youths in whom was no blemish, but comely of countenance, and skilful in all wisdom, and possessed of knowledge, and able to impart instruction, and who had vigour in them, to stand in the palace of the king, - and that they should be taught the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

yet said the ruler of the eunuchs unto Daniel, I do fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink, - for why should he see your faces more sad than those of the youths of your own age? so should ye bring me under the penalty of mine own head unto the king.

Then said Daniel, unto the overseer whom the ruler of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths who have been eating the delicacies of the king, - and, as thou shalt see, deal thou with thy servants.

and, at the end of ten days, their countenances appeared more comely, and fatter in flesh, - than any of the youths who had been eating the delicacies of the king.

and, in any matter of wisdom and discernment as to which the king, enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the sacred scribes - the magicians, who were in all his realm.

The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth, who can declare, the matter of the king, - although indeed, there is no king, chief ruler who, a thing like this, hath asked of any sacred scribe or magician or Chaldean;

and, the thing which the king hath asked, is difficult, and, none other, is there, who can declare it before the king, - saving the gods whose dwelling is, not with flesh.

Immediately, Daniel, made answer with prudence and discretion, to Arioch, chief of the executioners of the king, - who had come forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

And, he, changeth times and seasons, removeth kings, and setteth up kings, - giving wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them who are skilled in understanding:

Therefore, Daniel entered in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, - he went in, and, thus, he said unto him, The wise men of Babylon, do not thou destroy, bring me in before the king, and, the interpretation - unto the king, will I declare.

Thereupon, Arioch - with haste, brought in Daniel before the king, - and, thus, he said to him - I have found a man of the sons of the exile of Judah, who, the interpretation - unto the king, will make known.

but there is a God in the heavens, who revealeth secrets, and hath made known to King Nebuchadnezzar, what shall come to pass, in the afterpart of the days: Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are, these: -

Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold;

There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, - these men, have made thee, O king, of no account, thy god, they serve not, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, do they not adore.

Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, - and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?

If it is, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us, - out of the burning furnace of fire, and out of thy hand, O king, he will deliver.

and, to men, who were the mightiest men in his army, gave he word to bind fast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, - to cast them into the burning furnace of fire.

Therefore, because the word of the king had raged forth, and the furnace was exceeding hot, those very men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were slain by the flame of the fire;

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his messenger, and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, - when, the word of the king, they transgressed, and delivered up their bodies, that they might not serve nor adore any god, saving their own God.

Therefore do I make a decree, that, whosoever of any people, race, or tongue it be that shall charge any error upon the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and, his house, into a dunghill, shall be changed; because there is no other God, who is able to deliver, like this!

Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the peoples, the races and the tongues who are dwelling in all the earth, Let, your prosperity, abound!

Therefore made I a decree, to bring in before me, all the wise men of Babylon, - who, the interpretation of the dream, should make known to me.

Howbeit, at last, came before me - Daniel, whose, name, was Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and, the dream - before him, I told saying :

Then, Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for about one moment, and, his thoughts, troubled him. The king spake and said, O Belteshazzar, let neither, the dream, nor the interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My Lord, The dream, be for them who hate thee, and, the interpretation, for them who are thy foes.

And, whereas the king saw a watcher and holy one coming down out of the heavens, who said, Hew ye down the tree and despoil it, nevertheless, the stock of its roots - in the earth, leave ye, even in a bond of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, - and, with the dew of the heavens, let it he drenched, and, along with the wild beasts of the field, be its portion, until that, seven seasons, pass over it.

And, all the inhabitants of the earth, as nothing, are accounted, and, according to his own pleasure, dealeth he - with the army of the heavens, and the inhabitants of the earth, - and none there is who can smite upon his hand, or say to him, What hast thou done?

Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and extolling and honouring the King of the Heavens, all whose works, are truth, and, his ways, right; and, them who walk in pride, he is able to abase,

There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and, in the days of thy father, light, and intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, - and, King Nebuchadnezzar thy father, appointed him, chief of the sacred scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers, - thy father, O king!

Forasmuch as, a distinguished spirit, and knowledge and intelligence, ability to interpret dreams and solve riddles and unravel knotty points, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let, Daniel, be called, and, the interpretation, will he declare.

Then, Daniel, was brought in before the king, - the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art, thou, that Daniel, that is of the sons of the exile of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

and, for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, races and tongues, used to tremble and to withdraw falteringly from before him, - Whom he would, he slew, and, whom he would, he kept alive, and, whom he would, he set up, and, whom he would, he put down.

and, over these, three confidential ministers, of whom, Daniel, was first, - that, to them, these satraps should render an account, and, the king, not be suffering loss.

Then drew they near, and began to speak before the king, concerning the royal interdict, Didst thou not sign, an interdict, that, any man who should petition of any God or man, for thirty days, save of thee, O king, should be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, Certain is the thing - according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be abolished.

Then answered they and were saying before the king, Daniel, who is of the sons of the exile of Judah, hath made thee, O king, of none account, also the interdict which thou hast signed, - but, three times a day, is asking his petition.

Then, the king, gave word, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. The king spake and said to Daniel, - Thy God, whom thou art serving continually, he, will deliver thee.

and, when he drew near to the den, unto Daniel, with distressed voice, made he outcry, - the king spake and said unto Daniel, O Daniel! servant of the Living God! Thy God, whom thou art serving continually, hath he been able to deliver thee from the lions?

And the king, gave word, that they should bring those men who had accused Daniel, and, into the den of lions, they cast them - them, their children, and their wives, - and, they had not reached the bottom of the den, when the lions, seized them, and, all their bones, brake they in pieces.

Then, Darius the king, wrote to all the peoples, the races, and the tongues who were dwelling in all the earth, Your prosperity abound!

who delivereth and rescueth and worketh signs and wonders, in the heavens, and in the earth, - for that he hath delivered Daniel out of the power of the lions.

I drew near unto one of them who stood by, and made exact enquiry of him, concerning all this, - so he told me, and, the interpretation of the things, made he known unto me.

These great wild beasts, which are four, - are four kings who shall arise out of the earth;

And, the ten horns of that kingdom, are ten kings who will arise, - and, another, will arise after them, and, he, will be diverse from the former ones, and, three kings, will he cast down;

Then heard I a certain holy one, speaking, - and another holy one said to that certain holy one who was speaking - How long is the vision of the continual ascending-sacrifice as taken away, and the transgression which astoundeth, for both sanctuary and host to be given over to be trampled underfoot?

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, - who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans:

yea I prayed unto Yahweh my God, and made confession, - and said - I beseech thee, O Lord, the GOD great and to be revered, keeping the covenant and the lovingkindness, to them who love him, and to them who keep his commandments.

and have not hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, who spake in thy name, unto our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, - and unto all the people of the land.

Thus hath he confirmed his words which he had spoken against us, and against our judges who had judged us, by bringing in upon us a great calamity, - as to which there had not been done, under all the heavens, as hath been done unto Jerusalem.

Now, therefore, O Lord our God, who didst bring forth thy people out of the land of Egypt with a firm hand, and didst make for thyself a name, as at this day, - we have sinned, we have been guilty of lawlessness.

O Lord! according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thine indignation turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain, - for, by reason of our sins, and by reason of the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people, have become a reproach, to all who are round about us.

while yet I was speaking in prayer, then, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision at the beginning, wearied with rapid flight, touched me, about the time of the evening present.

And, I, Daniel, alone, beheld the revelation, and, the men who were with me, beheld not the revelation, - in truth, a great terror, had fallen upon them, and they had fled while hiding themselves.

Then lo! like the similitude of the sons of men, one was touching my lips, - so I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him who was standing before me, O my lord! By the revelation, my pains have seized me, and I retain no strength.

Howbeit I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth, - but there is no one who holdeth strongly with me concerning these things, save Michael your ruler.

And, at the end of years, they will league together, yea, the daughter of the king of the south, will go in unto the king of the north, to make peace, but she shall not retain strength of arm, neither shall he stand, nor his arm, but she shall be delivered up - she herself, and they who brought her in, and he who begat her, and he that strengthened her in the times.

and, they who have been eating his delicacies, will break him in pieces, and, his army, will he overwhelm like a flood, - and many wounded, will fall.

Then will come in against him the ships of Cyprus, and he will be disheartened, and again have indignation against a holy covenant, and will act with effect, - and again gain intelligence, concerning them who are forsaking a holy covenant.

And, them who are ready to deal lawlessly with a covenant, will he make impious by flatteries, - but, the people who know their God, will be strong and act with effect.

And, they who make the people wise, will impart understanding to the many, - yet shall they be brought low, by sword and by flame, by captivity and by prey, for some days;

and, of them who make wise, some shall be brought low, to refine them, and to purify and make white, up to the time of the end, - for yet is it for an appointed time.

Howbeit, to the god of the fortresses, in his place, will he give honour, - even to a god whom his fathers, knew not, will he give honour, with gold and with silver and with precious stones and with articles of delight.

And he will prepare, for the strongholds of the fortress of the sea, the people of an alien god, whom he will acknowledge - will greatly honour, - and will give them authority over the many, and, the soil, will he apportion for a price.

And, at that time, will Michael, the great ruler who standeth for the sons of thy people, make a stand, and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, up to that time, - and, at that time, shall thy people, be delivered, every one found written in the hook;

and, they who make wise, shall shine like the shining of the expanse, - and, they who bring the many to righteousness, like the stars to times age-abiding and beyond.

And one said to the man clothed with linen, who was upon the waters of the river, How long shall be the end of the wonders?

And I heard the man clothed with linen who was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left unto the heavens, and sware by him that liveth unto times age-abiding, - For a set time and times and a half, and, when the dispersion of a part of the holy people, is brought to an end, then shall come to an end all these things.

Many, will purify themselves and be made white and be refined, but the lawless, will act lawlessly, and none of the lawless, shall understand, - but, they who make wise, shall understand;