Study Desk

But if you tell me my dream and explain its meaning, I will give you gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me about my dream and what it means."

You know that you will be punished if you don't tell me about my dream. So you have all agreed to lie to me. You are hoping for more time so that I will forget what I want you to do. Now tell me the dream. If you can tell me the dream, I will know that you can tell me what it really means."

When the king heard that, he became very angry. So he gave an order for all the wise men of Babylon to be killed.

So Daniel went to his house. He explained the whole story to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

He changes the times and seasons. He gives power to kings, and he takes their power away. He gives wisdom to people, so they become wise. He lets people learn things and become wise.

He knows hidden secrets that are hard to understand. Light lives with him, so he knows what is in the dark and secret places.

So very quickly, Arioch took Daniel to the king. Arioch said to the king, "I have found a man among the captives from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means."

God also told this secret to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other men, but so that you, king, may know what it means. In that way you will understand what went through your mind.

The toes of the statue were partly iron and partly clay. So the fourth kingdom will be partly strong like iron and partly weak like clay.

So all the men came and stood in front of the idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

So as soon as they heard the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, sambucas, bagpipes, and all the other musical instruments, they bowed down and worshiped the gold idol. All the peoples, nations, and different language groups there worshiped the gold idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He called for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they were brought to him.

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the hot furnace. They were wearing their robes, pants, cloth caps, and other clothes.

The king was very angry when he gave the command, so the soldiers quickly made the furnace very hot. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers. They were killed when they went close to the fire to throw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the opening of the hot furnace. He shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, come out! Servants of the Most High God, come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.

So I now make this law: Anyone from any nation or language group who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces, and their house will be destroyed until it is a pile of dirt and ashes. No other god can save his people like this."

So I gave an order that all the wise men of Babylon be brought to me to tell me what my dream meant.

"Holy angels announced this punishment so that all the people on earth may know that God Most High rules over human kingdoms. God gives those kingdoms to whoever he wants, and he chooses humble people to rule them.

Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) became very quiet for a while. What he was thinking bothered him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, don't let the dream or its meaning make you afraid." Then Belteshazzar answered the king, "My lord, I wish the dream were about your enemies, and I wish the meaning of the dream were about those against you.

So, King, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Stop doing bad things and be kind to poor people. Then you might continue to be successful."