Daniel From ATW

7/25/2019 Daniel From ATW

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The Book of

DANIEL

DANIEL IS THE ONLY PROPHETknown to have lived the vast majority of his lifein a pagan society. Probably born in Jerusalem, he was deported to Babylon in605 B.C., where he was immediately placed in a reeducation program to preparehim to serve in the same government that destroyed Jerusalem. He likely becamethe most powerful Jew of the Exile and its aftermath, serving at least three kingsand two governments in a career that spanned nearly seventy years.

Daniel powerfully models how to live and work among people who do not follow God.Although Christians can be found at every level of our own society, we often do not profoundlyinfluence the people around us. We are often wherewe should be, but we are not always what

we should be.Daniel lived up to the courage of his convictions. In a thoroughly godless culture, after

decades of working at the highest levels of government, he could be accused of nothing worsethan continuing to honor his God.

The Book of Daniel comprises two distinct sections. Chapters 16 offer historical highlightsfrom the lives of Daniel and three other Jewish captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.Chapters 712 record visions of future events given to Daniel beginning about 553 B.C.

These prophecies are often seen as a panoramic world history from Daniels time to theSecond Coming, although some argue that his prophecies were fulfilled in the centuries soonafter Daniels lifetime. No matter how we interpret these visions, they point to the fundamentaltruth that God is Lord of the nations.

Although much of this book refers to Daniel in the third person, he is nevertheless believedto be its author. There is no narration of Daniels call to be a prophet, but we observe that hehad a supernatural ability to interpret dreams and visions (Dan. 1:17; 2:1923) and that Godgave him visions (chs. 712). His career gives a time frame for the book of 605 to 539 B.C.Daniellived almost all of his life in Babylon, but his prophecies are worldwide in scope.

Key Events in Daniel

Daniel and his three friends refuse to eat the kings food (Dan. 1).

Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzars dream (Dan. 2).

Daniels three friends are thrown into a fiery furnace (Dan. 3).

Nebuchadnezzar is reduced to living like a wild animal (Dan. 4).Daniel interprets the writing on the wall (Dan. 5).

Daniel is protected in a lions den (Dan. 6).

Daniel sees visions of the future (Dan. 712).


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Daniel and His Friends Obey God

1

In the third year of the reign of Je-

hoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnez-zar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem andbesieged it. 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakimking of Judah into his hand, with some of

the articles of the house of God, which hecarried into the land of Shinar to the houseof his god; and he brought the articles intothe treasure house of his god.

3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz,

the master of his eunuchs, to bring someof the children of Israel and some of thekings descendants and some of the no-bles, 4young men in whom there wasnoblemish, but good-looking, gifted in all

wisdom, possessing knowledge and quickto understand, who hadability to serve inthe kings palace, and whom they mightteach the language and literature of theChaldeans. 5And the king appointed forthem a daily provision of the kings delica-cies and of the wine which he drank, and

three years of training for them, so thatat the end of that timethey might servebefore the king. 6Now from among thoseof the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hana-niah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7To them thechief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave

Daniel the nameBelteshazzar; to Hana-niah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and

to Azariah, Abed-Nego.8But Daniel purposed in his heart thathe would not defile himself with the por-

tion of the kings delicacies, nor with thewine which he drank; therefore he request-ed of the chief of the eunuchs that he mightnot defile himself. 9Now God had broughtDaniel into the favor and goodwill of thechief of the eunuchs. 10And the chief ofthe eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lordthe king, who has appointed your food and

DANIEL

DANIELDan. 1:6

Name means:God Is My Judge.

Also known as:Belteshazzar (Bel Protect HisLife; Dan. 1:7).

Not to be confused with: A man who re-turned to Jerusalem in Ezras time (Ezra 8:2;Neh. 10:6).

Home:Probably Jerusalem until he was de-ported to Babylon (c. 605 B.C.).

Occupation:Advisor to Babylonian and Me-dian rulers; prophet of the Lord.

Noted for: His extraordinary wisdom andability to interpret dreams by Gods power(Dan. 1:17, 20; 2:47; 4:18).

Best known as:The source of one of the OldTestaments four major prophetic books andas a man who stood for God in a sometimeshostile culture.

More:Jeremiah and Ezekiel were Daniels con-temporaries. For perspective on this chaotic pe-

riod of Judahs history, see The Life and Timesof Jeremiah at Jer. 1:3 and The Life and Timesof Ezekiel at Ezek. 1:1.

Think About It:How will you imitate Daniel asyou live as a God-follower within your culture?See A Secular Education at Dan. 1:4 for ideas.

Stand for Right

Dan. 1:8

Right from the start of their careers, Dan-iel and his three companions made uptheir minds to stand for Gods values. Asambassadors-in-training in Babylon, theydeclined to eat the specially prepared foodprovided by the government.

Scripture does not explain the motivesbehind their decision. The food may havebeen offered to idols or blessed by paganpriests, making it ritually unclean accord-ing to Jewish law and thus a compromise

of their faith. Accepting the royal foodmay have been a sign of loyalty to KingNebuchadnezzar and a means of obligatingthe four men to his service. Or the youthsmay have deemed the rich food and drink ofthe kings table excessively indulgent.

The important point is that once the fourfriends realized that eating the kings provi-sions would result in defilement, they tooka stand. They refused to just go along.

Discerning right from wrong is a matterof intellect and truth. But correct thinkingmust be paired with courage to do right,

which is a matter of the will. Ethics and mo-rality often have less to do with the headthan with the heart. Based on well-reasonedprinciples, Daniel and his friends committedtheir hearts to what they should or shouldnot do. Then they carried out their plan withdetermination.

As we face ethical choices, we can chooseto stand for right, certain that God will giveus strength to deal with whatever conse-quences come our way. The cost of losing ourintegrity is infinitely greater than whatever itcosts to keep it.

More:Psalm 15 lists ten marks of integrity. SeeAn Inventory of Integrity at Ps. 15:1. Scripturetells us to abhor what is evil and cling to whatis good (Rom. 12:9) even if that means speak-ing out against hidden wrongs. See Blowing theWhistle with Wisdom at Jer. 37:13, 14.


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A Secular EducationDan. 1:4

As a young noble, Daniel was deported to Babylon and placed in a program to learn the lan-

guage and literature of the Chaldeans, a curriculum that exposed him to practical skills thatincluded mathematics and glassmaking. It also covered subjects opposed to God: sorcery, as-trology, and other occult arts; myths, legends, and lore from ancient Chaldea; and prayers andhymns to Babylonian gods. It was a systematic course of study based on a polytheistic andidolatrous worldview.

The purpose of this three-year program wasto develop Daniel to serve before the king(Dan. 1:5). Daniel was undergoing preparationfor a lifetime of employment within a pagangovernment, a vast departure from the teach-ing he would have received during the days ofgodly King Josiah.

As we struggle to understand how Daniels

situation might apply to how we prepareChristian youth to live and work in a secularsociety, there are several points to keep inmind:

1. Daniel began in a godly environment.Although not explicit in the Bible account,there is little question Daniel came froma family that revered God and obeyedthe Law. Daniel would have had tohave learned his bold, resolute, godlyconvictions somewhere (1:8). Given whatwe know about ancient Jewish culture,

the most plausible explanation is he hadbeen raised in a spiritually nurturingfamily. Whatever choices we make aboutour childrens education, training in Godsways begins at home. Formal educationmay or may not build on that foundation,but it can never replace it.

2. Daniel had God-given intelligence anddiscernment. Daniel was a person of greatintelligence, a gift that enabled him todiscern how to serve God and how tomake the most of a superb education.This fact implies that parents today

should consider their childrens talentsand God-given bent as they choosebetween educational alternatives.

3. Daniels Babylonian education occurredin a secondary setting. Daniel was likelyabout fifteen or sixteen years old whenhe was deported to Babylon. His trainingin the kings service was in preparationfor a specific career, similar to modernvocational, college, and graduateprograms. He formed his fundamentalviews about the world as a young boy inJudah. He brought with him to Babylon

a worldview based on Gods law. Thisfoundation enabled him to test his

Babylonian education against Godsabsolute truth.

4. Daniel was exposed to Babylonianculture but did not succumb to it. Danielmaintained distinctive beliefs and valueseven after a lifetime in the service ofpagan kings (6:4, 5, 10, 22). Christians facea challenge to remain inthe world but

not ofthe world (John 17:15, 16). If wecompromise our beliefs the minute weencounter competing belief systems, theworld will see no modern-day Daniels.

5. Daniel did not altogether reject Babylonianculture. While Daniel objected to eatingthe kings food (Dan. 1:8), he apparentlydid not protest reading the kings books,listening to the kings instructors, orthinking about the kings ideas. We mightargue that he had little choice but tocooperate, but the incident with the foodshows otherwise. It seems Daniel was able

to reject what was unworthy and keepwhat was useful. He not only survived butthrived.

6. Daniel did not act alone. Three otherlike-minded youths shared Danielschallenges of living under Babylonian rule(1:6). Standing against ungodly aspectsof our surrounding culture is easier todo alongside other followers of God.Going it alone means forgoing support,encouragement, and prayer that are vitalto resisting conformity.

These observations imply Christians havefreedom to actively participate in culture evenwhen parts of that culture oppose God. Muchof modern culture may be irrelevant, butmuch is not. Wise followers of God learn todiscern the difference and act appropriately.

More:Moses and Paul were other leaders whoseeducations helped shape how God would usethem. See The Value of Preparation at Ex. 2:11and Answering the Intellectuals at Acts 17:1534. Johannes Kepler, Michael Polanyi, and GeorgeWashington Carver were all brilliant scientistswho also followed God.


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DANIEL 2:31025

of wisdom andunderstanding about whichthe king examined them, he found them tentimes better than all the magicians andas-trologers who werein all his realm. 21ThusDaniel continued until the first year of

King Cyrus.

Nebuchadnezzars Dream

2Now in the second year of Nebuchad-nezzars reign, Nebuchadnezzar had

dreams; and his spirit was sotroubled thathis sleep left him. 2Then the king gave thecommand to call the magicians, the astrol-ogers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans totell the king his dreams. So they came andstood before the king. 3And the king said to

drink. For why should he see your faceslooking worse than the young men whoareyour age? Then you would endangermy head before the king.

11So Daniel said to the stewardawhomthe chief of the eunuchs had set over Dan-iel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,12Please test your servants for ten days,and let them give us vegetables to eat andwater to drink. 13Then let our appearancebe examined before you, and the appear-ance of the young men who eat the portionof the kings delicacies; and as you see fit,sodeal with your servants. 14So he con-sented with them in this matter, and testedthem ten days.

15And at the end of ten days their fea-tures appeared better and fatter in fleshthan all the young men who ate the portion

of the kings delicacies.

16

Thus the stewardtook away their portion of delicacies andthe wine that they were to drink, and gavethem vegetables.

17As for these four young men, God gavethem knowledge and skill in all literatureand wisdom; and Daniel had understand-ing in all visions and dreams.

18Now at the end of the days, when theking had said that they should be broughtin, the chief of the eunuchs brought themin before Nebuchadnezzar. 19Then theking interviewedathem, and among themall none was found like Daniel, Hana-

niah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore theyserved before the king. 20And in all matters

1:11aHebrewMelzar,also in verse 161:19aLiterally talked with them

Daniel: Advisor to KingsDan. 1:19

Scripture presents Daniel as the only Hebrewprophet to spend his career working as apublic servant in pagan empires outside ofIsrael. He served at least three kings and twogovernments over nearly seventy yearsfrom around 605 B.C. to at least 539 B.C.Throughout his life, Daniel maintained areputation for unimpeachable integrity and

commitment to God.If scholars are correct that Daniel was

born around 620 B.C., he would have grownup under King Josiahs spiritual and politicalreforms (c. 640609 B.C.). Little else is knownof Daniels background except that his fami-ly probably had connections to Judahs royalcourt (Dan. 1:3). This noble status would ex-plain his place among the first Jews deportedto Babylon.

Daniel may have been no more than fif-teen or sixteen years old at the time of hisdeportation, but his extraordinary intelli-

gence and wisdom (1:4, 17) distinguishedhim from fellow exiles. He later used theseGod-given gifts to advise kings and interpretdreams, but his motivation for work alwaysseemed to come less from displaying intel-lectual prowess than from furthering Godspurposes. He had a heart for the Lord (1:8),which he maintained through a habit ofprayer (2:17, 18; 6:10; 9:3, 4).

Daniels spiritual commitment and stra-tegic placement enabled him to boldlyconfront kings with Gods truths (2:28; 4:26,3436; 5:23; 6:22). In effect, he served as an

evangelist to his peoples captors.Daniel had to overcome prejudice, per-

secution, and temptation to remain loyal toGod. His life demonstrates that it is not onlypermissible but also possible to work in theworld of governments and business and stillhonor God (6:4, 5).

Native Talent and SupernaturalAbi li ty Dan. 1:17

The statement that God gave four young menunusual intellectual and spiritual abilitiesmay make us wonder if we should ask Godto give us abilities that we do not ordinarilypossess.

God can do whatever He wants. Scripture

records cases in which faith took people farbeyond what they were naturally capable ofdoing. Frightened people trusted God, forexample, and out of weakness were madestrong (Heb. 11:34). But unusual abilitiesgiven by God seem to be consistent with apersons general bent and make use of abil-ities already present. Daniel and his friendsoffer an example of this. God gave them un-usual insight, even to the point of interpret-ing visions and dreams. But they had alwaysbeen smart and quick to learn (Dan. 1:4).

This connection between native talent

and supernatural ability is consistent withGod crafting us to carry out His special pur-poses for our life. Our prayers should startwith looking for ways to use what the Lordhas already given us, but we can always leaveroom for God to surprise us with unusualeven supernaturalresults.


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DANIEL 2:4 1026

to give him time, that he might tell the kingthe interpretation. 17Then Daniel went tohis house, and made the decision known toHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his com-panions, 18that they might seek merciesfrom the God of heaven concerning thissecret, so that Daniel and his companionsmight not perish with the rest of the wisemenof Babylon. 19Then the secret was re-vealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Danielblessed the God of heaven.

20Daniel answered and said:

Blessed be the name of God foreverand ever,

For wisdom and might are His.21 And He changes the times and the

seasons;He removes kings and raises up kings;He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who haveunderstanding.

22 He reveals deep and secret things;He knows what isin the darkness,And light dwells with Him.

23I thank You and praise You,O God of my fathers;You have given me wisdom and might,And have now made known to me

what we asked of You,For You have made known to us the

kings demand.

Daniel Explains the Dream24Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,

whom the king had appointed to destroythe wise menof Babylon. He went and saidthus to him: Do not destroy the wise menof Babylon; take me before the king, and Iwill tell the king the interpretation.

25Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel

before the king, and said thus to him, Ihave found a man of the captivesaof Ju-dah, who will make known to the king theinterpretation.

26The king answered and said to Dan-

iel, whose name wasBelteshazzar, Areyou able to make known to me the dreamwhich I have seen, and its interpretation?

27Daniel answered in the presence ofthe king, and said, The secret which theking has demanded, the wise men,the as-trologers, the magicians, and the soothsay-ers cannot declare to the king. 28But thereis a God in heaven who reveals secrets, andHe has made known to King Nebuchad-nezzar what will be in the latter days. Yourdream, and the visions of your head uponyour bed, were these: 29As for you, O king,thoughts came toyour mind whileon your

bed, aboutwhat would come to pass afterthis; and He who reveals secrets has madeknown to you what will be. 30But as forme, this secret has not been revealed to mebecause I have more wisdom than anyone

them, I have had a dream, and my spirit isanxious to know the dream.

4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king

in Aramaic,aO king, live forever! Tell yourservants the dream, and we will give theinterpretation.

5

The king answered and said to theChaldeans, My decision is firm: if youdo not make known the dream to me, andits interpretation, you shall be cut in piec-es, and your houses shall be made an ashheap. 6However, if you tell the dream andits interpretation, you shall receive from megifts, rewards, and great honor. Thereforetell me the dream and its interpretation.

7They answered again and said, Let

the king tell his servants the dream, andwe will give its interpretation.

8The king answered and said, I know

for certain that you would gain time, be-cause you see that my decision is firm: 9ifyou do not make known the dream to me,there is onlyone decree for you! For youhave agreed to speak lying and corruptwords before me till the time has changed.Therefore tell me the dream, and I shallknow that you can give me its interpreta-tion.

10The Chaldeans answered the king,

and said, There is not a man on earthwho can tell the kings matter; thereforeno king, lord, or ruler has everasked suchthings of any magician, astrologer, or Chal-

dean.11

It isa difficult thing that the kingrequests, and there is no other who can tellit to the king except the gods, whose dwell-ing is not with flesh.

12For this reason the king was angryand very furious, and gave the commandto destroy all the wise menof Babylon. 13Sothe decree went out, and they began killingthe wise men;and they sought Daniel andhis companions, to kill them.

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzars Dream14

Then with counsel and wisdom Danielanswered Arioch, the captain of the kingsguard, who had gone out to kill the wisemenof Babylon; 15he answered and said toArioch the kings captain, Why is the de-cree from the king so urgent? Then Ariochmade the decision known to Daniel.

16So Daniel went in and asked the king

2:4aThe original language of Daniel 2:4bthrough 7:28 is Aramaic. 2:25aLiterally ofthe sons of the captivity

A Kingdom of Sorcerer sDan. 2:2

Many ancient cultures engaged in occultpractices, but the Babylonians stood out for

institutionalizing magical arts as part of theirgovernment. They were especially known fortheir extensive use of astrology, which wasone of the reasons God severely condemnedBabylon. Scripture repeatedly warns Godspeople against the occult. See The Seductionof Spirits at Deuteronomy 18:914.


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that no trace of them was found. And thestone that struck the image became a greatmountain and filled the whole earth.

36This isthe dream. Now we will tellthe interpretation of it before the king.37

You, O king, area king of kings. For the

God of heaven has given you a kingdom,power, strength, and glory; 38and whereverthe children of men dwell, or the beasts ofthe field and the birds of the heaven, He hasgiven theminto your hand, and has madeyou ruler over them allyou arethis headof gold. 39But after you shall arise anotherkingdom inferior to yours; then another,a third kingdom of bronze, which shallrule over all the earth. 40And the fourth

living, but for oursakes who make knownthe interpretation to the king, and that youmay know the thoughts of your heart.

31You, O king, were watching; andbehold, a great image! This great image,whose splendor wasexcellent, stood be-fore you; and its form wasawesome. 32

Thisimages head wasof fine gold, its chestand arms of silver, its belly and thighsaof bronze, 33its legs of iron, its feet partlyof iron and partly of clay.a34You watchedwhile a stone was cut out without hands,which struck the image on its feet of ironand clay, and broke them in pieces. 35Then

the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver,and the gold were crushed together, andbecame like chaff from the summer thresh-ing floors; the wind carried them away so

2:32aOr sides 2:33aOr baked clay,and so inverses 34, 35, and 42

Models of Faith in Hostile SocietiesDan. 2:48, 49

There is no single correct way for how Gods people should respond to a culture hostile to faith.In the Old Testament, God called the Israelites to develop their own society. He designed laws tokeep out pagan influences. But He also sent many Old Testament and New Testament followersinto the world to impact unbelieving cultures.

As we reflect on our relationship to societies that are hostile to Christian faith, it helps toconsider Old Testament figures who found ways to honor God even after they were pluckedfrom safety and placed in unfriendly circumstances:

Joseph (Gen. 3747) Sold as a slave and taken to Egypt but maintained his godly characterdespite recurring setbacks. A model of integrity during both adversity and prosperity.

Daniel, Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Dan. 16)

Taken to Babylon as prisoners of war and trained for service in a pagangovernment.

Models of integrity and commitment to the Lord while servingunbelievers.

Nehemiah (Neh. 16) A strategically placed official in the Persian court who was allowed torebuild Jerusalems wall.

A model of leveraging position to accomplish Gods purposes whileovercoming opposition.

Esther and Mordecai

(the Book of Esther)

Members of an ethnic minority who found themselves in a position to

influence a godless king. Models of acting courageously and wisely in order to withstand evil.

The people in the table above had severalthings in common:

They were all laypeople. They were notamong the priests or Levites, so they hadno vocational imperative for exercisingfaith in their day-to-day work. Yet theycarried out Gods purposes faithfully.

They were all believers living in foreignlands. These followers of God did

a better job of obeying the Lord inantagonistic societies than some of theircontemporaries did back in a Judeansociety that had been formed around acovenant with God.

They all remained committed to God, Hispeople, and His Word. The pressures of

surrounding cultures deepened theirspiritual commitments. They were aware ofa larger purpose beyond their immediatecircumstances, which enabled them to actwisely. While others surrendered to theirculture, these followers of God held on totheir fundamental convictions.

More:Esther John secretly converted from Islam

to Christianity after reading Gods promise of asuffering Servant in Is. 53, and soon became avictim of a hostile society when her new faith wasdiscovered as she engaged in ministry. Today astatue of her stands at the center of ten martyrs ofthe twentieth century at Westminster Abbey.


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1028DANIEL 2:41

languages, 5thatat the time you hear thesound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, andpsaltery, in symphony with all kinds ofmusic, you shall fall down and worship thegold image that King Nebuchadnezzar hasset up; 6and whoever does not fall downand worship shall be cast immediately intothe midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7So at that time, when all the peopleheard the sound of the horn, flute, harp,andlyre, in symphony with all kinds of mu-sic, all the people, nations, and languagesfell down andworshiped the gold imagewhich King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Daniels Friends Disobey the King8

Therefore at that time certain Chal-deans came forward and accused theJews. 9They spoke and said to King Neb-

uchadnezzar, O king, live forever!10

You,O king, have made a decree that everyonewho hears the sound of the horn, flute,harp, lyre, andpsaltery, in symphony withall kinds of music, shall fall down and wor-ship the gold image; 11and whoever doesnot fall down and worship shall be castinto the midst of a burning fiery furnace.12

There are certain Jews whom you haveset over the affairs of the province of Bab-ylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego;

these men, O king, have not paid due re-gard to you. They do not serve your godsor worship the gold image which you have

set up.13Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and

fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach,

kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inas-much as iron breaks in pieces and shatterseverything; and like iron that crushes, thatkingdomwill break in pieces and crush allthe others. 41

Whereas you saw the feet andtoes, partly of potters clay and partly ofiron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet thestrength of the iron shall be in it, just asyou saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.42And asthe toes of the feet werepartlyof iron and partly of clay, sothe kingdomshall be partly strong and partly fragile.43As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay,they will mingle with the seed of men; butthey will not adhere to one another, just asiron does not mix with clay. 44And in thedays of these kings the God of heaven willset up a kingdom which shall never be de-stroyed; and the kingdom shall not be leftto other people; it shall break in pieces andconsume all these kingdoms, and it shallstand forever. 45Inasmuch as you saw thatthe stone was cut out of the mountain with-out hands, and that it broke in pieces theiron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, andthe goldthe great God has made known tothe king what will come to pass after this.The dream is certain, and its interpretationis sure.

Daniel and His Friends Promoted46

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell onhis face, prostrate before Daniel, and com-

manded that they should present an of-fering and incense to him. 47The king an-swered Daniel, and said, Truly your Godisthe God of gods, the Lord of kings, and arevealer of secrets, since you could reveal

this secret. 48Then the king promotedDaniel and gave him many great gifts; andhe made him ruler over the whole provinceof Babylon, and chief administrator overall the wise menof Babylon. 49Also Danielpetitioned the king, and he set Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairsof the province of Babylon; but Daniel satin the gateaof the king.

The Image of Gold

3Nebuchadnezzar the king made animage of gold, whose height wassixty

cubits and its width six cubits. He set itup in the plain of Dura, in the province ofBabylon. 2And King Nebuchadnezzar sentwordto gather together the satraps, the ad-ministrators, the governors, the counselors,the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates,and all the officials of the provinces, tocome to the dedication of the image whichKing Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3So thesatraps, the administrators, the governors,

the counselors, the treasurers, the judges,the magistrates, and all the officials of theprovinces gathered together for the dedi-cation of the image that King Nebuchad-nezzar had set up; and they stood before

the image that Nebuchadnezzar had setup. 4Then a herald cried aloud: To youit is commanded, O peoples, nations, and

2:49aThat is, the kings court

SHADRACH, MESHACH, ANDABED-NEGO Dan. 3:12

Names mean:Command of [the God] Aku(Shadrach); The Shadow of the Prince (Me-shach); Servant of Nebo (Abed-Nego).

Also known as: Hananiah (The Lord IsGraciousShadrach); Mishael (Who Is WhatGod Is?Meshach); Azariah (The Lord HasHelpedAbed-Nego).

Home:Probably Jerusalem until they weredeported to Babylon (c. 605 B.C.).

Occupation: Officials who served the Bab-ylonian king (Dan. 1:19; 2:49; 3:12).

Best known as:Daniels close friends who re-fused to bow to an idolatrous gold image setup by King Nebuchadnezzar; they were cast

into a fiery furnace but delivered by the Lord(3:130).

Think About It:How, specifically, do you showfriendship to another believer? Include namesand places. How does your friendship strengthenthis believer to obey God?


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DANIEL 3:241029

Saved in Fiery Trial19

Then Nebuchadnezzar was fullof fury, and the expression on his facechanged toward Shadrach, Meshach, andAbed-Nego. He spoke and commanded

that they heat the furnace seven timesmore than it was usually heated. 20And hecommanded certain mighty men of valorwho werein his army to bind Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-Nego, andcast theminto the burning fiery furnace. 21Thenthese men were bound in their coats, theirtrousers, their turbans, and their othergarments, and were cast into the midstof the burning fiery furnace. 22Therefore,because the kings command was urgent,and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flameof the fire killed those men who took upShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23And

these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, andAbed-Nego, fell down bound into the midstof the burning fiery furnace.

24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was as-

tonished; and he rose in haste andspoke,

Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they broughtthese men before the king. 14Nebuchad-nezzar spoke, saying to them, Is ittrue,Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, thatyou do not serve my gods or worship thegold image which I have set up? 15Nowif you are ready at the time you hear thesound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, andpsaltery, in symphony with all kinds of mu-sic, and you fall down and worship the im-age which I have made, good!But if you donot worship, you shall be cast immediatelyinto the midst of a burning fiery furnace.And who isthe god who will deliver youfrom my hands?

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Negoanswered and said to the king, O Nebu-chadnezzar, we have no need to answer youin this matter. 17If that is the case,our Godwhom we serve is able to deliver us fromthe burning fiery furnace, and He will de-liver usfrom your hand, O king. 18But ifnot, let it be known to you, O king, that wedo not serve your gods, nor will we worshipthe gold image which you have set up.

Bowing to God AloneDan. 3:7

The Bible calls us to obey earthly authorities (Rom. 13:17). But it also holds up examples ofgodly people who resisted human orders that violated Gods commands (Acts 4:1322). There isno simple formula to relieve this tension; the inherent conflict requires us to rely on God rather

than on a list of dos and donts.

If we never feel tension between the au-thority of God and the mandates of humanbeings, we should wonder where our com-mitments lie. Apparently hardly anyone inBabylon felt any anxiety about bowing downto Nebuchadnezzars ninety-foot-tall goldenimage (Dan. 3:812), or if they did, they fearedthe fiery furnace (3:6) more than anything else.

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Negowould not submit. They refused to violate thefirst and second commandments prohibitions

against idolatry (Ex. 20:35). The refusal ofthese provincial governors to bow so outragedthe king that he immediately threw the meninto a superheated furnace (3:1923). Thisbrazen act of disloyalty to the king was a cou-rageous act of loyalty to the Lord.

A similar incident occurred years later,during the reign of Darius. Informers exposedDaniel for violating a decree against prayingto any god or ruler except the king (6:613).The outcome was similar. Daniel was thrownto the lions (6:16).

On both occasions, God delivered His faith-

ful followers from deaththough not fromthe threat of death. Their courageous standinfluenced others to fear God and also re-sulted in suppressing their enemies (3:2629;6:2127).

Is this how Christians today should respond

to laws they disagree with? Again, there are nosimple answers. But the following questionsmay help us discover Gods will:

1. Is this truly a matter of biblicalprincipleor preference, taste, or style?

2. Why do I take issue with what I am beingasked to do? Is it an issue of conscienceand moralityor something else,such as a personality conflict or simplediscomfort?

3. Have I made an effort to understand whatis required of me? Have I checked myperceptions by telling those in authoritywhat I think I heard?

4. Do I understand how this conflicts withgodly values? Have I studied Gods Word,prayed for insight, and thought thingsthrough?

5. Is this an either/or situation, or are therealternatives that might satisfy everyoneinvolved? Like Daniel, can I come up witha creative alternative to my superiorscommand (1:816)?

More:scar Romero, archbishop of El Salvadorrightly took a stand against his hostile society inorder to bow to God alone. He fiercely protestedrampant poverty, oppression, and violence (in-cluding state-supported death squads).


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1030DANIEL 3:25

not serve nor worship any god except theirown God! 29Therefore I make a decree thatany people, nation, or language whichspeaks anything amiss against the God ofShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shallbe cut in pieces, and their houses shall bemade an ash heap; because there is no otherGod who can deliver like this.

30Then the king promoted Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the provinceof Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzars Second Dream

4Nebuchadnezzar the king,

To all peoples, nations, and languagesthat dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

2 I thought it good to declare the signsand wonders that the Most High Godhas worked for me.

3 How great areHis signs,And how mighty His wonders!His kingdom isan everlasting kingdom,And His dominion isfrom generation

to generation.

saying to his counselors, Did we not castthree men bound into the midst of the fire?

They answered and said to the king,True, O king.

25Look! he answered, I see four menloose, walking in the midst of the fire; andthey are not hurt, and the form of the fourthis like the Son of God.a

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God26

Then Nebuchadnezzar went near themouth of the burning fiery furnace andspoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, andAbed-Nego, servants of the Most High God,come out, and come here. Then Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from themidst of the fire. 27And the satraps, admin-istrators, governors, and the kings coun-selors gathered together, and they saw

these men on whose bodies the fire had nopower; the hair of their head was not singednor were their garments affected, and thesmell of fire was not on them.

28Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying,Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach,and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angelaanddelivered His servants who trusted in Him,and they have frustrated the kings word,and yielded their bodies, that they should 3:25aOr a son of the gods 3:28aOr angel

THE REIGN OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR (Daniel 4:1)

610B.C.

600B.C.

590B.C.

580B.C.

570B.C.

560B.C.

Orders theconstruction ofthe Ishtar Gate

(c. 575 B.C.).

Dies and issucceeded byEvil-Merodach

(c. 562 B.C.).

Besieges Jerusalemagain, replaces

Jehoiakim withJehoiachin, then later

deports Jehoiachinand other leadingcitizens to Babylon(c. 599597 B.C.). Invades Egypt

(568567 B.C.).

Capturesand destroysJerusalem(587 B.C.).

Besieges Jerusalem, takesDaniel and other noble

citizens captive, and beginsaccepting tribute from

kingdoms formerly controlledby Egypt: Judah, Tyre, Sidon,and Damascus (c. 605 B.C.).

Commands theBabylonian

army incampaignsagainst theAssyrians

(c. 606 B.C.).

Defeats theEgyptians atCarchemish(c. 605 B.C.).

SacksAshkelon

(c. 601 B.C.).

Begins athirteen-yearsiege of Tyre(c. 582 B.C.).

Survives anuprising inBabylon

(c. 596 B.C.).

Becomes kingof Babylon afterthe death of hisfather Nabopo-

lassar (c. 605 B.C.).


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DANIEL 4:271031

That the Most High rules in thekingdom of men,

Gives it to whomever He will,And sets over it the lowest of men.

18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar,

have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar,declare its interpretation, since allthe wise menof my kingdom arenot able to make known to me theinterpretation; but you areable, for theSpirit of the Holy God isin you.

Daniel Explains the Second Dream19 Then Daniel, whose name was

Belteshazzar, was astonished fora time, and his thoughts troubledhim. Sothe king spoke, and said,Belteshazzar, do not let the dream orits interpretation trouble you.

Belteshazzar answered andsaid, My lord, maythe dreamconcern those who hate you, and itsinterpretation concern your enemies!

20 The tree that you saw, which grewand became strong, whose heightreached to the heavens and whichcould beseen by all the earth, 21whoseleaves werelovely and its fruitabundant, in which wasfood for all,under which the beasts of the fielddwelt, and in whose branches the birdsof the heaven had their home 22it

isyou, O king, who have grown andbecome strong; for your greatness hasgrown and reaches to the heavens, andyour dominion to the end of the earth.

23 And inasmuch as the king saw awatcher, a holy one, coming downfrom heaven and saying, Chop downthe tree and destroy it, but leave itsstump and roots in the earth, boundwith a band of iron and bronze in thetender grass of the field; let it be wetwith the dew of heaven, and let himgraze with the beasts of the field, till

seven times pass over him;24

this isthe interpretation, O king, and this isthe decree of the Most High, whichhas come upon my lord the king:25

They shall drive you from men, yourdwelling shall be with the beasts ofthe field, and they shall make you eatgrass like oxen. They shall wet youwith the dew of heaven, and seventimes shall pass over you, till youknow that the Most High rules inthe kingdom of men, and gives it towhomever He chooses.

26 And inasmuch as they gave thecommand to leave the stump androotsof the tree, your kingdom shall beassured to you, after you come to knowthat Heaven rules. 27Therefore, O king,let my advice be acceptable to you;

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in myhouse, and flourishing in my palace.5I saw a dream which made me afraid,and the thoughts on my bed andthe visions of my head troubled me.6

Therefore I issued a decree to bringin all the wise menof Babylon beforeme, that they might make known tome the interpretation of the dream.7

Then the magicians, the astrologers,the Chaldeans, and the soothsayerscame in, and I told them the dream;but they did not make known tome its interpretation. 8But at lastDaniel came before me (his name isBelteshazzar, according to the nameof my god; in him isthe Spirit of theHoly God), and I told the dream beforehim, saying:9Belteshazzar, chief of

the magicians, because I know that theSpirit of the Holy God isin you, and nosecret troubles you, explain to me thevisions of my dream that I have seen,and its interpretation.

10 These werethe visions of my headwhileon my bed:

I was looking, and behold,A tree in the midst of the earth,And its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong;Its height reached to the heavens,And it could be seen to the ends of all

the earth.12 Its leaves werelovely,

Its fruit abundant,And in it wasfood for all.The beasts of the field found shade

under it,The birds of the heavens dwelt in its

branches,And all flesh was fed from it.

13 I saw in the visions of my head whileon my bed, and there was a watcher, aholy one, coming down from heaven.14He cried aloud and said thus:

Chop down the tree and cut off itsbranches,

Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.Let the beasts get out from under it,And the birds from its branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the stump androots in the earth,

Boundwith a band of iron and bronze,In the tender grass of the field.Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,And lethim graze with the beastsOn the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of

a man,Let him be given the heart of a beast,And let seven timesapass over him.

17 This decision isby the decree of thewatchers,

And the sentence by the word of theholy ones,

In order that the living may know4:16aPossibly seven years,and so in verses 23,25, and 32


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1032DANIEL 4:28

driven from men and ate grass likeoxen; his body was wet with the dewof heaven till his hair had grown likeeaglesfeathersand his nails likebirds claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God34 And at the end of the timeaI,

Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyesto heaven, and my understandingreturned to me; and I blessed the MostHigh and praised and honored Himwho lives forever:

For His dominion isan everlastingdominion,

And His kingdom isfrom generationto generation.

35 All the inhabitants of the earth are

reputed as nothing;He does according to His will in thearmy of heaven

And amongthe inhabitants of theearth.

No one can restrain His handOr say to Him, What have You done?

36 At the same time my reason returnedto me, and for the glory of my

break off your sins by beingr ighteous,and your iniquities by showing mercyto thepoor. Perhaps there may be alengthening of your prosperity.

Nebuchadnezzars Humiliation28 All thiscame upon King Neb-

uchadnezzar. 29At the end of thetwelve months he was walking aboutthe royal palace of Babylon. 30Theking spoke, saying, Is not this greatBabylon, that I have built for a royaldwelling by my mighty power and forthe honor of my majesty?

31 While the word was stillin the kingsmouth, a voice fell from heaven: KingNebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken:the kingdom has departed from you!32And they shall drive you from men,

and your dwelling shall bewith thebeasts of the field. They shall makeyou eat grass like oxen; and seventimes shall pass over you, until youknow that the Most High rules inthe kingdom of men, and gives it towhomever He chooses.

33 That very hour the word was fulfilledconcerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was

4:34aLiterally days

Heaven RulesDan. 4:26, 27

The spiritual health of a society can be seenin its treatment of the poor. Those that hon-or God show kindness to and provide toolsfor the weak and disadvantaged. Those thathave abandoned His commands abuse them.

King Nebuchadnezzar had plenty of rea-sons to be proud. He won countless militarybattles. His empire spanned the Middle East.He reigned over a grand capital city that washome to one of the Seven Wonders of theAncient World. Wealth, power, and prestigewere his. But all of these factors caused his

heart to so swell with pride that he forgot abasic truth: Heaven rules.

God used King Nebuchadnezzars dreamsto warn that judgment was coming (Dan. 4:126), and Daniel challenged the king to changehis ways before it was too late. He told theking: Break off your sins by being righteous,and your iniquities by showing mercy to thepoor (4:27).

The king apparently disregarded Danielsadvice, persisting in arrogance and ignoringGod. The Lord soon took away his positionand power (4:33) until he admitted that

Heaven rules (4:34, 35). He subsequently in-stituted a reign based on truth, justice, andhumility (4:36, 37).

What are our attitudes toward the poor?Do we work to ensure them justice? How canwe demonstrate that commitment at home,at work, and in our communities?

God at Work for His People

Dan. 4:27

Most of the Jews deported to Babylon reset-tled along the Chebar River, a canal north-east of the capital city. They were likely con-scripted for labor on Nebuchadnezzars vastbuilding projects. The Jews were free to livein their own communities but depended onthe Babylonians for work. In other words, thesituation left them poor and with little hopeof changing their circumstances. They livedin enclaves with few freedoms, resources, oradvocates.

But Daniel fought for the poor within thegovernment. We do not know how muchcontact he had with the exiles. They mayhave been unaware of him, but he was neverunmindful of them. God was at work on be-half of the Jews even if they were unawareof it.

God has His people everywhere, in placesand positions that we may never imagine.Daniels strategic placement demonstratesthat God never leaves Himself without ameans of accomplishing His purposes. Hehas a way of putting the right person at theright place at the right time.

More:Joseph was another Old Testament fig-ure strategically placed by God to accomplishHis purposes. See Work in the Real Worldat Gen. 41:4246 and Feeding the World atGen. 41:57.


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DANIEL 5:111033

lampstand on the plaster of the wall of thekings palace; and the king saw the partof the hand that wrote. 6Then the kingscountenance changed, and his thoughts

troubled him, so that the joints of his hipswere loosened and his knees knockedagainst each other. 7

The king cried aloudto bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans,and the soothsayers. The king spoke, say-ing to the wise menof Babylon, Whoeverreads this writing, and tells me its inter-pretation, shall be clothed with purple andhavea chain of gold around his neck; andhe shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.8Now all the kings wise mencame, but

they could not read the writing, or makeknown to the king its interpretation. 9ThenKing Belshazzar was greatly troubled, hiscountenance was changed, and his lords

were astonished.10The queen, because of the words of

the king and his lords, came to the banquethall. The queen spoke, saying, O king, liveforever! Do not let your thoughts troubleyou, nor let your countenance change.11

There is a man in your kingdom in whomisthe Spirit of the Holy God. And in thedays of your father, light and understand-ing and wisdom, like the wisdom of thegods, were found in him; and King Nebu-chadnezzar your fatheryour father the

kingdom, my honor and splendorreturned to me. My counselors andnobles resorted to me, I was restoredto my kingdom, and excellentmajesty was added to me. 37Now I,Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and

honor the King of heaven, all of whoseworks aretruth, and His ways justice.And those who walk in pride He is ableto put down.

Belshazzars Feast

5Belshazzar the king made a great feastfor a thousand of his lords, and drank

wine in the presence of the thousand.2

While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gavethe command to bring the gold and silvervessels which his father Nebuchadnez-zar had taken from the temple which had

beenin Jerusalem, that the king and hislords, his wives, and his concubines mightdrink from them. 3Then they brought thegold vessels that had been taken from thetemple of the house of God which had beenin Jerusalem; and the king and his lords,his wives, and his concubines drank from

them. 4They drank wine, and praised thegods of gold and silver, bronze and iron,wood and stone.

5In the same hour the fingers of a manshand appeared and wrote opposite the

Third-in-CommandDan. 5:7

Terrified by the appearance of a hand and its cryptic message on the wall, Belshazzar offeredto elevate anyone able to interpret the message to the position of third ruler in the kingdom.Third-in-command may have been the best he could offer; Belshazzar may have regardedhimself as second-in-command of the empire. His father Nabonidus was the supreme ruler ofBabylon between about 555 B.C.and 539 B.C., but he left the capital in the hands of his son whilehe waged military campaigns for ten years in Arabia. Belshazzar allowed the kingdom to slipinto the hands of the Persians, and Nabonidus was captured on his return to the city.

Think About It:Terror can be a good learningmotivation. But then we can forget the lessons

when we no longer feel scared. What have you

learned during a frightening time that still nur-tures the way you serve God?

Government Employees in the BibleDan. 5:11, 12

Daniel spent most of his career in the highest levels of the Babylonian government workingas King Nebuchadnezzars chief advisor (compare Dan. 1:1821). The Bible tells of others whoserved God in government positions:

Joseph (Gen. 3950) Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, where Godarranged for him to eventually become second only to Pharaoh.

Caleb (Num. 1314) Spied for Moses when the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan. Years later,he helped divide the land.

Joshua (Num. 1314;Josh. 1:13:17)

Served alongside Caleb and later succeeded Moses as Israels leader.

continued on next page


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DANIEL 5:12 1034

havea chain of gold around your neck, andshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17Then Daniel answered, and said be-

fore the king, Let your gif ts be for your-self, and give your rewards to another; yet Iwill read the writing to the king, and makeknown to him the interpretation. 18O king,

the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzaryour father a kingdom and majesty, gloryand honor. 19And because of the majestythat He gave him, all peoples, nations, andlanguages trembled and feared before him.Whomever he wished, he executed; whom-ever he wished, he kept alive; whomeverhe wished, he set up; and whomever hewished, he put down. 20But when his heartwas lifted up, and his spirit was hardenedin pride, he was deposed from his kingly

throne, and they took his glory from him.21

Then he was driven from the sons of men,his heart was made like the beasts, andhis dwelling waswith the wild donkeys.They fed him with grass like oxen, and hisbody was wet with the dew of heaven, till

kingmade him chief of the magicians,astrologers, Chaldeans, andsoothsayers.12Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowl-edge, understanding, interpreting dreams,solving riddles, and explaining enigmasawere found in this Daniel, whom the king

named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel becalled, and he will give the interpretation.

The Writing on the Wall Explained13

Then Daniel was brought in beforethe king. The king spoke, and said to Dan-iel, Areyou that Daniel who is one of thecaptivesafrom Judah, whom my father theking brought from Judah? 14I have heardof you, that the Spirit of God isin you, andthatlight and understanding and excellentwisdom are found in you. 15Now the wisemen,the astrologers, have been brought inbefore me, that they should read this writ-ing and make known to me its interpreta-

tion, but they could not give the interpre-tation of the thing. 16And I have heard ofyou, that you can give interpretations andexplain enigmas. Now if you can read thewriting and make known to me its interpre-tation, you shall be clothed with purple and

5:12aLiterally untying knots,and so in verse 165:13aLiterally of the sons of the captivity

Deborah (Judg. 45) Ruled as Israels only female judge. She helped her military commanderachieve victory in battle and led her people in song.

David (1 Sam. 1631;2 Sam. 124)

Rose from obscurity as a shepherd to become Israels preeminent king.

Solomon (1 Kin. 311) Succeeded his father David as king. He was best known for wisdom butalso succeeded in trade, building, and amassing wealth. He wrote much ofProverbs, Ecclesiastes, and probably the Song of Solomon.

Hezekiah (2 Kin. 1820; 2 Chr. 2932)

Overcame his birth into the family of evil King Ahaz to rule Judah withunexpected righteousness. He built a strategic water supply system forJerusalem.

Nehemiah (Neh. 16) Held captive in Babylon but served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I. Hesecured royal support for returning to Jerusalem to lead its redevelopment.

Esther (the Book of

Esther)

An orphan raised by an older cousin, selected as queen for King Ahasuerus

of Persia. She used her position to foil a genocidal plot against her people.

Matthew (Matt. 9:9) Shunned by his people for collecting taxes for the occupying Roman gov-ernment. Jesus called him to leave his position and follow Him.

Zacchaeus (Luke19:19)

Worked as Jerichos chief tax collector. After dining with Jesus, he repaideveryone he had cheated and gave half his riches to the poor.

A Roman Centurion(Matt. 27:54)

Oversaw the crucifixion of Jesus but came to believe that Jesus was the Sonof God.

The Treasurerof Ethiopia (Acts8:2640)

Official under the Ethiopian queen. He met the evangelist Philip andlearned the way of salvation in Christ.

Cornelius (Acts 10) Roman military commander stationed in Caesarea who obeyed God byinviting Peter to his home. He and his household became the first knownGentile followers of Jesus.

The Philippian Jailer(Acts 16:2036)

Panic-stricken after an earthquake opened cell doors in the jail where heworked, he was amazed to discover Paul and Silas had not escaped. Afterhearing the gospel, he and his family converted to Christianity.

continued from previous page


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DANIEL 6:41035

26This isthe interpretation of eachword.

MENE: God has numbered your kingdom,and finished it; 27TEKEL: You have beenweighed in the balances, and found want-ing; 28PERES: Your kingdom has beendivided, and given to the Medes and Per-sians.

a29

Then Belshazzar gave the com-mand, and they clothed Daniel with purpleand puta chain of gold around his neck,and made a proclamation concerning himthat he should be the third ruler in the king-dom.

Belshazzars Fall30

That very night Belshazzar, king ofthe Chaldeans, was slain. 31And Darius theMede received the kingdom, beingaboutsixty-two years old.

The Plot Against Daniel

6It pleased Darius to set over the king-dom one hundred and twenty satraps,

to be over the whole kingdom; 2and overthese, three governors, of whom Danielwasone, that the satraps might give ac-count to them, so that the king would suf-fer no loss. 3Then this Daniel distinguishedhimself above the governors and satraps,because an excellent spirit wasin him; and

the king gave thought to setting him overthe whole realm. 4So the governors and sa-traps sought to f ind somecharge againstDaniel concerning the kingdom; but theycould find no charge or fault, because hewasfaithful; nor was there any error or

he knew that the Most High God rules inthe kingdom of men, and appoints over itwhomever He chooses.

22But you his son, Belshazzar, have nothumbled your heart, although you knewall this. 23And you have lifted yourselfup against the Lord of heaven. They havebrought the vessels of His house before you,and you and your lords, your wives andyour concubines, have drunk wine from

them. And you have praised the gods ofsilver and gold, bronze and iron, wood andstone, which do not see or hear or know;and the God who holdsyour breath in Hishand and owns all your ways, you have notglorified. 24Then the fingersaof the handwere sent from Him, and this writing waswritten.

25And this is the inscription that waswritten:

MENE,aMENE, TEKEL,bUPHARSIN.c

5:24aLiterally palm 5:25aLiterally a mina(50 shekels) from the verb to numberbLiterally a shekelfrom the verb to weighcLiterally and half-shekelsfrom the verb todivide 5:28aAramaic Paras,consonant withPeres

A Compet it ion of GodsDan. 5:23

Victorious armies in the ancient MiddleEast often subdued conquered peoplesby destroying religious shrines and takingidols and relics back to their own houses ofworship (1 Sam. 4:10, 11; 5:1, 2). These acts

asserted that the gods of the triumphantwere more powerful than the gods of thevanquished.

Following this tradition, the Babylonianking Nebuchadnezzar looted the Israelitestemple following the siege of Jerusalem. Hetook untold riches back to Babylon, includingsacred objects carefully set apart for Israelsmost holy worship rituals (2 Kin. 25:1317). Years later, many of these spoils werebrought out at the request of drunkenBelshazzar and used as tableware at a drink-ing party (Dan. 5:24). Like his predecessor

Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar apparentlythought he had won a game between gods.But the Lord turned the tables on this fool-

ish king. As Daniel predicted, Belshazzarscity was captured that night, its mighty zig-gurats pulled down, its gods removed, andits king killed (5:30).

There is only one true God (Deut. 6:4;1 Tim. 2:5). Nations may choose to serveother gods. But in the end, the God of heav-en will prevail. He has said, My name shallbe great among the Gentiles (or nations;Mal. 1:11).

More:The phrase the writings on the wallcame from this event (Dan. 5:5). The Lord wonsimilar contests over other gods when He defeat-ed Pharaoh in Egypt and burned up the altarElijah built on Mount Carmel. See PharaohsSubmission at Ex. 12:29.

DARIUS THE MEDEDan. 5:31

Not to be confused with:The later Persianking Darius I Hystaspis (522485 B.C.; Ezra 4:5),who helped the Jews who returned from Bab-ylon to Jerusalem (6:112).

Family:Son of Ahasuerus, a Mede (Dan. 9:1).

Occupation:King of Babylon after it fell to theMedes and Persians (539 B.C.; 5:31; 9:1).

Best known as:The ruler who threw Danielto the lions (ch. 6). Some have challenged thebiblical account because no known extrabib-lical sources mention Darius the Mede. Analternative translation of Dan. 6:28 suggests

that Darius may have actually been Cyrus thePersian.

Think About It:Darius admired Daniel but lethis staff talk him into an assassination attemptagainst Daniel. Why? What keeps you doing rightno matter who tries to dissuade you?


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DANIEL 6:5 1036

Daniel praying and making supplicationbefore his God. 12And they went before theking, and spoke concerning the kings de-cree: Have you not signed a decree thatevery man who petitions any god or manwithin thirty days, except you, O king,shall be cast into the den of lions?

The king answered and said, The thingistrue, according to the law of the Medesand Persians, which does not alter.

13So they answered and said beforethe king, That Daniel, who is one of thecaptivesafrom Judah, does not show dueregard for you, O king, or for the decree

that you have signed, but makes his peti-tion three times a day.

14And the king, when he heard thesewords, was greatly displeased with him-self, and set hisheart on Daniel to deliver

him; and he labored till the going down ofthe sun to deliver him. 15Then these menapproached the king, and said to the king,Know, O king, that it isthe law of the Medesand Persians that no decree or statute whichthe king establishes may be changed.

16So the king gave the command, andthey brought Daniel and cast himinto theden of lions. Butthe king spoke, saying toDaniel, Your God, whom you serve contin-ually, He will deliver you. 17Then a stonewas brought and laid on the mouth of theden, and the king sealed it with his ownsignet ring and with the signets of his lords,

that the purpose concerning Daniel mightnot be changed.

Daniel Saved from the Lions18Now the king went to his palace and

spent the night fasting; and no musiciansawere brought before him. Also his sleepwent from him. 19Then the king arose veryearly in the morning and went in haste tothe den of lions. 20And when he came to theden, he cried out with a lamenting voice toDaniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel,Daniel, servant of the living God, has yourGod, whom you serve continually, been

able to deliver you from the lions?21

Then Daniel said to the king, O king,live forever! 22My God sent His angel andshut the lions mouths, so that they havenot hurt me, because I was found innocentbefore Him; and also, O king, I have doneno wrong before you.

23Now the king was exceedingly gladfor him, and commanded that they should

take Daniel up out of the den. So Danielwas taken up out of the den, and no injurywhatever was found on him, because he be-lieved in his God.

Darius Honors God24And the king gave the command, and

they brought those men who had accusedDaniel, and they cast theminto the denof lionsthem, their children, and their

fault found in him. 5Then these men said,We shall not find any charge against thisDaniel unless we find itagainst him con-cerning the law of his God.

6So these governors and satrapsthronged before the king, and said thusto him: King Darius, live forever! 7All thegovernors of the kingdom, the administra-

tors and satraps, the counselors and advi-sors, have consulted together to establisha royal statute and to make a firm decree,that whoever petitions any god or man forthirty days, except you, O king, shall becast into the den of lions. 8Now, O king, es-tablish the decree and sign the writing, sothat it cannot be changed, according to thelaw of the Medes and Persians, which doesnot alter. 9Therefore King Darius signedthe written decree.

Daniel in the Lions Den10Now when Daniel knew that the writ-

ing was signed, he went home. And in hisupper room, with his windows open towardJerusalem, he knelt down on his kneesthree times that day, and prayed and gavethanks before his God, as was his customsince early days.

11Then these men assembled and found

6:13aLiterally of the sons of the captivity6:18aExact meaning unknown

Integrity Incites Jealousy, andRespect Dan. 6:15

When Darius the Mede conquered Babylon,he needed experienced managers to main-tain civil order, collect taxes, and stimulatetrade. He selected 120 provincial governorsknown assatraps, or protectors of the king-dom. Over these he placed three governors,including Daniel.

Darius chose Daniel because an excel-lent spirit was in him, that is, he was trust-worthy. His reputation was above reproach,and he was known for refusing to participatein bribery or extortion. Daniels character sodistinguished him from other officials thatDarius intended to place him over the wholerealm. When Daniels proven leadership re-sulted in his advancement, his rivals plottedagainst him. But the only fault they foundin Daniel was that he was too faithful to God.

God calls us to develop this same ex-cellent spirit of trustworthiness and integ-rity. We honor the Lord, and other people,whenever we carry out our responsibilitieswith conscientious serviceno matter howwe are viewed by others. Ultimately wellwin respect. Regularly people will be caredfor. Daily well like living with ourselves. Butduring all the good that comes from integri-ty, some will act jealously.

More:For more on ways that faith can impactones management style, see Codes of Conductfor the Christian Worker at Col. 3:224:1.


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wives; and the lions overpowered them,and broke all their bones in pieces beforethey ever came to the bottom of the den.

25Then King Darius wrote:

To all peoples, nations, and languages

that dwell in all the earth:Peace be multiplied to you.

26 I make a decree that in every dominionof my kingdom men musttremble andfear before the God of Daniel.

For He isthe living God,And steadfast forever;His kingdom is the onewhich shall not

be destroyed,And His dominion shall endureto the

end.27 He delivers and rescues,

And He works signs and wondersIn heaven and on earth,Who has delivered Daniel from the

power of the lions.

28So this Daniel prospered in the reignof Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Per-sian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7In the first year of Belshazzar king ofBabylon, Daniel had a dream and vi-

sions of his head whileon his bed. Thenhe wrote down the dream, telling the mainfacts.a

2Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vi-sion by night, and behold, the four windsof heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.3And four great beasts came up from thesea, each different from the other. 4Thefirst waslike a lion, and had eagles wings.I watched till its wings were plucked off;and it was lifted up from the earth andmade to stand on two feet like a man, and amans heart was given to it.

5And suddenly another beast, a second,like a bear. It was raised up on one side,and hadthree ribs in its mouth between its

teeth. And they said thus to it: Arise, de-vour much flesh!6After this I looked, and there was an-

other, like a leopard, which had on its backfour wings of a bird. The beast also hadfour heads, and dominion was given to it.

7After this I saw in the night visions,and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and

terrible, exceedingly strong. It had hugeiron teeth; it was devouring, breaking inpieces, and trampling the residue with itsfeet. It wasdifferent from all the beasts thatwerebefore it, and it had ten horns. 8I wasconsidering the horns, and there was an-

other horn, a little one, coming up amongthem, before whom three of the first hornswere plucked out by the roots. And there, inthis horn, wereeyes like the eyes of a man,and a mouth speaking pompous words.

Vision of the Ancient of Days9 I watched till thrones were put in place,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;His garment waswhite as snow,And the hair of His head waslike pure

wool.His throne wasa fiery flame,Its wheels a burning fire;

10 A fiery stream issuedAnd came forth from before Him.A thousand thousands ministered to

Him;Ten thousand times ten thousand stood

before Him.The courtawas seated,And the books were opened.

11I watched then because of the soundof the pompous words which the horn wasspeaking; I watched till the beast wasslain, and its body destroyed and given

to the burning flame. 12As for the rest of

the beasts, they had their dominion takenaway, yet their lives were prolonged for aseason and a time.

13I was watching in the night visions,And behold, Onelike the Son of Man,Coming with the clouds of heaven!He came to the Ancient of Days,And they brought Him near before

Him.14 Then to Him was given dominion and

glory and a kingdom,That all peoples, nations, and

languages should serve Him.

His dominion isan everlastingdominion,

Which shall not pass away,And His kingdom the oneWhich shall not be destroyed.

Daniels Visions Interpreted15I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit

within mybody, and the visions of my headtroubled me. 16I came near to one of thosewho stood by, and asked him the truth of allthis. So he told me and made known to methe interpretation of these things: 17Thosegreat beasts, which are four, are fourkingsawhicharise out of the earth. 18Butthe saints of the Most High shall receive thekingdom, and possess the kingdom forever,even forever and ever.

19Then I wished to know the truthabout the fourth beast, which was differentfrom all the others, exceedingly dreadful,withits teeth of iron and its nails of bronze,whichdevoured, broke in pieces, and tram-pled the residue with its feet; 20and the tenhorns that wereon its head, and the otherhornwhich came up, before which threefell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a

mouth which spoke pompous words, whoseappearance wasgreater than his fellows.21I was watching; and the same horn

was making war against the saints, andprevailing against them, 22until the Ancient

7:1aLiterally the head(or chief) of the words7:10aOrjudgment 7:17aRepresenting theirkingdoms (compare verse 23)


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the ram that had two horns, which I hadseen standing beside the river, and ran athim with furious power. 7And I saw himconfronting the ram; he was moved withrage against him, attacked the ram, andbroke his two horns. There was no powerin the ram to withstand him, but he casthim down to the ground and trampled him;and there was no one that could deliver theram from his hand.

8Therefore the male goat grew very

great; but when he became strong, the largehorn was broken, and in place of it four no-

table ones came up toward the four windsof heaven. 9And out of one of them came alittle horn which grew exceedingly great

toward the south, toward the east, andtoward the Glorious Land.10And it grewup to the host of heaven; and it cast down

someof the host and someof the stars tothe ground, and trampled them. 11He evenexalted himselfas high as the Prince of thehost; and by him the daily sacrificesweretaken away, and the place of His sanctuarywas cast down. 12Because of transgres-sion, an army was given over to the horn

to oppose the daily sacrifices;and he casttruth down to the ground. He did all thisand prospered.

13Then I heard a holy one speaking; and

anotherholy one said to that certain onewho was speaking, How long willthe vi-sion be, concerningthe daily sacrificesand

the transgression of desolation, the givingof both the sanctuary and the host to betrampled underfoot?

14And he said to me, For two thousandthree hundred days;athen the sanctuaryshall be cleansed.

Gabriel Interprets the Vision15

Then it happened, when I, Daniel, hadseen the vision and was seeking the mean-ing, that suddenly there stood before meone having the appearance of a man. 16AndI heard a mans voice between the banksofthe Ulai, who called, and said, Gabriel,make this manunderstand the vision. 17Sohe came near where I stood, and when hecame I was afraid and fell on my face; buthe said to me, Understand, son of man,that the vision refersto the time of the end.

18Now, as he was speaking with me,I was in a deep sleep with my face to theground; but he touched me, and stood meupright. 19And he said, Look, I am mak-ing known to you what shall happen in thelatter time of the indignation; for at the ap-pointed time the end shall be.20The ramwhich you saw, having the two hornsthey

arethe kings of Media and Persia.21

Andthe male goat isthe kingdomaof Greece.The large horn that isbetween its eyes isthe first king. 22As for the broken hornand

of Days came, and a judgment was madein favorof the saints of the Most High, andthe time came for the saints to possess thekingdom.

23Thus he said:

The fourth beast shall beA fourth kingdom on earth,Which shall be different from all other

kingdoms,And shall devour the whole earth,Trample it and break it in pieces.

24 The ten horns areten kingsWhoshall arise from this kingdom.And another shall rise after them;He shall be different from the first ones,And shall subdue three kings.

25 He shall speak pompouswordsagainst the Most High,

Shall persecuteathe saints of the Most

High,And shall intend to change times and

law.Then the saintsshall be given into his

handFor a time and times and half a time.

26 But the court shall be seated,And they shall take away his

dominion,To consume and destroy itforever.

27 Then the kingdom and dominion,And the greatness of the kingdoms

under the whole heaven,

Shall be given to the people, the saintsof the Most High.

His kingdom isan everlastingkingdom,

And all dominions shall serve andobey Him.

28This isthe end of the account.aAs forme, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubledme, and my countenance changed; but Ikept the matter in my heart.

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8

In the third year of the reign of King

Belshazzar a vision appeared tometo me, Danielafter the one that appearedto me the first time. 2I saw in the vision,and it so happened while I was looking,

that I wasin Shushan, the citadel, whichisin the province of Elam; and I saw in the

vision that I was by the River Ulai. 3ThenI lifted my eyes and saw, and there, stand-ing beside the river, was a ram which had

two horns, and the two horns werehigh;but one washigher than the other, and thehigher onecame up last. 4I saw the rampushing westward, northward, and south-ward, so that no animal could withstand

him; nor was there anythat could deliverfrom his hand, but he did according to hiswill and became great.

5And as I was considering, suddenly amale goat came from the west, across thesurface of the whole earth, without touch-ing the ground; and the goat hada notablehorn between his eyes. 6Then he came to

7:25aLiterally wear out 7:28aLiterallythe word 8:14aLiterally evening-mornings8:21aLiterally king,representing his kingdom(compare 7:17, 23)


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DANIEL 9:131039

8O Lord, to us belongsshame of face,to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,because we have sinned against You. 9To

the Lord our God belongmercy and for-giveness, though we have rebelled againstHim. 10We have not obeyed the voice of

the LORD our God, to walk in His laws,which He set before us by His servants theprophets. 11Yes, all Israel has transgressedYour law, and has departed so as not toobey Your voice; therefore the curse and

the oath written in the Law of Moses theservant of God have been poured out onus, because we have sinned against Him.12And He has confirmed His words, whichHe spoke against us and against our judgeswho judged us, by bringing upon us a greatdisaster; for under the whole heaven suchhas never been done as what has been done

to Jerusalem.13As it iswritten in the Law of Moses,all this disaster has come upon us; yet we

the four that stood up in its place, four king-doms shall arise out of that nation, but notwith its power.

23And in the latter time of their kingdom,When the transgressors have reached

their fullness,A king shall arise,Having fierce features,Who understands sinister schemes.

24 His power shall be mighty, but not byhis own power;

He shall destroy fearfully,And shall prosper and thrive;He shall destroy the mighty, and also

the holy people.

25Through his cunningHe shall cause deceit to prosper under

his rule;a

And he shall exalt himselfin his heart.He shall destroy many in their

prosperity.He shall even rise against the Prince

of princes;But he shall be broken without human

means.b

26And the vision of the evenings andmornings

Which was told is true;Therefore seal up the vision,For it refersto many days in the future.

27And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick

for days; afterward I arose and went aboutthe kings business. I was astonished by thevision, but no one understood it.

Daniels Prayer for the People

9In the first year of Darius the son ofAhasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes,

who was made king over the realm of theChaldeans 2in the first year of his reign I,Daniel, understood by the books the num-ber of the years specifiedby the word of theLORDthrough Jeremiah the prophet, thatHe would accomplish seventy years in thedesolations of Jerusalem.

3

Then I set my face toward the Lord Godto make request by prayer and supplications,with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4And Iprayed to the LORDmy God, and made con-fession, and said, O Lord, great and awe-some God, who keeps His covenant and mer-cy with those who love Him, and with thosewho keep His commandments, 5we havesinned and committed iniquity, we havedone wickedly and rebelled, even by depart-ing from Your precepts and Your judgments.6Neither have we heeded Your servants theprophets, who spoke in Your name to ourkings and our princes, to our fathers and all

the people of the land. 7O Lord, righteous-ness belongsto You, but to us shame of face,as it isthis dayto the men of Judah, to theinhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, thosenear and those far off in all the countries towhich You have driven them, because of theunfaithfulness which they have committedagainst You.

8:25aLiterally hand bLiterally hand

Understanding ProphecyDan. 9:17

The meaning and significance of biblicalprophecy unfolds when we understand thatthe prophets were less concerned with pre-diction than with revelationthat is, wheth-

er or not a prophecy pertains to the future,a word from God is significant because itreveals something that He wants His peopleto know and do today. Prophecy is not just

foretelling the future; it is forthtelling theword of the Lord.

Daniels response to Jeremiahs prophe-cies demonstrates this point. When Babylonfell to the Persians, Daniel recognized thatmore than political change was taking place.He perceived Gods hand at work. The Bibletells us that he had access to Jeremiahsprophecies. Perhaps he had a copy of

Jeremiahs letter to the exiles telling them toexpect a seventy-year captivity ( Jer. 29:10).

Daniels careful reflection on this infor-mation moved him to repentance. This is aremarkable response. He could have hailedBabylons fall as a prophetic signal of theend of Judahs captivity. He could have ap-proached Darius and demanded his peoplesimmediate release, in the style of Moses.

He could have become complacent in hisduties, figuring that he was on his way home.Instead, Daniel repented. He focused not ondates and timetables but on what was right,

and on his own need for heart change. Hewas less concerned with when the captivitywould end than with why it would end. Hewondered not How soon will we go home?but Are we ready to go home?The purposeof studying prophecy is to hear God and re-spond to His words.


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people Israel, and presenting my suppli-cation before the LORD my God for theholy mountain of my God, 21yes, while Iwasspeaking in prayer, the man Gabriel,whom I had seen in the vision at the begin-ning, being caused to fly swiftly, reachedme about the time of the evening offering.22And he informed me,and talked with me,and said, O Daniel, I have now come forthto give you skill to understand. 23At the be-ginning of your supplications the commandwent out, and I have come to tell you,foryou aregreatly beloved; therefore considerthe matter, and understand the vision:

24Seventy weeksaare determinedFor your people and for your holy city,To finish the transgression,To make an end ofbsins,To make reconciliation for iniquity,

To bring in everlasting righteousness,To seal up vision and prophecy,And to anoint the Most Holy.

25Know therefore and understand,Thatfrom the going forth of the commandTo restore and build JerusalemUntil Messiah the Prince,There shall beseven weeks and

sixty-two weeks;The streetashall be built again, and

the wall,b

Even in troublesome times.

have not made our prayer before the LORDour God, that we might turn from our iniq-uities and understand Your truth. 14There-fore the LORDhas kept the disaster in mind,and brought it upon us; for the LORDourGod isrighteous in all the works which Hedoes, though we have not obeyed His voice.15And now, O Lord our God, who broughtYour people out of the land of Egypt witha mighty hand, and made Yourself a name,as it isthis daywe have sinned, we havedone wickedly!

16O Lord, according to all Your righ-teousness, I pray, let Your anger and Yourfury be turned away from Your city Jeru-salem, Your holy mountain; because for oursins, and for the iniquities of our fathers,Jerusalem and Your people area reproachto all thosearound us. 17Now therefore, ourGod, hear the prayer of Your servant, andhis supplications, and for the Lords sakecause Your face to shine on Your sanctu-ary, which is desolate. 18O my God, inclineYour ear and hear; open Your eyes and seeour desolations, and the city which is calledby Your name; for we do not present oursupplications before You because of ourrighteous deeds, but because of Your greatmercies. 19O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay forYour own sake, my God, for Your city andYour people are called by Your name.

The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy20Now while I wasspeaking, praying,and confessing my sin and the sin of my

9:24aLiterally sevens,and so throughout the

chapter bFollowing Qere, Septuagint, Syriac,and Vulgate; Kethib and Theodotion read Toseal up. 9:25aOr open square bOr moat

Daniels Prayer PatternsDan. 9:24, 25

Daniel talked with God no matter what. This regular communication was likely central to thecharacter Daniel developed. Some observations:

Daniel prayed after studying Scripture.Daniels prayer came in the first year of

Darius, around 539B.C.

(Dan. 9:1), theyear that Babylon fell to the Persians. Thisastounding event must have sent Danielto the Scriptures for insight. As he studiedthe Law, he found reasons for Judahs exile(9:1113; compare Lev. 26; Deut. 2728).He also found promises of restorationif the people repented of their sins(Lev. 26:4045).

Daniel confessed his peoples sins. Daniellived with integrity both before and afterhis deportation to Babylon. Despite hispersonal innocence in many areas, he

confessed sins as a member of Godswayward people. Four times he told theLord, We have sinned (Dan. 9:5, 8, 11,15). This exemplifies corporate confession,accepting ones personal responsibilityfor a peoples failings (see CorporateConfession at Lam. 1:18).

Daniel fasted and repented. Danieldemonstrated remorse by wearing

sackcloth and smearing himself withashes, communicating to God that hewas sorry for his peoples sins. Only afterthis prolonged confession did Daniel askfor mercy (9:16, 17). He did not raise thepossibility of restoration, despite Godspromises and Daniels awareness ofJeremiahs prophecies (9:2). He asked onlythat the Lord would act according to Hisown interests (9:18, 19).

Not long after Daniel asked this, Cyrus is-sued a decree allowing the Jews to return toJerusalem and rebuild the temple (2 Chr. 36:22,

23). Gabriel indicates that there was a connec-tion between Daniels prayer, Cyruss decree,and Jeremiahs prophecies (Dan. 9:2325).

Prayer does not convince or coerce God togive us what we want. It acknowledges oursituation and admits our need for His help.And it connects us to Him.


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yourself before your God, your words wereheard; and I have come because of yourwords. 13But the prince of the kingdom ofPersia withstood me twenty-one days; andbehold, Michael, one of the chief princes,came to help me, for I had been left alonethere with the kings of Persia. 14Now I havecome to make you understand what willhappen to your people in the latter days,for the vision refersto manydays yet tocome.

15When he had spoken such words to

me, I turned my face toward the groundand became speechless. 16And suddenly,one having the likeness of the sonsa ofmen touched my lips; then I opened mymouth and spoke, saying to him who stoodbefore me, My lord, because of the visionmy sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I

have retained no strength.17

For how canthis servant of my lord talk with you, mylord? As for me, no strength remains in menow, nor is any breath left in me.

18Then again, the onehaving the like-

ness of a man touched me and strengthenedme. 19And he said, O man greatly beloved,fear not! Peace beto you; be strong, yes,be strong!

So when he spoke to me I was strength-ened, and said, Let my lord speak, for youhave strengthened me.

20Then he said, Do you know why I

have come to you? And now I must return

to fight with the prince of Persia; and whenI have gone forth, indeed the prince ofGreece will come. 21But I will tell you whatis noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No oneupholds me against these, except Michaelyour prince.

11Also in the first year of Darius theMede, I, evenI, stood up to confirm

and strengthen him.) 2And now I willtell you the truth: Behold, three morekings will arise in Persia, and the fourthshall be far richer than themall; by hisstrength, through his riches, he shall stirup all against the realm of Greece. 3Then

a mighty king shall arise, who shall rulewith great dominion, and do according tohis will. 4And when he has arisen, his king-dom shall be broken up and divided toward

the four winds of heaven, but not amonghis posterity nor according to his dominionwith which he ruled; for his kingdom shallbe uprooted, even for others besides these.

Warring Kings of North and South5Also the king of the South shall be-

come strong, as well as oneof his princes;and he shall gain power over him and have

dominion. His dominion shall bea greatdominion. 6And at the end of someyearsthey shall join forces, for the daughter ofthe king of the South shall go to the king ofthe North to make an agreement; but she

26And after the sixty-two weeksMessiah shall be cut off, but not for

Himself;And the people of the prince who is to

comeShall destroy the city and the

sanctuary.The end of it shall bewith a flood,And till the end of the war desolations

are determined.27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with

many for one week;But in the middle of the weekHe shall bring an end to sacrifice and

offering.And on the wing of abominations shall

be one who makes desolate,Even until the consummation, which is

determined,

Is poured out on the desolate.

Vision of the Glorious Man

10In the third year of Cyrus king of Per-sia a message was revealed to Daniel,

whose name was called Belteshazzar. Themessage wastrue, but the appointed timewaslong;aand he understood the message,and had understanding of the vision. 2In

those days I, Daniel, was mourning threefull weeks. 3I ate no pleasant food, no meator wine came into my mouth, nor did Ianoint myself at all, till three whole weekswere fulfilled.

4Now on the twenty-fourth day of thefirst month, as I was by the side of the greatriver, that is,the Tigris,a5I lifted my eyesand looked, and behold, a certain manclothed in linen, whose waist wasgirdedwith gold of Uphaz! 6His body was likeberyl, his face like the appearance of light-ning, his eyes like torches of fire, his armsand feet like burnished bronze in color, and

the sound of his words like the voice of amultitude.

7And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, forthe men who were with me did not see thevision; but a great terror fell upon them, sothat they fled to hide themselves. 8There-fore I was left alone when I saw this greatvision, and no strength remained in me; formy vigor was turned to frailty in me, and Iretained no strength. 9Yet I heard

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