Book of Daniel
Chapter 1
1; In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchad- nezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2; And YAHWEH gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of Elohim, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
3; And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, the chief of his eunuchs that he should bring some of the sons of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the nobles,
4; young men in whom was no blemish, but who were of good appearance and having understanding in all wisdom, having knowledge and understanding learning, even those with strength in them to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the writing and the language of the Chaldeans.
5; And the king set to them the portion of a day in its day, from the king's food, and the wine of his drinking, even to rear them three years, so that at their end they may stand before the king.
6; And there were among them of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
7; to whom the chief of the eunuchs gave names. For he called Daniel, Belteshazzar; and Hananiah, Shadrach; and Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abednego.
8; And Daniel laid on his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine of his drinking. So he asked of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9; And the Elohim had given Daniel kindness and compassion before the chief of the eunuchs.
10; And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my master the king, who has appointed your food and your drink. For why should he see your faces worse looking than the boys who are in your age group? Then you would forfeit my head to the king.
11; And Daniel said to Melzar, whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12; Please, test your servants ten days. And let vegetables be given to us that we may eat, and water that we may drink.
13; Then let be seen before you, our look and the look of the boys who eat of the king's food. And as you see, do so with your servants.
14; And he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
15; And at the end of ten days their appearance looked better and fatter of flesh than all the boys who were eating the king's food.
16; So Melzar took away their food and the wine that they were to drink, and he gave them vegetables.
17; As for these four boys, the Elohim gave them knowledge and skill in all writing and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18; Now at the end of the days that the king had said to bring them in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19; And the king talked with them. And among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they stood before the king.
20; And in any matter of wisdom and understanding that the king asked from them, he found them ten times Daniel better than all the magicians and the conjurers who were in all his kingdom.
21; And Daniel continued to the first year of King Cyrus.
Chapter 2
1; And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar was dreaming dreams, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep was finished on him.
2; And the king said to call to the magicians, and to the astrologers, and to the sorcerers and to the Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they came and stood before the king.
3; And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4; And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the meaning.
5; The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word is certainly gone from me. If you will not make known the dream and its meaning to me, you will be cut into pieces, and your houses shall be made an outhouse.
6; But if you make known the dream, you shall receive gifts and a present and great honor from before me. Therefore, reveal the dream and its meaning to me.
7; They again replied and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will reveal its meaning.
8; The king answered and said, For I know that you buy time, that on account of all, you see the thing is certainly gone from me.
9; But if you will not make the dream known to me, there is one law for you. For you have agreed upon lying and deceiving words to speak before me until the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream, then I shall know that you can reveal the meaning to me.
10; The Chaldeans replied before the king and said, There is not a man on the earth who can reveal the king's matter, because not any king, master, or ruler has asked such a thing from any magician, or conjurer, or Chaldean.
11; And the thing that the king asks is rare. And there is no other who may reveal it before the king, except the Elohim, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12; Then the king was enraged and angered. And he commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed.
13; And the law went out that the wise men should be killed. And they looked for Daniel and his companions, to be killed.
14; Then Daniel answered with counsel and insight to Arioch the chief of the king's bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15; He answered and said to Arioch, the king's officer, Why is the decree so urgent from before the king? And Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16; And Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would give him time, and he would show the king the meaning.
17; Then Daniel went to his house and declared the thing to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18; that they might pray for the mercies of Eloh in Heaven about this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19; Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, and Daniel blessed the Eloh of Heaven.
20; Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of Eloheh forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
21; And He changes the times and the seasons; He causes kings to pass away, and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who know understanding.
22; He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells in Him.
23; I thank You and praise You, O Eloh of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has made me know what we ask of You. For You have revealed to us the king's matter.
24; Then Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had chosen to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show the meaning to the king.
25; Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel in before the king and spoke this to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make the meaning known to the king.
26; The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to reveal to me the dream which I have seen, and its meaning?
27; Daniel replied before the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded cannot be shown to the king by the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, or the stargazing ones.
28; But there is a Eloh in Heaven who reveals secrets, and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these:
29; As for you, O king, your thoughts came on your bed, what should happen after this. And the revealer of secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass.
30; But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living man, but so that the meaning might be made known to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
31; You, O king, were seeing. And, behold, a certain great image! That great image stood before you with a brilliant brightness, and its form was terrifying.
32; The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its belly and its thighs were of bronze,
33; its legs were of iron, its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.
34; You continued until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
35; Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were together crushed to pieces, and they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36; This is the dream, and we will tell the meaning of it before the king.
37; You O king are the king of kings. For the Eloh of Heaven has given you the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the honor.
38; And wherever the sons of men, the animals of the field, and the birds of the sky dwell, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
39; And in your place shall arise another kingdom lower than yours, and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule in all the earth.
40; And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron. Inasmuch as iron crushes and smashes all things, and as the iron that shatters all these, it will crush and shatter.
41; And as to that you saw, the feet and the toes were partly of potters' clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it the strength of iron, because you saw the iron mixed with clay of the potter.
42; And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43; And as you saw the iron mixed with the clay of the clay, they shall be mixed with the seed of men. But they shall not adhere to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
44; And in the days of these kings, the Eloh of Heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people. It shall crush in pieces and make an end all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45; Because you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold in pieces. The great Eloh has made known to the king what shall occur after this. And the dream is certain, and the meaning of it is trustworthy.
46; Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshipped Daniel. And he commanded an offering, even to offer incense to him.
47; The king answered Daniel and said, Your Elohim truly is a Eloh of Elohim and a master of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.
48; Then the king made Daniel great and gave many great gifts to him. And he made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon.
49; And Daniel asked of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Chapter 3
1; Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was sixty cubits; its breadth, six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2; Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges and the justices. And all the officials of the provinces were ordered to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3; Then were gathered the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4; Then the herald shouted with strength: To you it is commanded O peoples, nations, and languages,
5; at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, cornet, the lyre, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
6; And whoever does not fall down and worship, at that moment they will be thrown into the middle of a burning, fiery furnace.
7; Then at that time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, cornet, the lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages fell down, worshiping the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8; Then at that time men, Chaldeans, came near and accused and slandered the Jews.
9; They answered and said to king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever!
10; You, O king, have made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, cornet, the lyre, harp, and the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
11; And whoever does not fall down and worship, he should be thrown into the mist of a burning, fiery furnace.
12; There are men, Jews, whom you have set over the business of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, do not pay attention to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.
13; Then Nebuchadnezzar in anger and wrath commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14; Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you are not serving my gods, nor worshiping the golden image which I have set up?
15; Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, cornet, the lyre, harp, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, fall down and worship the image which I have made. But if you do not worship, in that moment you shall be thrown into the middle of a burning, fiery furnace. And who is that Eloh who shall deliver you out of my hand?
16; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you on this matter.
17; If it is so that our Elohim whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, then He will deliver out of your hand, O king.
18; And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.
19; Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and directed to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usual to heat it.
20; And he ordered mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning, fiery furnace.
21; Then these men were tied up in their coats, their gowns, and their hats, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the burning, fiery furnace.
22; Then, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23; And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning, fiery furnace.
24; Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed. And he rose up in haste; he spoke and said to his royal officials, Did we not throw three men bound into the mist of the fire? They replied and said to the king, True, O king.
25; He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm among them. And the form of the fourth is like a son of Elohim.
26; Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning, fiery furnace. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High Eloha, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the mist of the fire.
27; And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's royal officials assembled. And they saw the fire had no power over the bodies of these men, and the hair of their head was not scorched, nor were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire clung on them.
28; Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the Eloha of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His Messenger and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's words, and have given their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any Eloh except their own Elohin.
29; And a decree is set out by me, that every people, nation, and language who speak anything amiss about the Eloh of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he will be made into mere members and his house shall be made an outhouse. Because there is no other Eloh who is able to deliver like this.
30; Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosper in the province of Babylon.
Chapter 4
1; Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, the nations, and the languages that dwell in all the earth: May your peace be increased.
2; It seemed good before me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High Eloha has done with me.
3; How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.
4; I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house, and flourishing in my palace.
5; I saw a dream, and it terrified me, and the thoughts on my bed and visions of my head troubled me.
6; So I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the meaning of the dream.
7; Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the stargazing ones came in. And I told the dream before them, but they did not make its meaning known to me.
8; But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the Set-Apart Elohim. And I told the dream before him, saying,
9; O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the Set-Apart Elohim is in you, and no secret baffles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its meaning.
10; As to the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and, behold, a tree was in the middle of the earth. And its height was great.
11; The tree became great and strong, and its height reached to the heaven, and its appearance to the end of all the earth.
12; Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and food for all was in it. The beasts of the field sought shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
13; I was looking in the visions of my head on my bed. And, behold, a watcher, even a Set-Apart one, from the heaven came down.
14; He cried with might and said this: Cut down the tree and cut off its branches. Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds leave its branches.
15; But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a fetter of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of the heavens, and his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
16; Let his heart be changed from man's, and let the heart of the beasts be given to him. And let seven times pass over him.
17; This matter is by the decree of the guarding cherubs, and the command by the word of the Set-Apart ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will. And He sets up over it the lowest of men.
18; I, Nebuchadnezzar, have seen this dream. Now you, O Belteshazzar, declare its meaning, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to reveal the meaning to me. But you are able, for the spirit of the Set-Apart Elohim is in you.
19; Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stunned for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, O Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning trouble you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My master, the dream is to those who hate you, and its meaning is to your adversaries.
20; The tree that you saw, which became great and strong, whose height reached to the heaven and its appearance to all the earth,
21; and its leaves being beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and food for all being in it, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in its branches the birds of the sky had their home:
22; It was you, O king, for you have become great and strong. For your greatness has grown and reaches to the sky, and your rule is to the end of the earth.
23; And as the king saw a guarding Cherub and a Sep-Apart one coming down from the heavens, and saying, Cut the tree down, and destroy it. Yet leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. And let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and his lot be with the beasts of the field, until seven times pass over him.
24; This is the meaning, O king, and this the decree of the Most High, which has come on my master the king:
25; And you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be fed with grass like oxen. And you shall be wet with dew of the heavens; and seven years shall pass over you until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and He gives it to whomever He desires.
26; And in that they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, Your kingdom shall be enduring to you after you have realized that Heaven rules.
27; So, O king, let my advice be pleasing to you: Even break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by pitying the poor, whether there will be duration to your prosperity.
28; All this came on the king, Nebuchadnezzar.
29; At the end of twelve months, he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
30; The king spoke and said, Is this not great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?
31; The word was still in the king's mouth when a voice fell from the heavens, saying, O king Nebuchad- nezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has been taken from you!
32; And you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be fed with the grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and that He gives it to whomever He desires.
33; In that moment, the thing was fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men, and he ate the grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
34; And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to the heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High. And I praised and honored Him who lives forever, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His rule from generation to generation.
35; And all those living in the earth are counted as nothing. And He does according to His will among the army of Heaven, and among those living in the earth. And no one is able to strike His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?
36; At that time my reason returned to me, and the glory of my kingdom, my majesty, and my brightness returned to me. And my advisers and my nobles sought to me. And I was reestablished in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me.
37; Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are truth, and His ways are justice. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.