Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the 6mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the pMost High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men qon whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His rAngel 7and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 sTherefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the tGod of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be ucut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; vbecause there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

30 Then the king 8promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 Nebuchadnezzar the king,

aTo all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders bthat the Most High God has worked for me.

3 cHow great are His signs,

And how mighty His wonders!

His kingdom is dan everlasting kingdom,

And His dominion is from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, eand the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head ftroubled me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 gThen the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me h(his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; iin him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 9 “Belteshazzar, jchief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

10 These were the visions of my head while on my bed:

I was looking, and behold,

kA tree in the midst of the earth,

And its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong;

Its height reached to the heavens,

And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

12 Its leaves were lovely,

Its fruit abundant,

And in it was food for all.

lThe beasts of the field found shade under it,

The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,

And all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was ma watcher, na holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried 1aloud and said thus:

o‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,

Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.

pLet the beasts get out from under it,

And the birds from its branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,

Bound with a band of iron and bronze,

In the tender grass of the field.

Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,

And let him graze with the beasts

On the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,

Let him be given the heart of a beast,

And let seven qtimes 2pass over him.

17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,

And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,

In order rthat the living may know

sThat the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,

tGives it to whomever He will,

And sets over it the ulowest of men.’

18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, vsince all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, wfor the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”