Study Desk

Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven

and declared: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.

To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, because You have given me wisdom and power. And now You have made known to me what we have requested, for You have made known to us the dream of the king."

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.

And just as you saw a stone cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."

The king said to Daniel, "Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery."

Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown immediately into the burning fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?"

If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and from your hand, O king.

Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the burning fiery furnace and called out, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,

Nebuchadnezzar declared, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king's command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses will be reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way."

I am pleased to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me:

But at last, Daniel came into my presence (his name is Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) And I told him the dream:

Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor.