Nebuchadnezzar

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 606.

2 Or, The steward.

3 Heb. of pulse.

4 Heb. that

&c.

11 Then said Daniel to 2 Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us 3 pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13 Then let our countenances be we may eat, looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy

m 1 Kings 3. 12. Jam.1.5,17.

n Acts 7.22. 5 Or, he made Daniel understand. • Num.12.6. 2 Chr. 26. 5.

14.10.1

&

603.

Gen.41.46.

ver. 5.

q 1 Kings 10. 1.

6 Heb. wisdom of understanding.

r ch. 6. 23. & 10. 1. He lived to sce that glorious time of the return of his people from the

servants.

14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

17 As for these four children, m God gave them "knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore P stood they before the king.

20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten Babylonian times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

captivity, though he did not die then. So till is used, Ps. 110. 1. & 112. 8.

603.

ch. 4. 5.

21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

CHAPTER II.

forgetteth his dream.

dreams. So they came and stood BEFORE before the king.

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

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

cut

6' But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

4

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that would gain ye the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, & there is but one & Esth.4.11. decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwell- ver. 28. ing is not with flesh.

h

A reign of Nebuchada Year
ND in the second year of the

Gen. 41.8. chadnezzar dreamed dreams, "wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

b Esth. 6.1. ch. 6. 18.

c Gen. 41. 8. Ex. 7. 11.

ch. 5.7.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows

67

14 ¶ Then Daniel 5 answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree

Daniel findeth the dream,

BEFORE CHRIST

603.

iMatt.18.19.

2 Chald.

so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concernfrom before ing this secret; 3 that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

God.

3 Or, that they should not destroy Daniel, &c.

19 ¶ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Job33.15,16. Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

k Num. 12. 6.

1 Ps. 113. 2. & 115. 18.

m Jer. 32.19.

n 1 Chr. 29. 30.

Esth. 1. 13. ch. 7. 25. & 11. 6.

20 Daniel answered and said, 1 Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: m for wisdom and might are his :

21 And he changeth " the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: Phe giveth Job 12. 18. wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Ps. 75. 6, 7. Jer. 27. 5. ch. 4. 17. P Jam. 1. 5. q Job 12. 22. Ps. 25. 14. ver. 28, 29. r P3. 139. 11, 12.

Heb. 4. 13.

Jam. 1. 17.

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, ch.5.11,14. O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's

t ver. 18.

4 Chald. That I have found.

5 Chald. children of the captivity of Judah.

t

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astroloGen. 40.8.gers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

& 41. 16. ver. 18, 47. Amos 4. 13.

and interpreteth it.

BEFORE CHRIST 603.

that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy hath made head upon thy bed, are these;

2 Chald.

known. x Gen. 49.1.

came up.

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts 3 came into thy mind upon thy bed, & Chald. what should come to pass hereafter: y and he that revealeth secrets mak-y ver. 22, & eth known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out 7 C without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became a like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, 5 and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

f

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: 'for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

b See ver.38, &c.

6 Or, sides.

38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art 1 ver. 82. this head of gold.

39 And after thee shall arise m another kingdom "inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

m ch. 5. 28, 31. n ver. 32.

40 And P the fourth kingdom shall p ch.7.7,23. be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all

3 Chald. this with this.

4 Chald. their days. r ver. 28.

& 6. 26. & 7. 14, 27. Mic. 4. 7. Luke 1. 32,

33.

5 Chald. kingdom thereof.

2

43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave 3one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

В

5

t

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a sch. 4. 3,34. kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, 6.Or, which the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

t Ps. 2. 9. Is. 60. 12. 1 Cor. 15.24. u ver. 35. Is. 28. 16.

was not in hand.

7 Chald. after this.

*SeeActs10. 25. & 14. 13. & 28.6.

y Ezra 6. 10.

z ver. 28.

a ver. 6.

b ch. 4. 9. & 5. 11.

c ch. 3. 12.

d Esth. 2. 19, 21. & 3. 2.

cir. 580.

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and b chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. CHAPTER III.

1 Nebuchadnezzar dedicateth a golden image in Dura. 8 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are accused for not worshipping the image. 13 They, being threatened, make a good confession. 19 God delivereth them out of the

furnace. 26 Nebuchadnezzar seeing the miracle blesseth God.

a golden image.

height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

| 3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

|

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 580.

4 Then an herald cried aloud, To 2 Chald. you it is commanded, "O people, nations, and languages,

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, 4 5 dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour bbe cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 ¶ Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

regard upon thee.

BEFORE CHRIST

cir. 580.

pose, as Ex. 21. 13.

ship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

2

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said 2 Or, of pur- unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye Luke 13. 9. Worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

f as Ex. 32. 32.

g Ex. 5. 2. 2 Kings 18. 35.

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, Matt.10.19. O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

3 Chald. filled.

4 Chald. mighty of strength.

6 Or, mantles.

6 Or, turbans.

7 Chald. word.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar 3 full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

delivered out of the furnace.

sellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

k

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and 2 they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like 'the Son of God.

26 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men,

m

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 580.

Is. 43. 2.

2 Chald. there is no

hurt in

them. 1 Job 1. 6. & 38.7. Ps. 34. 7.

ver. 28. Chald.

door.

upon whose bodies the fire Heb.11.34. had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that "trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be po cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their "hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's 'commandment was urgent, and the 8 Or, spark. furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 570.

4T I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:

5 I saw a dream which made me ech. 2.28,29. afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head f troubled me.

f ch. 2.1.

8 ch. 2.2.

h ch.1.7.

i Is. 63. 11. ver. 18. ch. 2. 11. & 5. 11, 14. k ch. 2. 48. & 5. 11.

2 Chald. I was seeing.

1 Ezek. 31. 3, &c. ver. 20.

m Ezek. 17. 23. & 31.6.

6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.

78 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.

8 ¶ But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,

k

9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold la tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.

11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:

12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the See Lam.4. field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

20.

Daniel interpreteth it.

r

given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, " forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 ¶ Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:

b

22 It is thou, O king, that art bch. 2. 38. grown and become strong for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end Jer. 27. 6, of the earth.

7,8.

d ver. 13.

23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be withch. 5. 21. the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;

24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

ch. 5. 21, &c.

25 That they shall drive thee from ver. 32. men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and Ps. 106. 20. they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass