Daniel 1–12

Daniel Is Trained in Babylon

1It was the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem. His armies surrounded the city and attacked it. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia.

²The Lord handed Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, over to him. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the articles from God’s temple. He carried them off to the temple of his god in Babylonia. He put them among the treasures of his god.

³The king gave Ashpenaz an order. Ashpenaz was the chief of Nebuchadnezzar’s court officials. The king told him to bring in some of the Israelites. He wanted nobles and men from the royal family. ⁴He was looking for young men who were healthy and handsome. They had to be able to learn anything. They had to be well educated. They had to have the ability to understand new things quickly and easily. The king wanted men who could serve in his palace. Ashpenaz was supposed to teach them the Babylonian language and writings.

⁵The king had his servants give them food and wine from his own table. They received a certain amount every day. The young men had to be trained for three years. After that, they could begin to serve the king.

⁶Some of the men were from Judah. Their names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ⁷The chief official gave them new names. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar. He gave Hananiah the name Shadrach. He gave Mishael the name Meshach. And he gave Azariah the name Abednego.

⁸Daniel decided not to make himself “unclean” by eating the king’s food and drinking his wine. So he asked the chief official for a favor. He wanted permission not to make himself “unclean” with the king’s food and wine.

⁹God had caused the official to be kind and friendly to Daniel. ¹⁰But the official refused to do what Daniel asked for. He said, “I’m afraid of the king. He is my master. He has decided what you and your three friends must eat and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men who are the same age you are? When he sees how you look, he might kill me.”

¹¹So Daniel spoke to one of the guards. The chief official had appointed him over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ¹²Daniel said to him, “Please test us for ten days. Give us nothing but vegetables to eat. And give us only water to drink. ¹³Then compare us with the young men who eat the king’s food. See how we look. After that, do what you want to.”

¹⁴So the guard agreed. He tested them for ten days.

¹⁵After the ten days they looked healthy and well fed. In fact, they looked better than any of the young men who ate the king’s food. ¹⁶So the guard didn’t require Daniel and his friends to eat the special food or drink the wine. He gave them vegetables instead.

¹⁷God gave knowledge and understanding to those four young men. So they understood all kinds of writings and subjects. And Daniel could understand all kinds of visions and dreams.

¹⁸The three years the king had set for their training ended. So the chief official brought them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹The king talked with them. He didn’t find anyone equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they began to serve the king. ²⁰He asked them for advice in matters that required wisdom and understanding. He always found their answers to be the best. In fact, the men were ten times better than anyone in his kingdom who claimed to get knowledge by using magic.

²¹Daniel served in Babylon until the first year Cyrus ruled over Babylonia. Cyrus was king of Persia.

Nebuchadnezzar Dreams About a Large Statue

2In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, he had a dream. His mind was troubled. He couldn’t sleep.

²So the king sent for those who claimed to get knowledge by using magic. He also sent for those who practiced evil magic and those who studied the heavens. He wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood in front of the king. ³He said to them, “I had a dream. It troubles me. So I want to know what it means.”

⁴Then those who studied the heavens answered the king. They spoke in Aramaic. They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, may you live forever! Tell us what you dreamed. Then we’ll explain what it means.”

⁵The king replied to them, “I have made up my mind. You must tell me what I dreamed. And you must tell me what it means. If you don’t, I’ll have you cut to pieces. And I’ll have your houses turned into piles of trash.

⁶“So tell me what I dreamed. Explain it to me. Then I’ll give you gifts. I’ll reward you. I’ll give you great honor. So tell me the dream. And tell me what it means.”

⁷Once more they replied, “King Nebuchadnezzar, tell us what you dreamed. Then we’ll tell you what it means.”

⁸The king answered, “I know what you are doing. You are trying to gain more time. You realize that I’ve made up my mind. ⁹You must tell me the dream. If you don’t, you will pay for it. You have gotten together and made evil plans. You hope things will change. So you are telling me lies. But I want you to tell me what I dreamed. Then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”

¹⁰They answered the king, “There isn’t a man on earth who can do what you are asking! No king has ever asked for anything like that. Not even a king as great and mighty as you has asked for it. Those who get knowledge by using magic have never been asked to do what you are asking. And those who study the heavens haven’t been asked to do it either. ¹¹What you are asking is much too hard. No one can tell you what you dreamed except the gods. And they don’t live among human beings.”

¹²That made the king very angry. He ordered that all of the wise men in Babylon be put to death. ¹³So the order was given to kill them. Men were sent out to look for Daniel and his friends. They were also supposed to be put to death.

¹⁴Arioch was the commander of the king’s guard. He went out to put the wise men of Babylon to death. So Daniel spoke to him wisely and carefully. ¹⁵He asked the king’s officer, “Why did Nebuchadnezzar give a terrible order like that?” Then Arioch explained to Daniel what was going on.

¹⁶When Daniel heard that, he went to the king. He told him he would explain the dream to him. But he needed more time.

¹⁷Then Daniel returned to his house. He explained everything to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ¹⁸He asked them to pray that the God of heaven would give him mercy. He wanted God to help him understand the mystery of the king’s dream. Then he and his friends wouldn’t be killed along with the other wise men in Babylon.

¹⁹During that night, God gave Daniel a vision. He showed him what the mystery was all about. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. ²⁰He said,

“May God be praised for ever and ever!

He is wise and powerful.

²¹He changes times and seasons.

He sets up kings.

He removes them from power.

The wisdom of those who are wise comes from him.

He gives knowledge to those who have understanding.

²²He explains deep and hidden things.

He knows what happens in the darkest places.

And where he is, everything is light.

²³God of my people, I thank and praise you.

You have given me wisdom and power.

You have made known to me what we asked you for.

You have shown us the king’s dream.”

Daniel Tells the King What His Dream Means

²⁴Then Daniel went to Arioch. The king had appointed him to put the wise men of Babylon to death. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king. I’ll tell him what his dream means.”

²⁵So Arioch took Daniel to the king at once. Arioch said, “I have found a man among those you brought here from Judah. He can tell you what your dream means.”

²⁶Nebuchadnezzar spoke to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar. The king asked him, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream? And can you tell me what it means?”

²⁷Daniel replied, “You have asked us to explain a mystery to you. But no wise man can do that. And those who try to figure things out by using magic can’t do it either.

²⁸“But there is a God in heaven who can explain mysteries. Nebuchadnezzar, he has shown you what is going to happen. Here is what you dreamed. And here are the visions that passed through your mind while you were lying on your bed.

²⁹“My king, while you were still in bed your mind thought about things that haven’t happened yet. The One who explains mysteries showed those things to you.

³⁰“Now the mystery has been explained to me. But it isn’t because I have greater wisdom than anyone else. It’s because God wants you to know what the mystery means, my king. He wants you to understand what went through your mind.

³¹“King Nebuchadnezzar, you looked up and saw a large statue standing in front of you. It was huge. It shone brightly. And it terrified you. ³²The head of the statue was made out of pure gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. Its stomach and thighs were bronze. ³³Its legs were made out of iron. And its feet were partly iron and partly baked clay.

³⁴“While you were watching, a rock was cut out. But human hands didn’t do it. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay. It smashed them. ³⁵Then the iron and clay were broken to pieces. So were the bronze, silver and gold. All of them were broken to pieces at the same time. They became like straw on a threshing floor at harvest time. The wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain. It filled the whole earth.

³⁶“That was your dream. Now I will tell you what it means. ³⁷Nebuchadnezzar, you are the greatest king of all. The God of heaven has given you authority and power. He has given you might and glory. ³⁸He has put everyone under your control. He has also given you authority over the wild animals and the birds of the air. It doesn’t matter where they live. He has made you ruler over all of them. You are that head of gold.

³⁹“After you, another kingdom will take over. It won’t be as powerful as yours. Next, a third kingdom will rule over the whole earth. The bronze part of the statue stands for that kingdom.

⁴⁰“Finally, there…