of its agricultural production during the coming seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Let them collect all the food during the coming fruitful years, store up the grain in cities governed by Pharaoh’s authority, and place it under guard. ³⁶ Let the food be kept in reserve to feed the land for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout Egypt, so the people don’t die during the famine.”

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.

¹ Haman’s Plan Begins to UnravelThat night the king could not sleep, so he gave instructions to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read to the king.

¹⁵ in a dream or night vision, when a deep sleep falls on mankind while they sleep on their beds. ¹⁶ That’s when he opens the ear of mankind, authenticating his messages to them, ¹⁷ turning a person from his actions, keeping him from pride,

¹ The Irrevocable Judgment on JudahThis message from the LORD came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah. (This was also the first year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.)

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.

³ the king told them, “I have dreamed a dream and I will remain troubled until I can understand it.”

⁵ I had a dream that made me afraid. The thoughts that went through my mind while in bed and the visions in my head terrified me.

¹⁸ Then the king retired to his palace to spend the night fasting. He enjoyed no entertainment, and he couldn’t sleep.

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.

¹⁰ There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in fire, practices divination, interprets omens, practices sorcery, ¹¹ casts spells, or who is a medium, an occultist, or a necromancer. ¹² Whoever practices these things is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God will expel them before you because of these things.

¹⁹ Rejecting Occultic Wisdom“So when they advise you, ‘Ask the mediums your questions, and quiz the spiritists who chirp and mutter,’ shouldn’t a people instead be consulting their God— and not the dead— on behalf of those who are living

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.

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.

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.

⁶ So I gave an order to bring in all of the advisors of Babylon so they would tell me the interpretation of the dream.

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 “We had a dream,” they replied, “but there’s no one to interpret it.”
“Interpretations belong to God,” Joseph told them, “so please tell me your stories.”

¹⁵ “I’ve had a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “but nobody can interpret it. I’ve heard that you can interpret dreams.”

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar’s DreamDuring the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him. As a result, he couldn’t sleep.

⁴⁷ Laban named the place Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.

²⁴ Then Samuel told all the people, “Do you see the man whom the LORD has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people.”
Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

²⁵ Well now, he went down today and sacrificed lots of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. They’re having a party together and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

³¹ “King David,” Bathsheba said as she bowed low in front of the king with her face to the ground, “your majesty, may you live forever.”

⁷ While Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their co-conspirators wrote in the Aramaic language and script to King Artaxerxes of Persia.
Aramaic:

³ I replied to the king, “May the king live forever. Why shouldn’t I be troubled, since the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located lies waste, with its gates burned by fire?”

¹¹ Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah replied to him, “Please speak with your servants—with us—in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew where the people sitting on the wall can hear.”

²⁵ who frustrates the omens of idle talkers, and drives diviners mad, who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish;

⁹ They told King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your majesty, live forever.

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.

¹⁹ Daniel’s InterpretationThen Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was greatly troubled for a while and was terrified by his thoughts. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its meaning terrify you.”
Belteshazzar responded, “Your majesty, if only the dream were about your enemies and its meaning about those who oppose you!

⁸ Then all the king’s advisors came in, but they were unable to read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

¹⁰ Hearing the voices of the king and his officials, the queen entered the banquet hall. “Your majesty, live forever,” the queen said. “Don’t be frightened by your thoughts or allow your facial expression to show it.

⁶ Then these administrators and regional authorities went as a group to the king and said this, “Your majesty, live forever!

²¹ Daniel replied to the king, “May your majesty live forever!

⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, “Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ How blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁶ Gather whatever you’ve taken as spoils at the public square of the town, then burn the town, along with whatever you’ve taken, as an offering to the LORD your God. It will remain a permanent mound of ruins, never to be rebuilt again.

²⁶ Joshua Curses the Rebuilding of JerichoThen Joshua made everyone take the following oath at that time. He said: “Cursed in the presence of the LORD is the man who restores and rebuilds this city of Jericho! He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn, and at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

³³ Samuel said, “Just as your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” Then Samuel cut Agag into pieces in the LORD’s presence in Gilgal.

²⁷ They also cut down the pillar to Baal, tore apart Baal’s temple, and turned it into a latrine—and it remains that way today.

¹¹ I hereby also decree that whoever shall alter the wording of this edict, let his residence be torn down for timber to build a gallows, hang him on it, and turn his home into an outhouse.

²² Consider this, you who have forgotten God— Otherwise, I will tear you in pieces and there will be no deliverer:

⁷ May they flow away like rain water that runs off, may they become like someone who shoots broken arrows.

¹² At this point, the king flew into a rage and issued an order to destroy all the advisors of Babylon.

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.”

⁷ So the elders of Moab and Midian left to visit Balaam, bringing an honorarium with them, and communicated Balak’s concerns to him.

¹⁷ I’m determined to reward you generously, and I’ll do everything you tell me to do. So come right away and curse this people for me.’”

³⁷ Balak asked Balaam, “Didn’t I repeatedly send for you to summon you? Why didn’t you come to me? I can pay you well, can’t I?”

¹¹ Now get out of here! I had promised you that I would definitely honor you, but now the LORD has kept me from doing that!”

⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished many great gifts on him, including making him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over the advisors of Babylon.

¹⁶ However, I’ve heard that you can provide meaning and interpretation, and that you can solve difficult problems. If you are able to read the writing and report its meaning, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
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.

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders to clothe Daniel in purple, to place a chain of gold around his neck, and to proclaim him the third highest ruler of the kingdom.

⁴ If your overseer gets angry at you, don’t resign, because calmness pacifies great offenses.

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.”

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.”

¹⁶ making the best use of your time because the times are evil.

⁵ Behave wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of your time.

⁶ So the king of Israel called in about 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we go attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I call off the attack?”
“Go attack them,” they all said, “because the Lord will drop them right into the king’s hand!”

²² “And the LORD asked him, ‘How?’
“‘I will go,’ he announced, ‘and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!’
“So the LORD said, ‘You’re just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.’

¹¹ “Every servant of the king and every person in the king’s provinces knows that for any man or woman who goes to the king in the inner court without being summoned there is only one law—that he be put to death—unless the king holds out the golden scepter to him. Only then he will live. For these last 30 days I’ve not been summoned to come to the king.”

¹⁹ A truthful saying is trusted forever, but the liar only for a moment.

²³ Tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods! Yes, do something good or something bad, so we may hear and gaze at it together.’”

⁶ Instead, they crafted false prophecies and divination.
“‘They say, “…declares the LORD,” even though the LORD didn’t send them. And they hope for the fulfillment of their message.

¹⁷ A Rebuke to Israel’s Women“And now, Son of Man, turn toward and oppose the women of your people who prophesy according to their own wrong inclinations and prophesy against them.

¹⁹ You’ve profaned me among my people for a handful of barley and a morsel of bread. You’re causing people to die who shouldn’t have to die, and you’re causing people to live who shouldn’t survive, when you deceive my people who tend to listen to lies.”

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.

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?”

²⁸ PERES: Your kingdom has been divided—and will be given to the Medes and Persians.”

³¹ and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of 62.

²⁵ He’ll speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One. He’ll attempt to alter times and laws, and they’ll be given into his control for a time, times, and half a time.

¹⁷ At least we are not commercializing God’s word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah’s name, like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.

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.

³⁹ Since God has revealed all of this to you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “there is no one so wise and discerning as you.

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.

⁴⁵ I’ll live among the Israelis, and I’ll be their God.

³⁴ You are not to defile the land where you will be living, because I’m living among you. I am the LORD, who lives in Israel.”

²⁷ and yet, will God truly reside on earth? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built!

¹⁸ and yet, will God truly reside on earth with human beings? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built!

¹⁸ You ascended to the heights, you took captives. You received gifts among mankind, even the rebellious, so the LORD God may live there.

⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, enthroned on high, ⁶ yet stooping low to observe the sky and the earth?

¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever. Here I will live, because I desire to do so.

¹⁸ Watch out! I and the children whom the LORD has given me are a sign and a wonder in Israel from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, who resides on Mount Zion.”

¹⁵ “For this is what the high and lofty One says, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “He lives in the height and in holiness, and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

¹ The Worship that God Commands This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you would build for me, and where will my resting place be? ² All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But this is the one to whom I will look favorably: to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my message.

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:

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,

²¹ I will acquit their bloodguilt that has not yet been acquitted. For the LORD lives in Zion!”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

¹ The Word and CreationIn the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He existed in the beginning with God. ³ Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made.

¹⁴ The Word Becomes HumanThe Word became flesh and lived among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s unique Son, who is full of grace and truth.

¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, because he lives with you and will be in you.

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Then my Father will love him, and we will go to him and make our home within him.

¹⁶ What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

³ I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See, the tent of God is among humans! He will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.

² For wrath will slay a fool; zealous anger will kill the naive.

¹⁰ Even human anger praises you; you will wear the survivors of your wrath as an ornament.

¹⁴ The king’s wrath results in a death sentence, but whoever is wise will appease him.

¹² The king’s anger is like the roaring of a lion, but his goodwill is like dew on the grass.

² A king’s anger is like a lion’s roar; anyone who angers him forfeits his life.

³ Rocks are heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation outweighs them both. ⁴ Wrath can be fierce and anger overwhelms but who can stand up to jealousy?

²² An angry man stirs up arguments, and a hot-tempered man causes many transgressions.

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.

¹³ The Threat of the Fire FurnaceNebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and furiously ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him.

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.

¹⁶ The Massacre of the InfantsHerod flew into a rage when he learned that he had been tricked by the wise men, so he ordered the execution of all the male children in Bethlehem and all its neighboring regions, who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had determined from the wise men.

²² But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raka!’ will be subject to the Council. And whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell fire.

¹² The king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authorities of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This order was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each province and bore the seal of the king’s signet ring. ¹³ Letters were sent by couriers to all of the king’s provinces to annihilate, to kill, and to destroy all the Jewish people, both young and old, women and children, and to confiscate their goods on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. ¹⁴ A copy of the letter was to be issued as an edict in every province and published to all the people, telling them to be ready for that day. ¹⁵ The couriers went out, urged on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in Susa the capital. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

²⁰ Will destructive national leaders, who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law, be allied with you?

¹⁵ A roaring lion and a charging bear— that’s what a wicked tyrant is over poor people. ¹⁶ A Commander-in-Chief who is a cruel oppressor lacks understanding, but whoever hates unjust gain will live longer. ¹⁷ A guilty man tormented by bloodshed will be a lifelong fugitive; let no one support him.

¹ Judgment on Unjust Lawmakers “How terrible it will be for the one who enacts unjust decrees, for those who write oppressive laws that they have prescribed

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.

⁹ So King Darius signed the edict contained in the written document.
¹⁰ Daniel is AccusedWhen Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done.
¹¹ The conspirators then went as a group and found Daniel praying and seeking help before his God. ¹² So they approached the king and asked, “Didn’t you sign an edict that for the next 30 days if anyone prays to any god or man, except to you, your majesty, he would be thrown into the lions’ pit?”
The king responded, “The decree has been established, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can’t be repealed.”
¹³ Then they told the king, “Daniel, who is one of the Judean exiles, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the written decree, since he is still praying three times a day.”
¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly upset, because he was determined to make every effort to save Daniel before the sun set. ¹⁵ But the men who had gone as a group to the king told him, “Remember, your majesty, that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, any decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be repealed.”

³⁶ Joseph is Enslaved to PotipharMeanwhile, down in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s court officials, who was also Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards.

¹⁶ Just then a wise woman called out from the city. “Attention!” she said, “Go tell Joab ‘Come here! I want to talk to you!’” ¹⁷ Joab came over and the woman asked him, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he answered.
So she told him, “Listen to what your servant has to say!”
“I’m listening,” he replied.
¹⁸ So she said, “In days past, people used to settle a dispute by saying ‘Let’s ask for advice at Abel!’ ¹⁹ I’m one of the peaceful and faithful citizens of Israel. You’re trying to destroy a city that’s a mother in Israel. Why are you devouring the heritage of the LORD?”
²⁰ But Joab replied, “No way! No way! I’m not here to devour or destroy! ²¹ That’s a lie! But there is a man from the Ephraim hill country—he’s known as Bichri’s son Sheba—who has rebelled against King David. Turn him over and I’ll withdraw from the city!”
So the woman replied, “Watch this! His head will be thrown to you over the city wall.” ²² Then the woman wisely went back to her people. They cut off the head of Bichri’s son Sheba and threw it out to Joab, so Joab sounded his battle trumpet and they withdrew from the city. Everybody went back home and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

¹³ Wisdom Surpasses FoolishnessI also observed this example of wisdom on earth, and it seemed important to me: ¹⁴ There was a little city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built massive siege ramps against it. ¹⁵ Now there was found within it a poor, but wise man. He delivered the city by his wisdom, but not one person remembered that poor man.
¹⁶ So I concluded, “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless, the wisdom of the poor is rejected—his words are never heard.” ¹⁷ The softly spoken words of the wise are to be heard rather than the shouts of a ruler of fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, and a single sinner can destroy a lot of good.

⁹ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, took into exile in Babylon the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to Nebuchadnezzar, and the rest of the people who remained.

¹² The Destruction of the TempleIn the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—it was the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.

¹⁴ All the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem.

²⁴ After this, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the advisors of Babylon. He told him, “Don’t destroy the advisors of Babylon. Bring me before the king and I’ll explain the meaning to him.”

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.

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.”

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.

¹¹ But Daniel told the guard whom the chief officer had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

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.”

²⁸ What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?”
The LORD said, “I won’t destroy it if I find 45 there.”

³⁷ David continued, “The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine.”
Saul told David, “Go! And may the LORD be with you.”

¹⁵ Then Esther replied to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go and gather all the Jewish people who are in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. Both I and my young women will also fast in the same way, and then I’ll go in to the king, even though it’s against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
¹⁷ Then Mordecai left and did everything that Esther had ordered him.

¹⁵ Call on me in the day of distress; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.”

¹⁵ When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress. I will deliver him, and I will honor him.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

⁴ Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to mock the living God, and perhaps he will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard. So lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives in this city.”

³ ‘Call to me and I’ll answer you, and will tell you about great and hidden things that you don’t know.’

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 When you return, you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between the one who serves God and the one who does not.”

¹² The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd
“What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he?

¹⁹ Furthermore, I tell all of you with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven,

²⁴ When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God and said, “Master, you made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ You said by the Holy Spirit through the voice of our ancestor, your servant David,‘Why do the unbelievers rage, and the people devise useless plots? ²⁶ The kings of the earth take their stand, and rulers meet together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’
²⁷ For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸ to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place. ²⁹ Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow your servants to speak your word boldly ³⁰ as you stretch out your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
³¹ When they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak messages from God boldly.

⁴ When he arrested Peter, Herod put him in prison and turned him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, planning to bring him out to the people after Passover season.

³⁰ Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and by the love that the Spirit produces, to join me in my struggle, earnestly praying to God for me

¹⁷ However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles could hear it. I was rescued out of a lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will take me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever and ever! Amen.

⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment,

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?

⁸ The Arameans AttackEventually the king of Aram went to war against Israel, taking counsel with his advisors and concluding, “In such and such a place I’ll build my encampment.”
⁹ So the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel, warning him, “Keep an eye on that area, because the Arameans are going to be there!” ¹⁰ The king of Israel confirmed the matter about which the man of God had warned him. Having been forewarned, he was able to protect himself there on more than one or two occasions.
¹¹ The king of Aram flew into a rage over this, so he called in his advisors and asked them, “Will you please tell me which of us has joined the king of Israel?”
¹² “No, your majesty,” one of his servants said. “Elisha the prophet, who lives in Israel, tells the king of Israel what you talk about in your bedroom!”

¹³ Disquieting thoughts from dreams at night; when deep sleep falls on everyone.

¹⁵ in a dream or night vision, when a deep sleep falls on mankind while they sleep on their beds. ¹⁶ That’s when he opens the ear of mankind, authenticating his messages to them,

¹⁴ The intimate counsel of the LORD is for those who fear him so they may know his covenant.

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.

²² He reveals what is profoundly mysterious and knows what is in the darkness; with him dwells light.

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: ²⁹ Your majesty, when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place.

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.

⁷ “After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look!—there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things, and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.

⁷ The LORD’s Purposes“Truly the Lord GOD will do nothing he has mentioned without revealing his purposes to his servants the prophets.

¹² Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.
¹³ The Escape to EgyptAfter they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt,” he said. “Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him.”

⁹ But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”
¹⁰ But God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God.

²⁰ and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your control.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

⁵⁶ “Blessed is the LORD, who has given security to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one of his promises has failed to come about that he gave through his servant Moses.

¹⁰ Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of the entire assembly. David said, How blessed you are, LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, from eternity to eternity! ¹¹ To you, LORD, belongs the greatness, and the valor, and the splendor, and the endurance, and the majesty because all that is in heaven and on earth is yours. To you belongs the kingdom, LORD, and you are exalted as head over all. ¹² Both wealth and honor proceed from you, and you are ruling over them all. You control power— you control who is made great, and how everyone becomes strong.

²⁰ Then David told the entire assembly, “Bless the LORD your God, please.” So the entire assembly blessed the LORD God of their ancestors, bowing their heads and falling in the LORD’s presence and before the king.

²¹ After he had consulted with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed some choir members to sing to the LORD and to praise him in sacred splendor as they marched out in front of the armed forces. They kept saying “Give thanks to the LORD, because his gracious love is eternal!”

¹³ With God is wisdom and strength; counsel and understanding belongs to him.

¹⁶ “With God are strength and sound wisdom; both the deceived and those who deceive are responsible to him. ¹⁷ He leads counselors away naked; he turns judges into fools. ¹⁸ He strips away the authority of kings to punish and puts them in prison clothes instead. ¹⁹ He leads away the priests naked and overthrows the ruling class. ²⁰ He keeps reliable advisors from speaking, and removes discernment from elders. ²¹ He pours contempt on nobles and embarrasses the mighty. ²² He uncovers the hidden dimensions from darkness, bringing what is in deep shadow to light.

¹³ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, from eternity to eternity. Amen and amen!

²³ Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and I will reveal the salvation of God to whomever continues in my way.”

¹¹ God spoke once, but I heard it twice, “Power belongs to God.”

¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does awesome deeds. ¹⁹ And blessed be his glorious name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

¹ Davidic
Praise God, who Forgives Bless the LORD, my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the LORD, my soul, and never forget any of his benefits:

² May the name of the LORD be blessed from now to eternity.

¹⁸ But we will bless the LORD from now to eternity. Hallelujah!

¹ A Davidic Psalm
Praising God for His Works I will speak highly of you, my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. ² I will bless you every day and I will praise your name forever and ever.

⁵ Our Lord is great, and rich in power; his understanding has no limitation.

¹⁴ Counsel belongs to me, along with sound judgment. I am understanding. Power belongs to me.

¹⁹ You are great in regards to your purposes and mighty in regards to your works. Your eyes are open to everything that people do, and will reward each one according to their ways and just as their actions deserve.

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. ²² He reveals what is profoundly mysterious and knows what is in the darkness; with him dwells light. 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.”

¹³ And never bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

²⁴ Final PrayerNow to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence,

¹² They sang with a loud voice, “Worthy is the lamb who was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise!”

³ and I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship

⁶ Along with him I’m appointing Ahisamach’s son Oholiab from the tribe of Dan, and I’ve given wisdom to all who are skilled so they can make everything that I’ve commanded you,

⁷ The LORD makes people poor and he makes people rich, he brings them low, and he also exalts them. ⁸ He raises the poor up from the dust, he lifts up the needy from the trash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. Indeed the pillars of the earth belong to the LORD, and he has set the world on them.

⁸ Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”
¹⁰ The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, ¹¹ so God told him: “Because you asked for this, and you didn’t ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn’t ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you’ve asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern, 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.

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 “Only may the LORD give you discretion and understanding as he places you in charge over Israel, so you can keep the Law of the LORD your God.

³⁰ including details regarding his reign, his power, the circumstances that attended his life, Israel, and all of the kingdoms of the countries that surrounded him.

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?
¹¹ God told Solomon, “Since you had this in mind, to ask neither to focus on riches, wealth, honor, or the lives of those who hate you, nor have you requested a long life, but instead you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you may rule my people over whom I have established you as king, 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.”
¹³ The king spoke to the wise men who understood the times, for it was the king’s custom to consult all those who understood law and justice.

¹⁸ He strips away the authority of kings to punish and puts them in prison clothes instead.

²⁴ He shatters valiant men without a need to investigate, and he raises others in their place. ²⁵ Thus he acknowledges their behavior, and overcomes them; when night time comes, they are crushed. ²⁶ “He strikes the wicked among them in a place where they can be seen ²⁷ because they’ve abandoned their pursuit of him and had no respect for any of his ways. ²⁸ As a result, the cries of the poor have reached him and he has heard the cry of the afflicted. ²⁹ “If he remains silent, who will condemn him? If he conceals his face, who can see him? He watches over both nation and individual alike,

¹⁴ But I trust in you, LORD. I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵ My times are in your hands. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies and from those who pursue me.

⁵ Don’t use your strength to fight heaven or speak from stubborn arrogance.” ⁶ For exaltation comes not from the east, the west, or the wilderness, ⁷ since God is the judge. This one he will debase or that one he will exalt.

⁷ He lifts the poor person from the dust, raising the needy from the trash pile ⁸ and giving him a seat among nobles— with the nobles of his people.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright and is a shield to those who walk in integrity—

¹⁵ Kings reign by me, and rulers dispense justice through me. ¹⁶ By me leaders rule, as do noble officials and all who govern justly.

¹ The Purposes in God’s Timing There is a season for everything, and a time for every event under heaven: ² a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted; ³ a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build up; ⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵ a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ a time to search, and a time to give up searching; a time to keep, and a time to discard; ⁷ a time to tear, and a time to mend; a time to be silent, and a time to speak; ⁸ a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

⁵ “By my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth, mankind, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, and I give it to whomever I see fit. ⁶ Now I’ve given all these lands to my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I’ve even given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his country’s time also comes, and then many nations and great kings will use him as a slave.

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.’

³² You’re to be driven away from people. You’re to live with the wild animals of the field. You are to be made to eat grass like cattle, and seven years will pass you by until you realize that the Most High is sovereign over human kingdoms and grants them to whomever he desires.’”

⁶ After a number of years, they’ll become allies and the daughter of the southern king will go to the northern king in order to craft alliances. But she won’t remain in power, nor will he retain his power. Instead, she’ll be surrendered, along with her entourage, the one who fathered her, and the one who supported her at that time.

⁵¹ He displayed his mighty power with his arm. He scattered people who were proud in mind and heart. ⁵² He pulled powerful rulers from their thrones and lifted up humble people.

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.

²¹ When they demanded a king, God gave them Kish’s son Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years. ²² Then God removed Saul and made David their king, about whom he testified, ‘I have found that David, the son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’

³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

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.

¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.
¹⁷ However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

¹⁶ On his robe that covers his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

⁵ Joseph’s DreamsRight about this time, Joseph had a dream and then told it to his brothers. As a result, his brothers hated him all the more! ⁶ “Let me tell you about this dream that I had!” he said. ⁷ “We were tying sheaves together out in the middle of the fields, when all of a sudden, my sheaf stood up erect! And then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf!”
⁸ At this, his brothers replied, “Do you really think you’re going to rule us or lord it over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his interpretations of them.
⁹ But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. “I had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!”

¹⁶ “I can’t do that,” Joseph replied, “but God is concerned about Pharaoh’s well-being.”

²⁵ Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream“Pharaoh’s dreams are identical,” Joseph replied. “God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. ²⁶ The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. ²⁷ The seven gaunt cows that arose after the healthy cows are seven years, as are the seven gaunt ears scorched by the east wind. There will be seven years of famine. ²⁸ So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do.

²² He uncovers the hidden dimensions from darkness, bringing what is in deep shadow to light.

⁶ Sheol is naked before God and Abaddon has no clothes.

⁹ For with you is a fountain of life, and in your light we will see light.

² you are wrapped in light like a garment, stretching out the sky like a curtain.

¹¹ If I say, “Darkness will surely conceal me, and the light around me will become night,” ¹² even darkness isn’t dark to you, darkness and light are the same to you.

²² Let them approach and ask us, ‘What will happen? As to the former things, what were they? Tell us, so that we may consider them and know. Or the latter things or the things to come— let us hear.

²⁶ Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could ask, ‘Is it right?’ Indeed, no one told of this, no one made an announcement, and no one heard your words:

⁹ See, the former things have taken place, and I’m announcing the new things— before they spring into being
I’m telling you about them.”

⁷ God is Sovereign“I form light and create darkness, I make goodness and create disaster. I am the LORD, who does all these things.

²⁴ If a person hides himself in secret places, will I not see him?” declares the LORD. “I fill the heavens and the earth, do I not?” declares the LORD.

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.”

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

¹³ That’s why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but don’t see, and they listen but don’t hear or understand.’

² There is nothing covered up that won’t be exposed and nothing secret that won’t be made known. ³ Therefore, what you have said in darkness will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.”

⁹ This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.

¹² Jesus the Light of the WorldLater on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

⁴⁵ The one who sees me sees the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I’ve come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me won’t remain in the darkness.

¹⁷ He asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was deeply hurt that he had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” So he told him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”
Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.

²⁵ Final DoxologyNow to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago ²⁶ but now has been made known through the prophets to all the gentiles, in keeping with the decree of the eternal God to bring them to the obedience that springs from faith—

⁹ But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”
¹⁰ But God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God.
¹¹ Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God’s Spirit.

⁵ Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

⁵ which in previous generations was not made known to human beings as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This is that secret:

¹⁶ He alone has endless life and lives in inaccessible light. No one has ever seen him, nor can anyone see him. Honor and eternal power belong to him! Amen.

¹³ No creature can hide from him, but everyone is exposed and helpless before the eyes of the one to whom we must give a word of explanation.

⁵ Living in the LightThis is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness—none at all!

¹⁷ “Should I hide from Abraham what I’m about to do,” the LORD asked,

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, O God of my father Isaac, O LORD, you who told me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives and I’ll cause things to go well for you.’ ¹⁰ I’m unworthy of all your gracious love, your faithfulness, and everything that you’ve done for your servant. When I first crossed over this river, I had only my staff. But now I’ve become two groups. ¹¹ Deliver me from my brother Esau’s control, because I’m terrified of him, and I’m afraid that he’s coming to attack me, the mothers, and their children.

¹⁵ God also told Moses, “Tell the Israelis, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

⁵⁷ May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us,

³⁶ Elijah’s Prayer and God’s Answer by FireAs the time for the evening offering arrived, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I, your servant, have done all of this in obedience to your word.

¹⁰ Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of the entire assembly. David said, How blessed you are, LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, from eternity to eternity!

¹³ And so, our God, we are giving you thanks, and we are praising your wonderful name!

⁶ and said: “LORD God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven, are you not? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, don’t you? In your own hands you grasp both strength and power, don’t you? As a result, no one can oppose you, can they?

¹⁴ Offer to God a thanksgiving praise; pay your vows to the Most High.

¹ Davidic
Praise God, who Forgives Bless the LORD, my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the LORD, my soul, and never forget any of his benefits: ³ He continues to forgive all your sins, he continues to heal all your diseases, ⁴ he continues to redeem your life from the Pit, and he continuously surrounds you with gracious love and compassion.

²² A wise man attacks the city of the mighty, bringing down the fortress in which they trust.

⁵ A wise man is strong, and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.

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

¹⁶ So I concluded, “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless, the wisdom of the poor is rejected—his words are never heard.”

¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, and a single sinner can destroy a lot of good.

¹ Israel’s Praise to the LORD At that time, you will say: “I will praise you, LORD, for although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away, and you have comforted me.

¹⁸ Daniel was seeking mercy, in order to ask about this mystery in the presence of the God of heaven, so that Daniel and his friends might not be executed along with the rest of the advisors of Babylon.

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.

²⁹ Your majesty, when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place. ³⁰ As for me, this secret was made known to me, not because my own wisdom is greater than anyone else alive, but in order that the meaning may be made known to the king, and that you might understand the thoughts of your heart.

²⁵ Jesus Praises the Father and Invites the Disciples to Come to Him
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants.

²¹ Jesus Praises the Father
At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

⁴¹ So they removed the stone.
Then Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me.

¹⁵ I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends, because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.

¹ The Revelation of Jesus the Messiah to the Seven ChurchesThis is the revelation of Jesus the Messiah, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. He made it known by sending his messenger to his servant John,

⁵ “Stop crying,” one of the elders told me. “Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

¹² At this point, the king flew into a rage and issued an order to destroy all the advisors of Babylon. ¹³ When the order went out to kill the advisors, they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.
¹⁴ Daniel Requests Time to Answer the KingDaniel responded with wisdom and discretion to Arioch, the king’s executioner, who had gone out to execute the advisors of Babylon.

²⁴ and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul! You must stand before the emperor. Indeed, God has given to you the lives of everyone who is sailing with you.’

⁶ a list of descendants of the province of Judah who returned from captivity, from those who had been exiled by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They had come back to Jerusalem and to Judah, each one to his town.

¹¹ Rescue those who are being led away to death, and save those who stumble toward slaughter.

¹⁰ Whatever the activity in which you engage, do it with all your ability, because there is no work, no planning, no learning, and no wisdom in the next world where you’re going.

⁶ Included among the people of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

¹³ Daniel Interprets the HandwritingThen Daniel was brought before the king. The king spoke up and told Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the Judean exiles whom my grandfather the king brought from Judah!

¹³ Then they told the king, “Daniel, who is one of the Judean exiles, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the written decree, since he is still praying three times a day.”

²⁷ But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. ²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something,

³³ Saul told David, “You can’t go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth.”

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.

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 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:

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.”
¹⁹ Daniel’s InterpretationThen Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was greatly troubled for a while and was terrified by his thoughts. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its meaning terrify you.”
Belteshazzar responded, “Your majesty, if only the dream were about your enemies and its meaning about those who oppose you!

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.”

¹⁶ However, I’ve heard that you can provide meaning and interpretation, and that you can solve difficult problems. If you are able to read the writing and report its meaning, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

¹² He frustrates the plans of the crafty; so that what they work for never succeeds. ¹³ He captures the wise in their own craftiness, bringing a quick end to their cunning advice.

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,

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.

¹ Jacob’s Final BlessingsAfter this, Jacob called his sons together and told them, “Assemble yourselves around me so I can tell you all what is going to happen to you in the last days.

¹⁴ Meanwhile, since I have to return to my people, come and listen while I tell you what this people will be doing to your people in the last days.”

³⁰ In your distress, when all these things happen to you in days to come and you return to the LORD your God, then you will hear his voice.

¹⁹ Moses Instructed to Teach a Song“Now write this song and teach it to the Israelis. Put this song in their very mouths, so that it will be a witness for me against the Israelis,

³ when our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he desires?

² “It will come about in the last days that the mountain that is the LORD’s Temple will be established as the highest of mountains, and will be raised above the hills; all the nations will stream to it.

²² Let them approach and ask us, ‘What will happen? As to the former things, what were they? Tell us, so that we may consider them and know. Or the latter things or the things to come— let us hear. ²³ Tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods! Yes, do something good or something bad, so we may hear and gaze at it together.’”

²⁴ The fierce anger of the LORD won’t turn back until he has accomplished and established the plan of his heart. In the days to come, you will understand this.

⁴⁷ But I’ll restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days,” declares the LORD. This concludes the judgment on Moab.

⁸ “‘“Many days from now—in the latter years—you will be summoned to a land that has been restored from violence. You will be gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which formerly had been a continuous waste, but which will be populated with people who have been brought back from the nations. All of them will be living there securely.

¹⁶ You’ll come up to invade my people Israel like a storm cloud to cover the land. In the last days, Gog, I’ll bring you up to invade my land so that the world will learn to know me when I show them how holy I am before their very eyes.”’”

⁴⁷ The king told Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Secrets, because you were able to reveal this mystery.”

¹⁴ Now I’ve come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the days to come, because the vision pertains to those days.’

⁵ Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come in awe to the LORD and to his goodness in the last days.

¹³ Look! The one who crafts mountains, who creates the wind, who reveals what he is thinking to mankind, who darkens the morning light, who tramples down the high places of the land— the LORD, the God of the Heavenly Armies is his name.

¹ The Future Reign of God “But in the last days it will come about that the Temple Mount of the LORD will be firmly set as the leading mountain. It will be exalted above its surrounding hills, and people will stream toward it. ² Many nations will approach and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.’ “Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

⁹ Therefore, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

¹ What People will be Like in the Last DaysYou must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come.

¹ God Has Spoken to UsGod, having spoken in former times in fragmentary and varied fashion to our forefathers by the prophets,

³ First of all you must understand this: In the last days mockers will come and, following their own desires, will ridicule us

¹⁰ The Invasion Strategy“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This is what’s going to happen on the very day that you begin your invasion: You’ll be thinking, making evil plans,

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:

³ “I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Redeemer. And I’ve given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and the people of Seba in exchange for you. ⁴ Since you’re precious in my sight and honored, and because I love you, I’m giving up people in your place, and nations in exchange for your life.”

⁴ For the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen, I’ve called you, and he has established you with a name, although you have not acknowledged me.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the king’s command. ¹⁸ Daniel was seeking mercy, in order to ask about this mystery in the presence of the God of heaven, so that Daniel and his friends might not be executed along with the rest of the advisors of Babylon.

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.

²² If those days hadn’t been limited, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.

²⁰ If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days.

¹² When Peter saw this, he told the people: “Fellow Israelis, why are you wondering about this, and why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk?

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.

²¹ So let no one boast about human beings, since everything belongs to you, ²² whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, or the future—everything belongs to you, ²³ but you belong to the Messiah, and the Messiah belongs to God.

⁸ and finally he was seen by me, as though I were born abnormally late.
⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God’s church. ¹⁰ But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace shown to me was not wasted. Instead, I worked harder than all the others—not I, of course, but God’s grace that was with me. ¹¹ So, whether it was I or the others, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
¹² The Resurrection of the DeadNow if we preach that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, how can some of you keep claiming there is no resurrection of the dead?

¹⁵ All this is for your sake so that, as his grace spreads, more and more people will give thanks and glorify God.

¹¹ I’ll punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I’ll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant, and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.

³ Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you. ⁴ For you have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat— for the blistering attack from the ruthless is like a rainstorm beating against a wall, ⁵ and the noise of foreigners is like the heat of the desert. Just as you subdue heat by the shade of clouds, so the victory songs of violent men will be stilled.

⁷ Therefore, look! I’m bringing foreigners in your direction, the most terrifying of nations! They will direct their violence against the grandeur that you’ve created by your wisdom.

³ Four magnificent animals were rising from the sea, each different from the other. ⁴ The first resembled a lion, but it had eagles’ wings. I continued to watch until its wings were plucked off, it was lifted up off the ground, and it was forced to stand on two feet like a man. A human soul was imparted to it.
⁵ “Then look!—a second animal resembling a bear followed it. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs held between the teeth in its mouth. Therefore people kept telling it, ‘Get up and devour lots of meat!’
⁶ “After this, I continued to watch—and look!—there was another one, resembling a leopard with four birds’ wings on its back. The animal also had four heads, and authority was imparted to it.
⁷ “After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look!—there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things, and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.
⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns—look—another horn, this time a little one, grew up among them. Three of the first horns were yanked up by their roots right in front of it. Look! It had eyes like those of a human being and a mouth that boasted with audacious claims.”
⁹ The Vision of the Ancient of Days“I kept on watching until the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothes were white, like snow, and the hair on his head was like pure wool. His throne burned with flaming fire, and its wheels burned with fire. ¹⁰ A river of fire flowed out from before him. Thousands upon thousands were serving him, with millions upon millions waiting before him. The court sat in judgment, and record books were unsealed.
¹¹ “I continued watching because of the audacious words that the horn was speaking. I kept observing until the animal was killed and its body destroyed and given over to burning fire. ¹² Now as to the other animals, their authority was removed, but they were granted a reprieve from execution for an appointed period of time.”
¹³ The Vision of the Son of Man“I continued to observe the night vision—and look!—someone like the Son of Man was coming, accompanied by heavenly clouds. He approached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴ To him dominion was bestowed, along with glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages are to serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion—it will never pass away—and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
¹⁵ The Vision Interpreted“Now as for me, Daniel, I was emotionally troubled, and what I had seen in the visions kept alarming me. ¹⁶ So I approached one of those who was standing nearby and began to ask the meaning of all of this. He spoke to me and caused me to understand the interpretation of these things. ¹⁷ He said, ‘These four great animals are four kings who will rise to power from the earth.

⁷ They are terrible and fearsome; their brand of justice and sense of honor derive only from themselves!

⁸ Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor.

⁵ The devil also took him to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.

⁴ you will lift up this song of mockery against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has come to an end! How the attacker has ceased!

⁷ Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine, therefore the nations have gone mad.

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. ³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth.

²² it’s you, your majesty! You’ve become great and strong, your greatness has grown to the heavens, and your dominion reaches to the distant parts of the earth.

³⁰ he commented to himself, “Isn’t Babylon great? I’ve built a royal palace in it by my own might and power, for the sake of my majesty.”

⁴ The first resembled a lion, but it had eagles’ wings. I continued to watch until its wings were plucked off, it was lifted up off the ground, and it was forced to stand on two feet like a man. A human soul was imparted to it.
⁵ “Then look!—a second animal resembling a bear followed it. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs held between the teeth in its mouth. Therefore people kept telling it, ‘Get up and devour lots of meat!’
⁶ “After this, I continued to watch—and look!—there was another one, resembling a leopard with four birds’ wings on its back. The animal also had four heads, and authority was imparted to it.

³ “Then I turned my head to look, and to my surprise, a two-horned ram was standing beside the canal. The two horns grew long, the first one growing longer than the second, with the longer one springing up last. ⁴ I watched the ram charging westward, northward, and southward. No animal could stand before him, nor was there anyone who could deliver from his control. He did as he pleased and exalted himself.
⁵ “As I watched and wondered, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a distinctive horn between its eyes. ⁶ It approached the ram with the two horns that I had observed while standing beside the canal, and charged at him, out of control with rage. ⁷ I saw it approach the ram, overflowing with fury at him, and run into him with the full force of its strength. The goat shattered the ram’s two horns, and the ram could not oppose it. So the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from its control. ⁸ Then the goat grew extremely great, but when it was strong, its great horn was shattered. In its place, four distinctive horns grew out in all directions.”

² International Conflicts to Come“‘Now I’ll tell you the truth: Pay attention! Three more kings will arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain more than them all. As soon as he gains power by means of his wealth, he’ll stir up everyone against the Grecian kingdoms.
³ “‘A mighty king will come to power, and he’ll rule with awesome energy, doing whatever he pleases. ⁴ However, after he has come to power, his kingdom will be broken and parceled out in all directions. It won’t go to his succeeding descendants, nor will its power match how he ruled, because his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to successors besides them.
⁵ “‘The southern king will become strong, along with one of his officials, who will become stronger than he and rule over his own realm with great power. ⁶ After a number of years, they’ll become allies and the daughter of the southern king will go to the northern king in order to craft alliances. But she won’t remain in power, nor will he retain his power. Instead, she’ll be surrendered, along with her entourage, the one who fathered her, and the one who supported her at that time.
⁷ “‘One of her family line will replace him. He’ll come against the army and enter the fortress of the northern king, conquering them and becoming victorious. ⁸ He’ll also take their gods, their molten images, and their valuable vessels of silver and gold into Egypt as hostages. He’ll avoid the northern king for a number of years. ⁹ Then he’ll come against the realm of the southern king and then return to his own territory. ¹⁰ His sons will prepare for war, assembling an army of considerable force. One of them will come on forcefully, overflowing, passing through, and waging war up to his own fortress.
¹¹ “‘The southern king will fly into a rage and march out to fight the northern king. He’ll gather a large army, but that army will be handed over to him. ¹² When that army has been defeated, he’ll become overconfident and slaughter many thousands, but he won’t succeed. ¹³ The northern king will return and raise a greater army than before. After a few years, he’ll advance with a great force and with a vast amount of armaments.’”
¹⁴ Rebellion against the Southern King“‘During those years, many will rebel against the southern king. The more violent ones among your people will rebel in order to fulfill this vision, but they will fail. ¹⁵ Then the northern king will come, erect a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The southern forces won’t prevail—not even with their best troops—and they’ll have no strength to take a stand.
¹⁶ “‘However, the one who invades him will do whatever he wants to do. No one will oppose him. He’ll establish himself in the Beautiful Land, wielding devastating power. ¹⁷ He’ll decide to come with the full power of his kingdom, bringing with him an alliance that he’ll implement. He’ll give him a daughter in marriage to overthrow it, but it won’t succeed or work out for him. ¹⁸ Then he’ll turn his attention to the coastal lands and will capture many. But a commander will put an end to his insolence, repaying him for his scorn. ¹⁹ He’ll turn his attention toward the fortresses in his own territory, but he’ll stumble and fall, and won’t endure. ²⁰ His successor will send out a tax collector for royal splendor, but in a short period of time he’ll be shattered, though neither in anger nor in battle.’”

⁴ The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls. In her hand she was holding a gold cup filled with detestable things and the impurities of her immorality.

⁴⁰ Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as all things are broken to pieces and shattered by iron, so it will shatter and crush everything. ⁴¹ “The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, represent a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle. ⁴³ Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, so they will mix themselves with human offspring. Furthermore, they won’t remain together, just as iron doesn’t mix with clay.

⁷ “After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look!—there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things, and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.
⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns—look—another horn, this time a little one, grew up among them. Three of the first horns were yanked up by their roots right in front of it. Look! It had eyes like those of a human being and a mouth that boasted with audacious claims.”

¹⁹ “I wanted to learn the precise significance of the fourth animal that was different from all the others, extremely awe-inspiring, with iron teeth and bronze claws, and that had devoured and crushed things, trampling under its feet whatever remained. ²⁰ Also, I wanted to learn the significance of the ten horns on its head and the other horn that had arisen, before which three of them had fallen—that is, the horn with eyes and a mouth that uttered magnificent things and which was greater in appearance than its fellows.
²¹ “As I continued to watch, that same horn waged war against the saints, and was prevailing against them ²² until the Ancient of Days arrived to pass judgment in favor of the saints of the Highest One and the time came for the saints to take possession of the kingdom. ²³ So he said: ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the kingdoms. It will devour the entire earth, trampling it down and crushing it. ²⁴ Now as to the ten horns, ten kings will rise to power from this kingdom, and another king will rise to power after them. He will be different from the previous kings, and will defeat three kings. ²⁵ He’ll speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One. He’ll attempt to alter times and laws, and they’ll be given into his control for a time, times, and half a time. ²⁶ Nevertheless, the court will convene, and his authority will be removed, annulled, and destroyed forever.

⁸ Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession. ⁹ You will break them with an iron rod, you will shatter them like pottery.” ¹⁰ Therefore, kings, act wisely! Earthly rulers, be warned! ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Kiss the son before he becomes angry, and you die where you stand. Indeed, his wrath can flare up quickly. How blessed are those who take refuge in him.

⁵ The Lord is at your right hand; he will utterly destroy kings in the time of his wrath. ⁶ He will execute judgment against the nations, filling graves with corpses. He will utterly destroy leaders far and wide.

²² The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

⁶ Let high praises to God be heard in their throats, while they wield two-edged swords in their hands ⁷ as they bring retribution to nations and punishment to peoples, ⁸ binding their kings with chains, their officials with iron bands, ⁹ and executing the judgment written against them. This is honor for all the ones he loves. Hallelujah!

¹⁶ therefore this is what the LORD God says: “Look! I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: Whoever believes firmly will not act hastily.

¹² For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; those nations will be utterly ruined.

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. ⁴⁵ Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”

¹³ The Vision of the Son of Man“I continued to observe the night vision—and look!—someone like the Son of Man was coming, accompanied by heavenly clouds. He approached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴ To him dominion was bestowed, along with glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages are to serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion—it will never pass away—and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

²⁷ Then the kingdom, authority, and magnificence of all nations of the earth will be given to the people who are the saints of the Highest One. His kingdom will endure forever, and all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

²⁵ Through his skill he’ll cause deceit to prosper under his leadership. He’ll promote himself and will destroy many while they are secure. He’ll take a stand against the Prince of Princes, yet he’ll be crushed without human help.

⁶ The LORD’s First Charge to ZerubbabelThen he replied to me, “This is this message from the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by valor nor by strength, but only by my Spirit,’ says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

³ It will come about at that time that I will make Jerusalem a heavy weight; so everyone who burdens themselves with it will be crushed, even though all of the nations of the earth gather themselves against it.

¹⁸ I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

¹³ who were born, not merely in a genetic sense, nor from lust, nor from man’s desire, but from the will of God.

¹¹ He is ‘the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.’

¹ We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human hands.

²⁴ For the Messiah did not go into a sanctuary made by human hands that is merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, to appear now in God’s presence on our behalf.

⁷ Therefore he is precious to you who believe, but to those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,

¹⁵ The Vision of the Seventh Angel Blowing His TrumpetWhen the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The world’s kingdom has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule forever and ever.”

¹⁴ They will wage war against the lamb, but the lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those who are called, chosen, and faithful are with him.”

¹¹ The Vision of the Coming of the MessiahThen I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse! Its rider is named Faithful and True. He administers justice and wages war righteously. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many royal crowns. He has a name written on him that nobody knows except himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, follow him on white horses. ¹⁵ A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe that covers his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
¹⁷ The Vision of the Angel’s InvitationThen I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great supper of God. ¹⁸ Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of warriors, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, both unimportant and important.”
¹⁹ The Vision of the Judgment of the Beast and False ProphetThen I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf. By these signs the false prophet had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed by the sword that belonged to the rider on the horse and that came from his mouth, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

¹⁷ But then the snow melts, and they disappear; when warmed, they evaporate from their stream beds.

⁴ But this is not the case with the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not escape judgment, nor will sinners have a place in the assembly of the righteous.

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of the nations will bow in submission to the LORD.

¹⁰ Yet a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more. You will search for his place, but he will not be there.

³⁶ But then he passed away; in fact, he simply was not there. When I looked for him, he could not be found.

⁹ He causes wars to cease all over the earth, he causes the bow to break, the spear to snap, the chariots to ignite and burn.

⁴ The whole earth worships you. They sing praise to you. They sing praise to your name. Interlude

¹ To the Director of music: Accompanied by stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song.
A Call to Thanksgiving May God show us favor and bless us; may he truly show us his favor. Interlude ² Let your ways be known by all the nations of the earth, along with your deliverance.

¹⁶ May grain be abundant in the land all the way to the mountain tops; may its fruits flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and may the cities sprout like the grass of the earth.
¹⁷ Praising the God of IsraelMay his fame be eternal— as long as the sun— may his name endure, and may they be blessed through him, and may all nations call him blessed.

⁹ You cleared the ground so that its roots grew and filled the land. ¹⁰ Mountains were covered by its shadows, and the mighty cedars by its branches.

⁹ All the nations that you have established will come and worship you, my Lord. They will honor your name.

¹⁶ but when the wind blows through it, it withers away and no one remembers where it was.

² “It will come about in the last days that the mountain that is the LORD’s Temple will be established as the highest of mountains, and will be raised above the hills; all the nations will stream to it. ³ Many groups of people will come, commenting, “Come! Let’s go up to the Temple of the God of Jacob, that they may teach us his ways. Then let’s walk in his paths.”
The Rule of God from Jerusalem “Instruction will proceed from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

¹³ The nations roar like the rushing of many waters, but the LORD will rebuke them, and they will run far away, chased like chaff blown down from the mountains or like thick dust that rolls along, blown along by a wind storm. ¹⁴ When the evening arrives, watch out—sudden terror! By morning they will be there no longer! So it will be for those who plunder us and what will happen to those who rob us.”

¹⁵ A Promise of Victory“See, I’m making you into a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge. You’ll thresh and crush the mountains, and make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶ You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the LORD, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”

³ Therefore they will be like morning clouds, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff blown away from the threshing floor, or like smoke from a chimney.”

¹³ Get up and smash them to pieces, daughter of Zion, because I will make your horn like iron and your hooves like bronze! And you will beat many people to pieces, and I will consecrate their dishonest gain to the LORD and their assets to the Lord of the entire earth.”

⁸ At that time, flowing waters will run perennially from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half to the Mediterranean Sea. ⁹ The LORD will be king over all the earth at that time. There will be one LORD, and his name the only one.

²⁵ For he must rule until God puts all the Messiah’s enemies under his feet.

⁸ But it was not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

² He captured the dragon, that ancient serpent, also known as the devil and Satan, and tied him up for a thousand years. ³ He threw him into the bottomless pit, locked it, and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. After that, he must be set free for a little while.

¹¹ The Vision of the White Throne JudgmentThen I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.

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.”
²⁴ After this, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the advisors of Babylon. He told him, “Don’t destroy the advisors of Babylon. Bring me before the king and I’ll explain the meaning to him.”

²⁴ He ruled over everything west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all of the kings west of the Euphrates River, and he enjoyed peace on all sides around him.

²³ AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM CYRUS, KING OF PERSIA All of the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the LORD God of Heaven, and he specifically charged me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, who among the LORD’s people trusts in his God? Whoever among this group wishes to do so may travel to Jerusalem.

² AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM CYRUS, KING OF PERSIA All of the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the LORD God of Heaven, and he specifically charged me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

¹² From: Artaxerxes, King of Kings To: Ezra, the Priest, a scholar in matters concerning the laws of the God of Heaven Greetings!

¹⁵ Kings reign by me, and rulers dispense justice through me.

⁸ “Because this is what he is saying: ‘My commanders are all kings, are they not?

⁵ “Sit silent, and enter into the darkness, you daughter of the Chaldeans; for no more will they call you Queen of Kingdoms.

¹⁴ For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I’ve put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll serve him, and I’ve even given the wild animals to him.”’”

⁷ Nebuchadnezzar’s Invasion“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m about to bring from the north King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that king of kings. He’ll come with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast army.

³ How great are his signs!How powerful are his wonders!His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.

²⁵ You’ll be driven from people, and you’ll live among wild animals of the field. You’ll eat grass like cattle and be soaked with the dew of the sky while seven years pass you by—until you realize that the Most High is sovereign over human kingdoms and grants them to whomever he desires.

³⁴ The King’s Sanity Returns“When that period of time was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven and my sanity returned to me. I blessed the Most High, praising and honoring the one who lives forever: For his sovereignty is eternal, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.

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

¹⁰ Even though they sold themselves to the nations, I will gather them. They will mourn for a while for the burden they were to the king and princes.

¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

⁵ and from Jesus the Messiah, the witness, the faithful one, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, because you created all things; they came into existence and were created because of your will.”

¹⁰ Indeed, every animal of the forest is mine, even the cattle on a thousand hills. ¹¹ I know all the birds in the mountains; indeed, everything that moves in the field is mine.

²¹ with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit—enough food for everyone—and under which wild animals of the field found shelter and the birds of the air had nests in its branches— ²² it’s you, your majesty! You’ve become great and strong, your greatness has grown to the heavens, and your dominion reaches to the distant parts of the earth.

²⁸ who says about Cyrus, “He’s my shepherd, and he’ll carry out everything that I please: He’ll say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’ and of my Temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid again.’”’”

³² That statue had a head made of pure gold, with its chest and arms made of silver, its abdomen and thighs made of bronze,

²⁸ PERES: Your kingdom has been divided—and will be given to the Medes and Persians.”
²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders to clothe Daniel in purple, to place a chain of gold around his neck, and to proclaim him the third highest ruler of the kingdom.
³⁰ That night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was killed, ³¹ and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of 62.

⁵ “Then look!—a second animal resembling a bear followed it. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs held between the teeth in its mouth. Therefore people kept telling it, ‘Get up and devour lots of meat!’
⁶ “After this, I continued to watch—and look!—there was another one, resembling a leopard with four birds’ wings on its back. The animal also had four heads, and authority was imparted to it.
⁷ “After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look!—there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things, and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.

²³ So he said: ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the kingdoms. It will devour the entire earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

³ “Then I turned my head to look, and to my surprise, a two-horned ram was standing beside the canal. The two horns grew long, the first one growing longer than the second, with the longer one springing up last. ⁴ I watched the ram charging westward, northward, and southward. No animal could stand before him, nor was there anyone who could deliver from his control. He did as he pleased and exalted himself.
⁵ “As I watched and wondered, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a distinctive horn between its eyes. ⁶ It approached the ram with the two horns that I had observed while standing beside the canal, and charged at him, out of control with rage. ⁷ I saw it approach the ram, overflowing with fury at him, and run into him with the full force of its strength. The goat shattered the ram’s two horns, and the ram could not oppose it. So the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from its control. ⁸ Then the goat grew extremely great, but when it was strong, its great horn was shattered. In its place, four distinctive horns grew out in all directions.”
⁹ The Insignificant Horn“A somewhat insignificant horn emerged from one of them. It moved rapidly against the south, against the east, and against the Glory. ¹⁰ Then it moved against the Heavenly Army. It persuaded some of the Heavenly Army to fall to the earth, along with some of the stars, and it trampled them. ¹¹ Then it set itself in arrogant opposition to the Prince of the Heavenly Army, from whom the regular burnt offering was taken away, in order to overthrow his sanctuary. ¹² Because of the transgression, the Heavenly Army will be given over, along with the regular burnt offering, and in that rebellion truth will be cast to the ground, while he continues to prosper and to act.”
¹³ The Duration of the Desolation“Then I heard one holy person speaking, and another holy person addressed the one who was speaking: ‘In the vision about the regular burnt offering, how much time elapses while the desecration terrifies and both the Holy Place and the Heavenly Army are trampled?’
¹⁴ “He told me, ‘For 2,300 days. Then the Holy Place will be restored.’”

²⁰ The ram that you saw with a pair of horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

²⁰ “Then he said, ‘Do you understand why I came to you? Soon I’ll return to fight the prince of Persia. I’m going forth to war—and take note—the prince of Greece is coming!

³ Attached to the third chariot were white horses. Attached to the fourth chariot were speckled horses and gray horses.

⁶ The black horses are headed into the north country, and the white ones are headed out after them. The speckled horses are headed toward the south country.”

¹² “Can anyone break iron— iron from the north—or bronze?

³³ its legs made of iron, and its feet made partly of iron and partly of clay.

²⁴ Mighty will be his skills, but not from his own abilities. He’ll be remarkably destructive, will succeed, and will do whatever he wants, destroying mighty men and the holy people.

²⁶ Then after the 62 weeks, the anointed one will be cut down (but not for himself). Then the people of the Coming Commander will destroy both the city and the Sanctuary. Its ending will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war, with desolations having been decreed.

³⁶ The King Who Calls Himself God“‘The king will do as he pleases. He’ll exalt and magnify himself above every god, speaking amazing things against the God of Gods. He’ll succeed until the indignation is completed, because what has been determined must be carried out. ³⁷ He’ll recognize neither the gods of his ancestors nor those desired by women—he won’t recognize any god, because he’ll exalt himself above everything. ³⁸ He’ll glorify the god of fortresses, a god whom his ancestors never knew, honoring him with gold, silver, valuable jewels, and treasures. ³⁹ He’ll take action against the strongest fortresses. With the help of a foreign god, he’ll recognize those who honor him, making them rule over many, and he’ll parcel out the land for a profit.
⁴⁰ “‘At the time of the end, the southern king will oppose him, and the northern king will overrun him with chariots, cavalry, and many ships. He’ll invade countries, moving swiftly and sweeping through. ⁴¹ He’ll enter the Beautiful Land, and many will fall, even though these will escape his control: Edom, Moab, and certain Ammonite officials.
⁴² He’ll extend his power over other countries, and even the land of Egypt won’t escape. ⁴³ He’ll capture treasures of gold, silver, and all the treasures of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites at his feet. ⁴⁴ However, reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he’ll march out in great anger, intending to destroy and to desolate many. ⁴⁵ When he pitches his royal pavilions between the seas facing the mountain of holy Glory, he’ll come to his end, and no one will help him.’”

³ A Warning to DamascusThis is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus —and now for a fourth— I will not turn away; because they have trampled down Gilead with ironclad threshing sleds.

⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

³³ its legs made of iron, and its feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together and became like chaff from a summer threshing floor that the breeze carries away without leaving a trace. Then the rock that struck the statue grew into a huge mountain and filled the entire earth.

²⁴ Now as to the ten horns, ten kings will rise to power from this kingdom, and another king will rise to power after them. He will be different from the previous kings, and will defeat three kings.

³ The Vision of the Red DragonThen another sign appeared in the sky: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on its heads.

¹ The Vision of the Beast from the SeaI saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns, seven heads, and ten royal crowns on its horns. On its heads were blasphemous names.

¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom. They will receive authority to rule as kings with the beast for one hour.

¹⁰ The scepter will never depart from Judah, nor a ruler’s staff from between his feet, until the One comes, who owns them both, and to him will belong the allegiance of nations.

⁶ “I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
⁷ The Anointed King SpeaksLet me announce the decree of the LORD that he told me: “You are my son, today I have become your father.

⁸ Your hand will find all your enemies, your right hand will find those who hate you. ⁹ When you appear, you will set them ablaze like a fire furnace. In his wrath, the LORD will consume them, and the fire will devour them.

¹ Solomonic
A Prayer for the King God, endow the king with ability to render your justice, and the king’s son to render your right decisions. ² May he rule your people with right decisions and your oppressed ones with justice. ³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people and the hills bring righteousness. ⁴ May he defend the afflicted of the people and deliver the children of the poor, but crush the oppressor. ⁵ May they fear you as long as the sun and moon shine— from generation to generation. ⁶ May he be like the rain that descends on mown grass, like showers sprinkling on the ground. ⁷ The righteous will flourish at the proper time and peace will prevail until the moon is no more. ⁸ May he rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. ⁹ May the nomads bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust. ¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring gifts, and may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute. ¹¹ May all kings bow down to him, and all nations serve him. ¹² For he will deliver the needy when they cry out for help, and the poor when there is no deliverer. ¹³ He will have compassion on the poor and the needy, and he will save the lives of the needy. ¹⁴ He will redeem them from oppression and violence, since their lives are precious in his sight.
¹⁵ Prayer for the KingMay he live long and be given gold from Sheba, and may prayer be offered for him continuously, and may he be blessed every day. ¹⁶ May grain be abundant in the land all the way to the mountain tops; may its fruits flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and may the cities sprout like the grass of the earth.
¹⁷ Praising the God of IsraelMay his fame be eternal— as long as the sun— may his name endure, and may they be blessed through him, and may all nations call him blessed. ¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does awesome deeds. ¹⁹ And blessed be his glorious name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen! ²⁰ This ends the prayers of Jesse’s son David.

³ I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have made a promise to David, my servant. ⁴ “I will establish your dynasty forever, and I will lift up one who will build your throne from generation to generation.” Interlude

¹⁹ God’s Describes His AnointedYou spoke to your faithful ones through a vision: “I will set a helper over a warrior. I will raise up a chosen one from the people. ²⁰ I have found my servant David; I have anointed him with my sacred oil, ²¹ with whom my power will be firmly established; for my arm will strengthen him. ²² No enemy will deceive him; no wicked person will afflict him. ²³ I will crush his enemies before him and strike those who hate him. ²⁴ My faithfulness and gracious love will be with him, and in my name his power will be exalted. ²⁵ I will place his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers. ²⁶ He will announce to me ‘You are my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’ ²⁷ “Indeed, I myself made him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. ²⁸ I will show my gracious love toward him forever, since my covenant is securely established with him. ²⁹ I will establish his dynasty forever, and his throne as long as heaven endures. ³⁰ “But if his sons abandon my laws and do not follow my ordinances, ³¹ if they profane my statutes; and do not keep my commands, ³² then I will punish their disobedience with a rod and their iniquity with lashes. ³³ But I will not cut off my gracious love from him, and I will not stop being faithful. ³⁴ I will not dishonor my covenant, because I will not change what I have spoken. ³⁵ I have sworn by my holiness once for all: I will not lie to David. ³⁶ His dynasty will last forever and his throne will be like the sun before me.

¹ A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler A declaration from the LORD to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” ² When the LORD extends your mighty scepter from Zion, rule in the midst of your enemies. ³ Your soldiers are willing volunteers on your day of battle; in majestic holiness, from the womb, from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you. ⁴ The LORD took an oath and will never recant: “You are a priest forever, after the manner of Melchizedek.”

¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your authority endures from one generation to another. ^13bGod is faithful about everything he says and merciful in everything he does.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob and on which your ancestors lived. They will live in that land, along with their children and grandchildren, forever. David my servant will be their everlasting leader.

³⁴ “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces.

³⁷ You, your majesty, king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory,

²⁶ “I hereby decree that in every area of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, who endures forever. His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed, and his dominion continues forever.

⁷ I will transform the lame into survivors, and those who were scattered into a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion, now and forever.”

² “Repent, because the kingdom from heaven is near!” ³ He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said, “He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!’”

¹⁸ Then Jesus approached them and told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ Then the crowd answered him, “We have learned from the Law that the Messiah remains forever. So how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

²⁴ Then the end will come, when after he has done away with every ruler and every authority and power, the Messiah hands over the kingdom to God the Father. ²⁵ For he must rule until God puts all the Messiah’s enemies under his feet.

²⁰ which he brought about in the Messiah when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm. ²¹ He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. ²² God has put everything under the Messiah’s feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church,

²⁷ ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; shattering them like clay pots.’

¹⁵ A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe that covers his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
¹⁷ The Vision of the Angel’s InvitationThen I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great supper of God. ¹⁸ Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of warriors, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, both unimportant and important.”
¹⁹ The Vision of the Judgment of the Beast and False ProphetThen I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf. By these signs the false prophet had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

²⁸ So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do.

³² “Now since Pharaoh had that dream twice, it means that this event has been scheduled by God, and God will bring it to pass very soon.

¹⁷ For the LORD your God is the God of all gods, the LORD of all lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism or take bribes.

²² And therefore you are great, Lord GOD, there is no one like you, there is no God except for you, just as we’ve heard with our own ears.

²⁵ because the LORD is great, and he is praised greatly! He is feared above every god.

¹⁴ Looking things over, I stood up and spoke to the officials, the military leaders, and the rest of the people: “Don’t fear them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

³² “Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and gracious love, don’t let all of the difficulties seem trifling to you, all of hardships that have come upon us, upon our kings, upon our leaders, upon our priests, upon our prophets, upon our ancestors, and upon all of your people from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.

²⁶ God Controls the Weather“God is truly awesome, beyond what we know; the number of his years is unknowable.

¹ A song: Lyrics by the Sons of Korah.
Zion, City of God Great is the LORD! For he is to be praised greatly, even in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

⁴ For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised; he is awesome above all gods.

⁵ Indeed, I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord surpasses all gods.

³ The LORD is great, and to be praised highly, though his greatness is indescribable.

¹⁸ You, the great God, the mighty one, show gracious love to thousands and repay the parents’ iniquity to their children after them. The LORD of the Heavenly Armies is his name. ¹⁹ You are great in regards to your purposes and mighty in regards to your works. Your eyes are open to everything that people do, and will reward each one according to their ways and just as their actions deserve.

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.

¹¹ Even so, from where the sun rises to where it sets my name will be great among the Gentiles. Incense will be brought to me everywhere, along with pure offerings, because my name will be great among the Gentiles,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I, too, will ask you one question. If you answer it for me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

²⁰ The Coming of the Kingdom
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with a visible display.

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments ⁵ and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.

¹⁹ Therefore, write down what you have seen, what is, and what is going to happen after this.

¹ The Vision of God’s ThroneAfter these things, I saw a door standing open in heaven. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”

¹⁷ The Vision of the Angel’s InvitationThen I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great supper of God.

³¹ I’ll lay your cities to waste and destroy your sanctuaries so I don’t have to smell the scent of your soothing odors.

¹⁰ so they may approach the God of Heaven with fragrant sacrifices and pray for the life of this king and his sons.

¹⁶ He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. Now that man was a Samaritan.

²⁵ When Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him, bowed down at his feet, and began to worship him.

¹³ The priest of the temple of Zeus, which was just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates. He and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices.

⁶ They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders who were sitting on their thrones in God’s presence fell on their faces and worshipped God.

¹⁰ I bowed down at his feet to worship him, but he told me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who rely on what Jesus is saying. Worship God, because what Jesus is saying is the spirit of prophecy!”

⁸ The Vision of an Exhortation to Worship GodI, John, heard and saw these things. When I had heard and seen them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing me these things.

²² “The God of gods, the LORD, the God of gods, the LORD is the one who knows! And may Israel itself be aware that if this was an act of rebellion or an act of treachery against the LORD, may he not deliver us today!

¹⁹ He leads away the priests naked and overthrows the ruling class.

¹⁰ Therefore, kings, act wisely! Earthly rulers, be warned! ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹¹ May all kings bow down to him, and all nations serve him.

¹ A Psalm of Asaph
Asking God for Justice God takes his stand in the divine assembly; among the divine beings he renders judgment:

² Give thanks to the God of gods, for his gracious love is everlasting.

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

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.

³⁶ The King Who Calls Himself God“‘The king will do as he pleases. He’ll exalt and magnify himself above every god, speaking amazing things against the God of Gods. He’ll succeed until the indignation is completed, because what has been determined must be carried out.

¹⁵ At the right time, he will make him known. God is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

³⁹ Since God has revealed all of this to you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “there is no one so wise and discerning as you. ⁴⁰ So you are to be appointed in charge over my palace, and all of my people are to do whatever you command them to do. Only the throne will have greater authority than you.”
⁴¹ “Look!” Pharaoh confirmed to Joseph, “I’ve put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!”
⁴² Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand, placed it on Joseph’s hand, had him clothed in fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ Then he provided him with a chariot as his second-in-command, outfitted with a group of people who shouted out in front of him, “Bow your knees!” And that’s how Pharaoh set Joseph over the entire land of Egypt.

¹⁶ who approached Balaam with this message: “This is what Zippor’s son Balak says: ‘Don’t let anything get in the way of your coming to me. ¹⁷ I’m determined to reward you generously, and I’ll do everything you tell me to do. So come right away and curse this people for me.’”

²⁵ “Did all of you see this man coming up?” one Israeli asked. “He comes up to defy Israel, and the king will richly reward the man who kills him. He will give his daughter to him and will make his father’s house tax free in Israel.”

² Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel of Judah, and the man was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

³² Now Barzillai was a very old man at the age of 80 years. A very wealthy man, Barzillai had provided for king David during his sojourn in Mahanaim.

¹ The Healing of NaamanNaaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the opinion of his master. He was highly favored, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. Though he was a mighty and valiant man, he was suffering from leprosy.

³ His livestock included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants. Indeed, the man’s stature greatly exceeded that of many people who lived in the East.

⁵ Let me go to the leaders and speak to them. For they know the LORD’s way, the requirement of their God.”
The LORD Answers “But they, all together, have broken the yoke and torn off the restraints.

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.”

¹ Dedicating the Image to NebuchadnezzarSome time later, king Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue, making it 60 cubits high and six cubits wide. He set it up in the Dura Valley within the province of Babylon.

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego within the province of Babylon.

¹ Daniel’s Service to DariusIt pleased Darius to appoint 120 regional authorities over the kingdom throughout the realm, ² along with three chief administrators from them, one of which was Daniel. The regional authorities reported to these three administrators, so that the king would experience no losses.

¹⁹ Mordecai Thwarts a Plot to Kill AhasuerusWhen the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.

²¹ At that time when Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs among those who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus.

² All the king’s ministers who were in the king’s gate would kneel and bow down to Haman, because the king had commanded that Haman be honored in this way. Mordecai, however, would not kneel and would not bow down.

¹² When the righteous are victorious, there is great glory, but when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.

³ All the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the Middle Gate, including Nergal-sarri-usur, governor of Sinmagir, Nabu-sarrussu-ukin the high official, Nergal-sarri-user, the chief official, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.

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

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.

¹⁵ Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in court— perhaps the LORD, the God of the Heavenly Armies, will be gracious to the survivors of Joseph.’”