Dan 4-6 | ESV | STEP | King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples , nations , and languages , that dwell in all the earth : Peace be multiplied to you!

1 ^{▼▼Ch 3:31 in Aramaic} King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^bpeoples, nations, and languages, ^cthat dwell in all the earth: ^dPeace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^esigns and wonders that the ^fMost High God has done for me.

3 How great are ^ghis signs,
how mighty his ^hwonders!
ⁱHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
^jand his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 ^{▼▼Ch 4:1 in Aramaic} I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^lthe visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So ^mI made a decree that ⁿall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then ^othe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^pthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^qBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^rthe spirit of the holy gods ^{▼▼Or Spirit of the holy God; also verses 9, 18}—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^tchief of the magicians, because I know that ^uthe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^vmystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^wthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 ^xThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^ybehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 ^zThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ^aaIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^abThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^acthe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in ^adthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^aea watcher, ^afa holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He ^agproclaimed aloud and said thus: ^ah‘Chop down the tree and ^ailop off its branches, ^ajstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^akLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; ^aland let seven periods of time ^ampass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of ^anthe watchers, the decision by the word of ^aothe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^aprules the kingdom of men ^aqand gives it to whom he will and ^arsets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^asBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^atall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^authe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was ^avBelteshazzar, was ^awdismayed for a while, and ^axhis thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^aymay the dream be for those who hate you ^azand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 ^baThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^bbwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^bcit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^bdYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^beand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^bfa watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^bg‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^bhseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^bithat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^bjto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^bkseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^blyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded ^bmto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by ^bnpracticing righteousness, ^boand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ^bpthat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, ^bq“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^brmy mighty power as a royal residence and for ^bsthe glory of my majesty?” 31 ^btWhile the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 ^buand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^bvuntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^bwHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 ^bxAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^bymy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^bzhim who lives forever,

^cafor his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and ^cbhis kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 ^ccall the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and ^cdhe does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
^ceand none can stay his hand
or ^cfsay to him, “What have you done?”
36 At the same time ^cgmy reason returned to me, and for ^chthe glory of my kingdom, ^cimy majesty and splendor returned to me. ^cjMy counselors and ^ckmy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^cladded to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^cmpraise and extol and honor the ^cnKing of heaven, ^cofor all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^cpthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 5

The Handwriting on the Wall

1 ^cqKing Belshazzar ^crmade a great feast for a thousand of his ^cslords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

2 ^ctBelshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that ^cuthe vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father ^{▼▼Or predecessor; also verses 11, 13, 18} had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in ^cwthe golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and ^cxpraised the ^cygods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 ^czImmediately ^dathe fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw ^dbthe hand as it wrote. 6 ^dcThen the king’s color changed, ^ddand his thoughts alarmed him; ^dehis limbs gave way, and ^dfhis knees knocked together. 7 ^dgThe king called loudly to bring in ^dhthe enchanters, the ^diChaldeans, and ^djthe astrologers. The king declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verse 10} to the wise men of Babylon, ^dl“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and ^dmshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^dnthey could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^doalarmed, and his ^dpcolor changed, and his ^dqlords were perplexed.

10 The queen, ^{▼▼Or queen mother; twice in this verse} because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^ds“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^dtor your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom ^duin whom is the spirit of the holy gods. ^{▼▼Or Spirit of the holy God} In the days of your father, ^dwlight and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king— ^dxmade him chief of the magicians, ^dyenchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 ^dzbecause an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^eaunderstanding ^ebto interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^ecsolve problems were found in this Daniel, ^edwhom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of ^eethe exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that ^efthe spirit of the gods ^{▼▼Or Spirit of God} is in you, and that ^ehlight and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now ^eithe wise men, the ^ejenchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but ^ekthey could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 ^elBut I have heard that you can give interpretations and ^emsolve problems. ^enNow if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, ^eoyou shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and ^epshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^eq“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the ^erMost High God ^esgave ^etNebuchadnezzar your father ^eukingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^evall peoples, nations, and languages ^ewtrembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But ^exwhen his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^eyhe was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 ^ezHe was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^fauntil he knew that the ^fbMost High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, ^{▼▼Or successor} ^fdBelshazzar, ^fehave not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against ^ffthe Lord of heaven. And ^fgthe vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. ^fhAnd you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^fibut the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^fjwhose are all your ways, ^fkyou have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence ^flthe hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered ^{▼▼ Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered} the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, ^fnyou have been weighed ^{▼▼ Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed} in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^fpthe Medes and ^fqPersians.” ^{▼▼ Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia}

29 Then ^fsBelshazzar gave the command, and Daniel ^ftwas clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 ^fuThat very night ^fvBelshazzar the ^fwChaldean king was killed. 31 ^{▼▼Ch 6:1 in Aramaic} And ^fyDarius ^fzthe Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Daniel 6

Daniel and the Lions’ Den

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^ga120 ^gbsatraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them ^gcthree high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^gdsatraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became ^gedistinguished above all ^gfthe other high officials and ^ggsatraps, because ^ghan excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^gito set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then ^gjthe high officials and ^gkthe satraps ^glsought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^gmbut they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^gnand no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6 Then these ^gohigh officials and ^gpsatraps came by agreement ^{▼▼Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15} to the king and said to him, “O ^grKing Darius, live forever! 7 All the ^gshigh officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^gtcounselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^guinjunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish ^gvthe injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^gwthe law of ^gxthe Medes and the Persians, ^gywhich cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^gzinjunction.

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where ^hahe had windows in his upper chamber open ^hbtoward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees ^hcthree times a day and prayed and ^hdgave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they ^hecame near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^hfan injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of ^hgthe Medes and Persians, ^hhwhich cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, ^hi“Daniel, who is one ^hjof the exiles ^hkfrom Judah, ^hlpays no attention to you, O king, or ^hmthe injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^hnthree times a day.”

14 Then ^hothe king, when he heard these words, ^hpwas much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no ^hqinjunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20} to Daniel, “May ^hsyour God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 ^htAnd a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^huand the king sealed it ^hvwith his own signet and with the signet of his ^hwlords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^hxno diversions were brought to him, and ^hysleep fled from him.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of ^hzthe living God, ^iahas your God, whom you serve continually, ^ibbeen able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, ^ic“O king, live forever! 22 My God ^idsent his angel ^ieand shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^ifbefore him; ^igand also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^ihno kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and ⁱⁱthose men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all ^ijthe peoples, nations, and languages ^ikthat dwell in all the earth: ^il“Peace be multiplied to you. 26 ^imI make a decree, that in all my royal dominion ⁱⁿpeople are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for ^iohe is ^ipthe living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
^iqand his dominion shall be ^irto the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
he works ^issigns and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has ^itsaved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and ^iuthe reign of ^ivCyrus the Persian.