Daniel 3–4

Nebuchadnezzar the king made ^aan image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in ^bthe plain of Dura, in ^cthe province of Babylon. ²Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together ^dethe princes, ^dfthe governors, and ^dgffthe captains, ^gthe judges, ^gthe treasurers, ^gthe counsellers, ^gthe sheriffs, and all ^fthe rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ^3ggThen the princes, the governors and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, ^hO people, nations, and languages, ⁵that at what time ⁱye hear ^jthe sound of ^kthe cornet, ^lflute, ^lmharp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ⁿye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: ⁶and whoso ⁿfalleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour ^obe cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ^7pTherefore at that time, when all the people heard ^jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all ^hthe people, the nations, and the languages, ⁿfell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

^8pWherefore at that time certain ^qChaldeans ^rcame near, and ^saccused the Jews. ⁹They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, ^tO king, live for ever. ¹⁰Thou, O king, ^uhast made a decree, that every man that shall hear ^jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ⁿshall fall down and worship the golden image: ¹¹and whoso ⁿfalleth not down and worshippeth, that ^ohe should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹²There are certain Jews whom ^vthou hast set over the affairs of ^cthe province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor ⁿworship the golden image which thou hast set up.

¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring ^vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O ^vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor ⁿworship the golden image which I have set up? ¹⁵Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear ^jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ⁿye fall down and worship the image which I have made; ^xwell: but if ye worship not, ^oye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and ^ywho is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? ^16vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not ^zcareful to ^aanswer thee in this matter. ¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and ^bhe will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

¹⁹Then was Nebuchadnezzar ^cfull of fury, and the form of ^dhis visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heat. ²⁰And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹Then these men were bound in their ^ecoats, their hosen, and their ^fhats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²²Therefore because the king’s commandment was ^gurgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, ^hthe flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace ⁱ.

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up ^kin haste, and spake, and said unto his ^lcounsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. ²⁵He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, ^mwalking in the midst of the fire, and ⁿthey have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like ^othe Son of God. ²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of ^pthe most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^qcame forth of the midst of the fire. ²⁷And ^rthe princes, ^rgovernors, and ^rcaptains, and the king’s ^lcounsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, ^supon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their ^ecoats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. ²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^twho hath sent ^ouhis angel, and ^udelivered his servants ^vthat trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, ^wexcept their own God. ²⁹Therefore ^xI make a decree, That every ^ypeople, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^zshall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: ^abecause ^bthere is no other God that can deliver after this sort. ³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^cin the province of Babylon.

IV.Nebuchadnezzar the king, ^abunto all people, nations, and languages, ^bcthat dwell in all the earth; ^bdPeace be multiplied unto you. ²I thought it good to shew ^ethe signs and wonders that ^fthe high God hath wrought toward me. ³How great are ^ehis signs! and how mighty are ^ehis wonders! ^ghis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, ^gand his dominion is from generation to generation.

⁴I Nebuchadnezzar was ^hat rest in mine house, and ⁱflourishing in my palace: ⁵I saw a dream which made me afraid, and ^jthe thoughts upon my bed and ^jkthe visions of my head troubled me. ^6lTherefore made I a decree ^mto bring in all ⁿthe wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. ^7mThen came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and ^othe soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; ^oobut they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. ⁸But at the last Daniel came in before me, ^pwhose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and ^qin whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, ^rsaying, ^9pO Belteshazzar, ^smaster of the magicians, because I know that ^qthe spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no ^tsecret troubleth thee, tell me ^jthe visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. ¹⁰Thus were ^jthe visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold, ^ua tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. ¹¹ⁱThe tree grew, and was strong, and ^uvthe height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: ^12wthe leaves thereof were fair, ^wand the fruit thereof much, ^wand in it was ^xmeat for all: ^wythe beasts of the field had shadow under it, ^wand the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. ¹³I saw in ^jthe visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, ^za watcher and ^aa holy one came down from heaven; ¹⁴he cried aloud, and said thus, ^bHew down the tree, and ^ccut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: ^clet the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: ¹⁵nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: ¹⁶let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and ^dlet seven ^dtimes pass over him. ¹⁷This matter is by ^ethe decree of ^fthe watchers, and ^fthe demand by the word of the holy ones: ^gto the intent that ^hthe living may know ⁱthat ^jthe most High ^kruleth in the kingdom of men, ⁱand ^lgiveth it to whomsoever he will, and ^llsetteth up over it the basest of men. ¹⁸This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, ^mO Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, ⁿforasmuch ⁿⁿas all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for ^mthe spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

¹⁹Then Daniel, ^mwhose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied ^ofor one hour, and ^oohis thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, ^pthe dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. ^20ppThe tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; ^21qwhose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; ^qrunder which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: ^22rit is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and ^sthy dominion ^tto the end of the earth. ²³And whereas ^uthe king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, ^vHew the tree down, and destroy it; ^wyet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, ^dtill seven times pass over him; ^24…