47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God isa God of gods, and
a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler
over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise menof Babylon.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the
affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel satin the gate of the king.
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height wasthreescore cubits, andthe
breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the
captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the
provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, 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.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 Thatat what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer,
and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell
down andworshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet,
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship
the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, thathe should be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in hisrage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is ittrue, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do
not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have
made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace; and who isthat God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are
not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and
he will deliver usout of thine hand, O king.
18 But 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.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: thereforehe spake, and commanded that they should heat the
furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that werein his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, andto cast theminto the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other
garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the
flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of
the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, andspake, and said unto
his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and
said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they
have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, andspake, and
said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come
hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered
together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head
singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 ThenNebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed bethe God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have
changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any
god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing
amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth;
Peace be multiplied unto you.
2 I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
3 How great arehis signs! and how mighty arehis wonders! his kingdom isan everlasting
kingdom, and his dominion isfrom generation to generation.
4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head
troubled me.
6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise menof Babylon before me, that they might
make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told
the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name wasBelteshazzar, according to the
name of my god, and in whom isthe spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream,
saying,
9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods isin
thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the
interpretation thereof.
10 Thus werethe visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the
great.
11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight
thereof to the end of all the earth:
12 The leaves thereof werefair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it wasmeat for all: the
beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs
thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came
down from heaven;
14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his
leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his
branches:
15 Nevertheless 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 lethis portion be
with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven
times pass over him.
17 This matter isby the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones:
to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the
interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise menof my kingdom are not able to make
known unto me the interpretation: but thou artable; for the spirit of the holy gods isin thee.
19 Then Daniel, whose name wasBelteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his 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, the dream beto them that hate
thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the
heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21 Whose leaves werefair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it wasmeat for all; under which
the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their
habitation:
22 It isthou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and
reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying,
Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet 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 lethis portion bewith the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
24 This isthe interpretation, O king, and this isthe decree of the most High, which is come
upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field,
and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven,
and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be
sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by
righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of
thy tranquillity.
28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
