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And the king assigned to them his daily portion from the fine food of the king, and from the wine that he drank, and instructed that they were to be educated for three years. And at the end of their training, they were to be stationed before the king.

And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired from them, he found them ten times better than all of the magicians and conjurers that were in his entire kingdom.

Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.

So the king said to call the magicians and the conjurers and the sorcerers and the astrologers to tell to the king his dreams. And they came in and they stood before the king.

They answered once more and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants and we will make the explanation known."

And the decree was issued, and the wise men were on the verge of being executed, and they searched for Daniel and his companions to be executed.

Then Daniel went to his home, and he made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, his companions,

and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions, along with the remainder of the wise men of Babylon, would not be killed.

Daniel said: "Let his name, the name of God, be blessed throughout the ages, for the wisdom and the power are his.

Then the king, Nebuchadnezzar, fell on his face and he paid homage to Daniel; and he commanded them to offer a grain offering and incense offering to him.

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with anger and the image of his face was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, so he ordered and said to heat up the one furnace seven times what was usual to heat it up.

And he commanded the strongest men of the guards who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and he rose up in haste and he asked, saying to his advisers, "Did we not throw three men, bound, into the midst of the fire? They answered, saying to the king, "Certainly, O king!"

Nebuchadnezzar responded, saying, "Blessed be their God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him, and the command of the king they disobeyed, and they gave their bodies so that they did not serve and did not worship any god except their God.

How great are his signs and wonders, how strong is his kingdom, an everlasting kingdom; and his sovereignty is from generation to generation.

But the stump of its roots leave in the earth, along with a band of iron and bronze; leave it in the grass of the field. And in the dew of heaven let it be watered, and with the animals let his lot be in the grass of the earth.

Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him, and let seven times pass over him.

"Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was distressed for some time, and his thoughts disturbed him. The king answered and he said, ‘Belteshazzar, let the dream and its explanation not disturb you.' Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘My lord, may the dream and its explanation be for those who hate you and for your enemies.

And inasmuch that the king saw the watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven and he said, "Cut down the tree and destroy it, but the stump of its root in the earth leave with a band of iron and bronze in the grass of the field, and let it be watered with the dew of heaven and let his lot be with the animals of the field until seven times have passed over him."

Immediately the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar, and he was expelled from human society and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven until his hair was like the hair of an eagle and his nails grew like a bird's claws.