The Deliverance from the Fiery Furnace

31 Nebuchadnezzar the king hath made an image of gold, its height sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits; he hath raised it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon; 2 and Nebuchadnezzar the king hath sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the honourable judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the province, to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath raised up. 3 Then are gathered the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the honourable judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the province, to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath raised up: and they are standing before the image that Nebuchadnezzar hath raised up. 4 And a crier is calling mightily: 'To you they are saying: O peoples, nations, and languages! 5 at the time that ye hear the voice of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, the symphony, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and do obeisance to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath raised up: 6 and whoso doth not fall down and do obeisance, in that hour he is cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.' 7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples are hearing the voice of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, and all kinds of music, falling down are all the peoples, nations and languages, doing obeisance to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath raised up.

8 Therefore at that time drawn near have certain Chaldeans, and accused the Jews; 9 they have answered, yea, they are saying to Nebuchadnezzar the king, 'O king, to the ages live! 10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree that every man who doth hear the voice of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, and the symphony, and all kinds of music, doth fall down and do obeisance to the golden image; 11 and whoso doth not fall down and do obeisance, is cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the work of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, these men have not made of thee, O king, 'any' regard; thy gods they are not serving, and to the golden image thou hast raised up—are not making obeisance.' 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in anger and fury, hath said to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Then these men have been brought in before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar hath answered and said to them, 'Is 'it' a laid plan, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—my gods ye are not serving, and to the golden image that I have raised up ye are not doing obeisance? 15 Now, lo, ye are ready, so that at the time that ye hear the voice of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, and the symphony, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and do obeisance to the image that I have made!—and lo, ye do no obeisance—in that hour ye are cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; who is that God who doth deliver you out of my hands?' 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego have answered, yea, they are saying to the king Nebuchadnezzar, 'We have no need concerning this matter to answer thee. 17 Lo, it is; our God whom we are serving, is able to deliver us from a burning fiery furnace; and from thy hand, O king, He doth deliver. 18 And lo—not! be it known to thee, O king, that thy gods we are not serving, and to the golden image thou hast raised up we do no obeisance.'

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar hath been full of fury, and the expression of his face hath been changed concerning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; he answered and said to heat the furnace seven times above that which it is seen to be heated; 20 and to certain mighty men who 'are' in his force he hath said to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, to cast into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men have been bound in their coats, their tunics, and their turbans, and their clothing, and have been cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because that the word of the king is urgent, and the furnace heated exceedingly, those men who have taken up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—killed them hath the spark of the fire. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, have fallen down in the midst of the burning fiery furnace—bound. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king hath been astonished, and hath risen in haste; he hath answered and said to his counsellors, 'Have we not cast three men into the midst of the fire—bound?' They have answered and are saying to the king, 'Certainly, O king.' 25 He answered and hath said, 'Lo, I am seeing four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth 'is' like to a son of the gods.' 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar hath drawn near to the gate of the burning fiery furnace; he hath answered and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of God Most High come forth, yea, come;' then come forth do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, from the midst of the fire; 27 and gathered together, the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the counsellors of the king, are seeing these men, that the fire hath no power over their bodies, and the hair of their head hath not been singed, and their coats have not changed, and the smell of fire hath not passed on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar hath answered and hath said, 'Blessed 'is' the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who hath sent His messenger, and hath delivered His servants who trusted on Him, and the word of the king changed, and gave up their bodies that they might not serve nor do obeisance to any god except to their own God. 29 And by me a decree is made, that any people, nation, and language, that doth speak erroneously concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, pieces he is made, and its house is made a dunghill, because that there is no other god who is able thus to deliver.' 30 Then the king hath caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar's Madness

41 'Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages, who are dwelling in all the earth: Your peace be great! 2 The signs and wonders that God Most High hath done with me, it is good before me to shew. 3 His signs how great! and His wonders how mighty! His kingdom 'is' a kingdom age-during, and His rule 'is' with generation and generation.

4 'I, Nebuchadnezzar, have been at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace: 5 a dream I have seen, and it maketh me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, do trouble me. 6 And by me a decree is made, to cause all the wise men of Babylon to come up before me, that the interpretation of the dream they may cause me to know. 7 Then coming up are the scribes, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and the dream I have told before them, and its interpretation they are not making known to me. 8 And at last come up before me hath Daniel, whose name 'is' Belteshazzar—according to the name of my god—and in whom 'is' the spirit of the holy gods, and the dream before him I have told: 9 'O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, as I have known that the spirit of the holy gods 'is' in thee, and no secret doth press thee, the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation, tell. 10 As to the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and lo, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height 'is' great: 11 become great hath the tree, yea, strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to the end of the whole land; 12 its leaves 'are' fair, and its budding great, and food for all 'is' in it: under it take shade doth the beast of the field, and in its boughs dwell do the birds of the heavens, and of it fed are all flesh. 13 'I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and lo, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down. 14 He is calling mightily, and thus hath said, Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its budding, move away let the beast from under it, and the birds from off its branches; 15 but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens is it wet, and with the beasts 'is' his portion in the herb of the earth; 16 his heart from man's is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him; 17 by the decree of the sifters 'is' the sentence, and by the saying of the holy ones the requirement, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it, and the lowest of men He doth raise up over it. 18 'This dream I have seen, I king Nebuchadnezzar; and thou, O Belteshazzar, the interpretation tell, because that all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to cause me to know the interpretation, and thou 'art' able, for the spirit of the holy gods 'is' in thee.

19 'Then Daniel, whose name 'is' Belteshazzar, hath been astonished about one hour, and his thoughts do trouble him; the king hath answered and said, O Belteshazzar, let not the dream and its interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar hath answered and said, My lord, the dream—to those hating thee, and its interpretation—to thine enemies! 20 The tree that thou hast seen, that hath become great and strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to all the land, 21 and its leaves 'are' fair, and its budding great, and food for all 'is' in it, under it dwell doth the beast of the field, and on its boughs sit do the birds of the heavens. 22 'Thou it 'is', O king, for thou hast become great and mighty, and thy greatness hath become great, and hath reached to the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth; 23 and that which the king hath seen—a sifter, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, and he hath said, Cut down the tree, and destroy it; but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens it is wet, and with the beast of the field 'is' his portion, till that seven times pass over him. 24 'This 'is' the interpretation, O king, and the decree of the Most High it 'is' that hath come against my lord the king: 25 and they are driving thee away from men, and with the beast of the field is thy dwelling, and the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and by the dew of the heavens they are wetting thee, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it. 26 And that which they said—to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom for thee abideth, after that thou knowest that the heavens are ruling. 27 'Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and thy sins by righteousness break off, and thy perversity by pitying the poor, lo, it is a lengthening of thine ease.

28 'All—hath come on Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 'At the end of twelve months, on the palace of the kingdom of Babylon he hath been walking; 30 the king hath answered and said, Is not this that great Babylon that I have built, for the house of the kingdom, in the might of my strength, and for the glory of mine honour? 31 'While the word is 'in' the king's mouth a voice from the heavens hath fallen: To thee they are saying: O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom hath passed from thee, 32 and from men they are driving thee away, and with the beast of the field 'is' thy dwelling, the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it. 33 'In that hour the thing hath been fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and from men he is driven, and the herb as oxen he eateth, and by the dew of the heavens his body is wet, till that his hair as eagles' hath become great, and his nails as birds.'

34 'And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, mine eyes to the heavens have lifted up, and mine understanding unto me returneth, and the Most High I have blessed, and the Age-during Living One I have praised and honoured, whose dominion 'is' a dominion age-during, and His kingdom with generation and generation; 35 and all who are dwelling on the earth as nothing are reckoned, and according to his will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that doth clap with his hand, and saith to Him, What hast Thou done? 36 'At that time my understanding doth return unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honour and my brightness doth return unto me, and to me my counsellors and my great men do seek, and over my kingdom I have been made right, and abundant greatness hath been added to me. 37 'Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honouring the King of the heavens, for all His works 'are' truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.'