nkjv Daniel:1-3 SEEK
Seeker Overlay ON
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In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah ,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it .
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And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand ,
with some of the articles of the house of God ,
which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god ;
and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god .
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Then the king instructed Ashpenaz ,
the master of his eunuchs ,
to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king '
s descendants and some of the nobles ,
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young men in whom there was no blemish ,
but good-looking ,
gifted in all wisdom ,
possessing knowledge and quick to understand ,
who had ability to serve in the king '
s palace ,
and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans .
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And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king '
s delicacies and of the wine which he drank ,
and three years of training for them ,
so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king .
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Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel ,
Hananiah ,
Mishael ,
and Azariah .
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To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names :
he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar ;
to Hananiah ,
Shadrach ;
to Mishael ,
Meshach ;
and to Azariah ,
Abed-Nego .
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But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king '
s delicacies ,
nor with the wine which he drank ;
therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself .
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Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs .
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And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel , "
I fear my lord the king ,
who has appointed your food and drink .
For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age ?
Then you would endanger my head before the king ."
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So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel ,
Hananiah ,
Mishael ,
and Azariah ,
* "
Please test your servants for ten days ,
and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink .
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Then let our appearance be examined before you ,
and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king '
s delicacies ;
and as you see fit ,
so deal with your servants ."
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So he consented with them in this matter ,
and tested them ten days .
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And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king '
s delicacies .
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Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink ,
and gave them vegetables .
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As for these four young men ,
God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom ;
and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams .
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Now at the end of the days ,
when the king had said that they should be brought in ,
the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar .
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Then the king interviewed them ,
and among them all none was found like Daniel ,
Hananiah ,
Mishael ,
and Azariah ;
therefore they served before the king .
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And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them ,
he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm .
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Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus .
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Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar '
s reign ,
Nebuchadnezzar had dreams ;
and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him .
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Then the king gave the command to call the magicians ,
the astrologers ,
the sorcerers ,
and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams .
So they came and stood before the king .
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And the king said to them , "
I have had a dream ,
and my spirit is anxious to know the dream ."
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Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic , "
O king ,
live forever !
Tell your servants the dream ,
and we will give the interpretation ."
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The king answered and said to the Chaldeans , "
My decision is firm :
if you do not make known the dream to me ,
and its interpretation ,
you shall be cut in pieces ,
and your houses shall be made an ash heap .
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However ,
if you tell the dream and its interpretation ,
you shall receive from me gifts ,
rewards ,
and great honor .
Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation ."
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They answered again and said , "
Let the king tell his servants the dream ,
and we will give its interpretation ."
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The king answered and said , "
I know for certain that you would gain time ,
because you see that my decision is firm :
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if you do not make known the dream to me ,
there is only one decree for you !
For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed .
Therefore tell me the dream ,
and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation ."
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The Chaldeans answered the king ,
and said , "
There is not a man on earth who can tell the king '
s matter ;
therefore no king ,
lord ,
or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician ,
astrologer ,
or Chaldean .
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It is a difficult thing that the king requests ,
and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods ,
whose dwelling is not with flesh ."
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For this reason the king was angry and very furious ,
and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon .
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So the decree went out ,
and they began killing the wise men ;
and they sought Daniel and his companions ,
to kill them .
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Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch ,
the captain of the king '
s guard ,
who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon ;
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he answered and said to Arioch the king '
s captain , "
Why is the decree from the king so urgent ?"
Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel .
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So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time ,
that he might tell the king the interpretation .
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Then Daniel went to his house ,
and made the decision known to Hananiah ,
Mishael ,
and Azariah ,
his companions ,
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that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret ,
so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon .
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Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision .
So Daniel blessed the God of heaven .
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Daniel answered and said : "
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever ,
For wisdom and might are His .
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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 have understanding .
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He reveals deep and secret things ;
He knows what is in the darkness ,
And light dwells with Him .
* "
I 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 king '
s demand ."
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Therefore Daniel went to Arioch ,
whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon .
He went and said thus to him : "
Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon ;
take me before the king ,
and I will tell the king the interpretation ."
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Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king ,
and said thus to him , "
I have found a man of the captives of Judah ,
who will make known to the king the interpretation ."
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The king answered and said to Daniel ,
whose name was Belteshazzar , "
Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen ,
and its interpretation ?"
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Daniel answered in the presence of the king ,
and said , "
The secret which the king has demanded ,
the wise men ,
the astrologers ,
the magicians ,
and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king .
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But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets ,
and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days .
Your dream ,
and the visions of your head upon your bed ,
were these :
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As for you ,
O king ,
thoughts came to your mind while on your bed ,
about what would come to pass after this ;
and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be .
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But as for me ,
this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living ,
but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king ,
and that you may know the thoughts of your heart .
* "
You ,
O king ,
were watching ;
and behold ,
a great image !
This great image ,
whose splendor was excellent ,
stood before you ;
and its form was awesome .
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This image '
s head was of fine gold ,
its chest and arms of silver ,
its belly and thighs of bronze ,
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its legs of iron ,
its feet partly of iron and partly of clay .
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You watched while a stone was cut out without hands ,
which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay ,
and broke them in pieces .
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Then the iron ,
the clay ,
the bronze ,
the silver ,
and the gold were crushed together ,
and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors ;
the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found .
And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth .
* "
This is the dream .
Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king .
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You ,
O king ,
are a king of kings .
For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom ,
power ,
strength ,
and glory ;
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and wherever the children of men dwell ,
or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven ,
He has given them into your hand ,
and has made you ruler over them all--you are this head of gold .
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But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours ;
then another ,
a third kingdom of bronze ,
which shall rule over all the earth .
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And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron ,
inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything ;
and like iron that crushes ,
that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others .
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Whereas you saw the feet and toes ,
partly of potter '
s clay and partly of iron ,
the kingdom shall be divided ;
yet the strength of the iron shall be in it ,
just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay .
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And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay ,
so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile .
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As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay ,
they will mingle with the seed of men ;
but they will not adhere to one another ,
just as iron does not mix with clay .
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And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed ;
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people ;
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms ,
and it shall stand forever .
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Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands ,
and that it broke in pieces the iron ,
the bronze ,
the clay ,
the silver ,
and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this .
The dream is certain ,
and its interpretation is sure ."
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Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face ,
prostrate before Daniel ,
and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him .
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The king answered Daniel ,
and said , "
Truly your God is the God of gods ,
the Lord of kings ,
and a revealer of secrets ,
since you could reveal this secret ."
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Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts ;
and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon ,
and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon .
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Also Daniel petitioned 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 .
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Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold ,
whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits .
He set it up in the plain of Dura ,
in the province of Babylon .
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And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps ,
the administrators ,
the governors ,
the counselors ,
the treasurers ,
the judges ,
the magistrates ,
and all the officials of the provinces ,
to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up .
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So the satraps ,
the administrators ,
the governors ,
the counselors ,
the treasurers ,
the judges ,
the magistrates ,
and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up ;
and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up .
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Then a herald cried aloud : "
To you it is commanded ,
O peoples ,
nations ,
and languages ,
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that at the time you hear the sound of the horn ,
flute ,
harp ,
lyre ,
and psaltery ,
in symphony with all kinds of music ,
you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up ;
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and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace ."
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So at that time ,
when all the people heard the sound of the horn ,
flute ,
harp ,
and lyre ,
in symphony with all kinds of music ,
all the people ,
nations ,
and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up .
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Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews .
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They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar , "
O king ,
live forever !
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You ,
O king ,
have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn ,
flute ,
harp ,
lyre ,
and psaltery ,
in symphony with all kinds of music ,
shall fall down and worship the gold image ;
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and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace .
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There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon :
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ;
these men ,
O king ,
have not paid due regard to you .
They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up ."
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Then Nebuchadnezzar ,
in rage and fury ,
gave the command to bring Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego .
So they brought these men before the king .
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Nebuchadnezzar spoke ,
saying to them , "
Is it true ,
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ,
that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up ?
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Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn ,
flute ,
harp ,
lyre ,
and psaltery ,
in symphony with all kinds of music ,
and you fall down and worship the image which I have made ,
good !
But if you do not worship ,
you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace .
And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands ?"
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Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king , "
O Nebuchadnezzar ,
we have no need to answer you in this matter .
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If that is the case ,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace ,
and He will deliver us from your hand ,
O king .
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But if not ,
let it be known to you ,
O king ,
that we do not serve your gods ,
nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up ."
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Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury ,
and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego .
He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated .
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And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ,
and cast them into the burning fiery furnace .
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Then these men were bound in their coats ,
their trousers ,
their turbans ,
and their other garments ,
and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace .
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Therefore ,
because the king '
s command was urgent ,
and the furnace exceedingly hot ,
the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego .
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And these three men ,
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ,
fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace .
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Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished ;
and he rose in haste and spoke ,
saying to his counselors , "
Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire ?"
They answered and said to the king , "
True ,
O king ."
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Look !"
he answered , "
I see four men loose ,
walking in the midst of the fire ;
and they are not hurt ,
and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God ."
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Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke ,
saying , "
Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ,
servants of the Most High God ,
come out ,
and come here ."
Then Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire .
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And the satraps ,
administrators ,
governors ,
and the king '
s counselors gathered together ,
and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power ;
the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected ,
and the smell of fire was not on them .
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Nebuchadnezzar spoke ,
saying , "
Blessed be the God of Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego ,
who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him ,
and they have frustrated the king '
s word ,
and yielded their bodies ,
that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God !
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Therefore I make a decree that any people ,
nation ,
or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces ,
and their houses shall be made an ash heap ;
because there is no other God who can deliver like this ."
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Then the king promoted Shadrach ,
Meshach ,
and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon .
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Nebuchadnezzar the king ,
To all peoples ,
nations ,
and languages that dwell in all the earth :
Peace be multiplied to you .