sons in whom was no blemish, but who were handsome and skillful in all wisdom; and who had knowledge and understanding, even those who were able to stand in the king's palace, and to whom they might teach the writing and the language of the Chaldeans.

And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

The king answered and said, For I know that you surely want to gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me.

But if you will not make the dream known to me, there is only one judgment for you. For you have prepared lying and deceiving words to speak before me, until the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can reveal to me its meaning.

And it is a rare thing that the king asks, and there is no other who can reveal it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me now what we asked of You. For You have now made known to us the king's matter.

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 known to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together. 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.

Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, 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 god who shall deliver you out of my hand?

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.

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 the gods.

And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's advisers gathered and saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power (and the hair of their head was not scorched, nor were their slippers changed, nor had the smell of fire clung on them).

And a decree is given by me, that every people, nation, and language, who speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be made into mere members, and his house shall be made an outhouse. Because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.

O Belteshazzar, master of the horoscopists, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its meaning.

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy 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 sets up over it the lowest of men.

I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen this dream. Now you, O Belteshazzar, declare its meaning, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make the meaning known to me. But you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

They shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. And they shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He will.

And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He will.

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth and His ways judgment. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.

because an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, explaining of dreams, and revealing of hard sentences, and the unraveling of knots, were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will reveal the meaning.

And now the wise men and the conjurers have been brought in before me, that they might read this writing and make the meaning known to me. But they could not declare the meaning of the thing.

And I have heard of you that you can interpret meanings and unravel knots. Now if you can read the writing, and reveal its meaning to me, you shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

And he was driven from the sons of men. And his heart was made like the animals, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He will.

And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this.

But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of Heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before you; and you, and your lords, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver, and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor know. And you have not glorified the God in whose hand is your breath and all your ways.

And over them were three presidents (Daniel was one of them), so that these satraps might give account to them, and the king should have no loss.

Then the presidents and rulers sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom. But they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. Neither was there any error or fault found in him.

Now, O king, establish the ban and sign the writing, so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be changed.

Then these men met before the king and said to the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is that no ban nor law which the king establishes may be changed.

My God has sent His Angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because before Him purity was found in me. And also before you, O king, I have done no harm.

Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hurt was found on him, because he trusted in his God.

And I came near one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the meaning of the things.

Then I wanted to know the truth of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, very frightening, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of bronze; who devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with his feet;

I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward; so that no beasts could stand before him, nor any that could deliver out of his hand. But he did according to his will, and became great.

And I saw him come close beside the ram, and he was moved with anger against him, and struck the ram and shattered his two horns. And there was no power in the ram to stand before him. But he threw him down to the ground and stamped on him. And none could deliver the ram out of his hand.

And he said, Behold, I will make you know what shall happen in the last end of the indignation. For it is for the time appointed for the end.

And I Daniel fainted, and was sick for days. Afterward I rose up, and did the king's business. And I was amazed at the vision, but there was no understanding.

And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have brought fame to Yourself, as it is today, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

And now, O our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his holy desires, and cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

And he enlightened me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you skill and understanding.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction.

I ate no food for delight, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me. For my beauty was turned within me to corruption, and I kept no strength.

And he said to me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright. For to you I am now sent. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.

Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for many days.

And behold, one looking like the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who stood before me, O lord, my sorrows are turned on me by the vision, and I have kept no strength.

For how can the servant of my lord talk with my lord? For as for me, immediately there remained no strength in me, nor is there breath left in me.

Then he said, Do you know why I come to you? And now I will return to fight with the ruler of Persia. And when I have gone out, lo, the ruler of Greece shall come.

And now I will declare to you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia. And the fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.

And he will ruin by flattery those who do evil against the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will work.

But in his place he shall honor the god of forces; and a god whom his fathers did not know, he shall honor with gold and silver, and with precious stones and desirable things.