Daniel:3-4
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Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold ,
whose height was threescore cubits ,
and the breadth thereof six cubits :
he set it up in the plain of Dura ,
in the province of Babylon .
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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 .
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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 .
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Then an herald cried aloud ,
To you it is commanded ,
O people ,
nations ,
and languages ,
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That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet ,
flute ,
harp ,
sackbut ,
psaltery ,
dulcimer ,
and all kinds of musick ,
ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up :
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And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace .
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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 .
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Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near ,
and accused the Jews .
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They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar ,
O king ,
live for ever .
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Thou ,
O king ,
hast made a decree ,
that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet ,
flute ,
harp ,
sackbut ,
psaltery ,
and dulcimer ,
and all kinds of musick ,
shall fall down and worship the golden image :
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And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth ,
that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace .
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There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon ,
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ;
these men ,
O king ,
have not regarded thee :
they serve not thy gods ,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up .
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Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego .
Then they brought these men before the king .
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Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them ,
Is it true ,
O Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
do not ye serve my gods ,
nor worship the golden image which I have set up ?
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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 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 ?
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Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
answered and said to the king ,
O Nebuchadnezzar ,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter .
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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 .
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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 .
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Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury ,
and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego :
therefore he spake ,
and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated .
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And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace .
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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 .
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Therefore because the king '
s commandment was urgent ,
and the furnace exceeding hot ,
the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego .
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And these three men ,
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace .
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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied ,
and rose up in haste ,
and spake ,
and said unto his counsellors ,
Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire ?
They answered and said unto the king ,
True ,
O king .
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He answered and said ,
Lo ,
I see four men loose ,
walking in the midst of the fire ,
and they have no hurt ;
and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God .
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Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace ,
and spake ,
and said ,
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
ye servants of the most high God ,
come forth ,
and come hither .
Then Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
came forth of the midst of the fire .
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And the princes ,
governors ,
and captains ,
and the king '
s counsellors ,
being gathered together ,
saw these men ,
upon whose bodies the fire 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 .
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Then Nebuchadnezzar spake ,
and said ,
Blessed be the God of Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
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 .
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Therefore I make a decree ,
That every people ,
nation ,
and language ,
which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
shall be cut in pieces ,
and their houses shall be made a dunghill :
because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort .
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Then the king promoted Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abednego ,
in the province of Babylon .
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Nebuchadnezzar the king ,
unto all people ,
nations ,
and languages ,
that dwell in all the earth ;
Peace be multiplied unto you .
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I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me .
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How great are his signs !
and how mighty are his wonders !
his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom ,
and his dominion is from generation to generation .
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I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house ,
and flourishing in my palace :
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I saw a dream which made me afraid ,
and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 ,
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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 .
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Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed ;
I saw ,
and behold a tree in the midst of the earth ,
and the height thereof was great .
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The tree grew ,
and was strong ,
and the height thereof reached unto heaven ,
and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth :
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The leaves thereof were fair ,
and the fruit thereof much ,
and in it was meat for all :
the beasts of the field had shadow under it ,
and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof ,
and all flesh was fed of it .
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I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed ,
and ,
behold ,
a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven ;
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He cried aloud ,
and said thus ,
Hew down the tree ,
and cut off his branches ,
shake off his leaves ,
and scatter his fruit :
let the beasts get away from under it ,
and the fowls from his branches :
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Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots 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 with the beasts in the grass of the earth :
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Let his heart be changed from man '
s ,
and let a beast '
s heart be given unto him ;
and let seven times pass over him .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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The tree that thou sawest ,
which grew ,
and was strong ,
whose height reached unto the heaven ,
and the sight thereof to all the earth ;
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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 :
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It is thou ,
O king ,
that art grown and become strong :
for thy greatness is grown ,
and reacheth unto heaven ,
and thy dominion to the end of the earth .
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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 with the beasts of the field ,
till seven times pass over him ;
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This is the interpretation ,
O king ,
and this is the decree of the most High ,
which is come upon my lord the king :
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That they shall drive thee from men ,
and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field ,
and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen ,
and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven ,
and seven times shall pass over thee ,
till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men ,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will .
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And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots ;
thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee ,
after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule .
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Wherefore ,
O king ,
let my counsel be acceptable unto thee ,
and break off thy sins by righteousness ,
and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor ;
if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity .
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All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar .
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At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon .
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The king spake ,
and said ,
Is not this great Babylon ,
that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power ,
and for the honour of my majesty ?
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While the word was in the king '
s mouth ,
there fell a voice from heaven ,
saying ,
O king Nebuchadnezzar ,
to thee it is spoken ;
The kingdom is departed from thee .
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And they shall drive thee from men ,
and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field :
they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen ,
and seven times shall pass over thee ,
until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men ,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will .
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The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar :
and he was driven from men ,
and did eat grass as oxen ,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven ,
till his hairs were grown like eagles '
feathers ,
and his nails like birds '
claws .
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And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven ,
and mine understanding returned unto me ,
and I blessed the most High ,
and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever ,
whose dominion is an everlasting dominion ,
and his kingdom is from generation to generation :
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And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing :
and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven ,
and among the inhabitants of the earth :
and none can stay his hand ,
or say unto him ,
What doest thou ?
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At the same time my reason returned unto me ;
and for the glory of my kingdom ,
mine honour and brightness returned unto me ;
and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me ;
and I was established in my kingdom ,
and excellent majesty was added unto me .
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Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven ,
all whose works are truth ,
and his ways judgment :
and those that walk in pride he is able to abase .
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Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords ,
and drank wine before the thousand .
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