Daniel 1 (CSB) · OmniBible

1Chapter

Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon

¹In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ²The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
³The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility— ⁴young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. ⁵The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king. ⁶Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

Faithfulness in Babylon

⁸Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself. ⁹God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch, ¹⁰yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would endanger my life with the king.”
¹¹So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” ¹⁴He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. ¹⁶So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

Faithfulness Rewarded

¹⁷God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. ¹⁸At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend the king. ²⁰In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom. ²¹Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

2Chapter

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

¹In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. ²So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”
⁴The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
⁵The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump. ⁶But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”
⁷They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”
⁸The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. ⁹If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”
¹⁰The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. ¹¹What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.” ¹²Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
¹⁴Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.
¹⁷Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, ¹⁸urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. ¹⁹The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens ²⁰and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him. ²¹He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. ²²He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. ²³I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my ancestors, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, for you have let us know the king’s mystery.
²⁴Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”
²⁵Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation.”
²⁶The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?”
²⁷Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. ²⁸But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: ²⁹Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future. The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen. ³⁰As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

The Dream’s Interpretation

³¹“Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. ³²The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, ³³its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. ³⁴As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. ³⁵Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
³⁶“This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. ³⁷Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. ³⁸Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
³⁹“After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. ⁴⁰A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others. ⁴¹You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, ⁴²and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. ⁴³You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.
⁴⁴“In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

⁴⁶Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

3Chapter

Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue

¹King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ²King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
⁴A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: ⁵When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall facedown and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”
⁷Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Furnace of Blazing Fire

⁸Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. ¹⁰You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. ¹¹Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. ¹²There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
¹³Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? ¹⁵Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. ¹⁷If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. ¹⁸But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, ²⁰and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. ²²Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Delivered from the Fire

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.
²⁵He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
²⁶Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. ²⁷When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them. ²⁸Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” ³⁰Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

4Chapter

Nebuchadnezzar’s Proclamation

¹King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live on the whole earth: May your prosperity increase. ²I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me.
³How great are his miracles, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

The Dream

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me. ⁶So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream’s interpretation known to me. ⁷When the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.
⁸Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god—and a spirit of the holy gods is in him —came before me. I told him the dream: ⁹“Belteshazzar, head of the magicians, because I know that you have the spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery puzzles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation. ¹⁰In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and it was very tall. ¹¹The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. ¹²Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it.
¹³“As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. ¹⁴He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches. ¹⁵But leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the earth with the animals. ¹⁶Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time. ¹⁷This word is by decree of the watchers, and the decision is by command from the holy ones. This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms. He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them.
¹⁸This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have a spirit of the holy gods.”

The Dream Interpreted

¹⁹Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies! ²⁰The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to the whole earth, ²¹and whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant—and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals lived, and in its branches the birds of the sky lived— ²²that tree is you, Your Majesty. For you have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.
²³“The king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.’ ²⁴This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree of the Most High that has been issued against my lord the king: ²⁵You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants. ²⁶As for the command to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. ²⁷Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

The Sentence Executed

²⁸All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹At the end of twelve months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, ³⁰the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?”
³¹While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. ³²You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.”
³³At that moment the message against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Praise

³⁴But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever: For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. ³⁵All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
³⁶At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of the heavens, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

5Chapter

Belshazzar’s Feast

¹King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. ²Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. ³So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. ⁴They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

The Handwriting on the Wall

⁵At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing, ⁶his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that he soiled himself and his knees knocked together. ⁷The king shouted to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.” ⁸So all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him. ⁹Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
¹⁰Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. “May the king live forever,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale. ¹¹There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. Your own predecessor, the king, ¹²did this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and intelligence, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation.”

Daniel before the King

¹³Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. ¹⁶However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”
¹⁷Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him. ¹⁸Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. ²⁰But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him. ²¹He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them.
²²“But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. ²³Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life. ²⁴Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.

The Inscription’s Interpretation

²⁵“This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. ²⁶This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
²⁷‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.
²⁸‘Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
²⁹Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
³⁰That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, ³¹and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

6Chapter

The Plot against Daniel

¹Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, ²and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded. ³Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm. ⁴The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. ⁵Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”
⁶So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever. ⁷All the administrators of the kingdom —the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors—have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that, for thirty days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den. ⁸Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.” ⁹So King Darius signed the written edict.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁰When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ¹¹Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. ¹²So they approached the king and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable.”
¹³Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” ¹⁴As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
¹⁵Then these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.”
¹⁶So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!” ¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. ¹⁸Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep.

Daniel Released

¹⁹At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said, “has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
²¹Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. ²²My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found innocent before him. And also before you, Your Majesty, I have not done harm.”
²³The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God. ²⁴The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Darius Honors God

²⁵Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live on the whole earth: “May your prosperity abound. ²⁶I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom will never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end. ²⁷He rescues and delivers; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
²⁸So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

7Chapter

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts

¹In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account. ²Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea. ³Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
⁴“The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
⁵“Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’
⁶“After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was given dominion.
⁷“After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.
⁸“While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.

The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man

⁹“As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. ¹⁰A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
¹¹“I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. ¹²As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. ¹³I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. ¹⁴He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me, and the visions in my mind terrified me. ¹⁶I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him to clarify all this. So he let me know the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth. ¹⁸But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.’
¹⁹“Then I wanted to be clear about the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left. ²⁰I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that looked bigger than the others. ²¹As I was watching, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them ²²until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.
²³“This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. ²⁴The ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another king, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. ²⁵He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. ²⁶But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever. ²⁷The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey him.’
²⁸“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

8Chapter

The Vision of a Ram and a Goat

¹In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier. ²I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³I looked up, and there was a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last. ⁴I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted and became great.
⁵As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. ⁷I saw him approaching the ram and, infuriated with him, he struck the ram, breaking his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power. ⁸Then the male goat acted even more arrogantly, but when he became powerful, the large horn was broken. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

⁹From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. ¹⁰It grew as high as the heavenly army, made some of the army and some of the stars fall to the earth, and trampled them. ¹¹It acted arrogantly even against the Prince of the heavenly army; it revoked his regular sacrifice and overthrew the place of his sanctuary. ¹²In the rebellion, the army was given up, together with the regular sacrifice. The horn threw truth to the ground and was successful in what it did.
¹³Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision last —the regular sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the army to be trampled?”
¹⁴He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”

Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man. ¹⁶I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
¹⁷So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.” ¹⁸While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up, ¹⁹and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end. ²⁰The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king. ²²The four horns that took the place of the broken horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.
²³Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, a ruthless king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. ²⁴His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause outrageous destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people. ²⁵He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will exalt himself. He will destroy many in a time of peace; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken—not by human hands. ²⁶The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. Now you are to seal up the vision because it refers to many days in the future.”
²⁷I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.

9Chapter

Daniel’s Prayer

¹In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom— ²in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy. ³So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands — ⁵we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. ⁶We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.
⁷Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. ⁸Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. ⁹Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him ¹⁰and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.
¹¹All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. ¹²He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven. ¹³Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. ¹⁴So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.
¹⁵Now, Lord our God—who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name renowned as it is this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. ¹⁶Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.
¹⁷Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. ¹⁸Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. ¹⁹Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.

The Seventy Weeks of Years

²⁰While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God— ²¹while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. ²²He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding. ²³At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. So consider the message and understand the vision:
²⁴Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city— to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. ²⁵Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One, the ruler, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. ²⁶After those sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed. ²⁷He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

10Chapter

Vision of a Glorious One

¹In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.
²In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. ³I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over. ⁴On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, ⁵I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
⁷Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid. ⁸I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless. ⁹I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.

Angelic Conflict

¹⁰Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees. ¹¹He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling.
¹²“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. ¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.”
¹⁵While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless. ¹⁶Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless. ¹⁷How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.”
¹⁸Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. ¹⁹He said, “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
²⁰He said, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince.

11Chapter

¹In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.) ²Now I will tell you the truth.

Prophecies about Persia and Greece

²“Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ³Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants. ⁴But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.

Kings of the South and the North

⁵“The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. ⁶After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times. ⁷In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. ⁸He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, ⁹who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.
¹⁰“His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood, and will again wage war as far as his fortress. ¹¹Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but they will be handed over to his enemy. ¹²When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. ¹³The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.
¹⁴“In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail. ¹⁵Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. ¹⁶The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land with total destruction in his hand. ¹⁷He will resolve to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage to destroy it, but she will not stand with him or support him. ¹⁸Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him. ¹⁹He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more.
²⁰“In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger or in battle.
²¹“In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²²A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be broken, as well as the covenant prince. ²³After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation. ²⁴During a time of peace, he will come into the richest parts of the province and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.
²⁵“With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him. ²⁶Those who eat his provisions will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. ²⁷The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time. ²⁸The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; he will take action, then return to his own land.
²⁹“At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first. ³⁰Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. ³¹His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. ³²With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. ³³Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will fall by the sword and flame, and they will be captured and plundered for a time. ³⁴When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely. ³⁵Some of those who have insight will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
³⁶“Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. ³⁷He will not show regard for the gods of his ancestors, the god desired by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. ³⁸Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his ancestors did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. ³⁹He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.
⁴⁰“At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood. ⁴¹He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites. ⁴²He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. ⁴³He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission. ⁴⁴But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many. ⁴⁵He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.

12Chapter

¹At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. ²Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. ³Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
⁴“But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”
⁵Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other. ⁶One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long until the end of these wondrous things?” ⁷Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.
⁸I heard but did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”
⁹He said, “Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. ¹¹From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ¹²Happy is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days. ¹³But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, and then you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance at the end of the days.”

Study

Chapter 1

CSB

LEARNING FROM CRITICS

Ben chose to follow Christ during elementary school, but in middle school classmates teased him for clean living and attending church on Wednesday nights. Discouraged, he shared his frustration with his dad.

Ben’s dad shared an idea that helped him when he ran into people who made fun of his faith. His dad told him to “learn from his critics.” In other words, when classmates criticized his faith, Ben should first see if there was any truth to what was said. For example, if they made fun of the fact that Ben prayed before he ate his lunch, Ben could ask himself if he was living in a way that made his prayers appear hypocritical. If not, he should be encouraged to continue doing what he believed was right.

Over time, Ben’s friends grew tired of mocking him and came to respect his convictions. When classmates had personal struggles, they turned to Ben for advice. When teachers wanted to find out the truth about something that had happened during class, they knew Ben could be counted on to tell the truth. He was known as a person of integrity.

Ben’s lifestyle followed the example of Daniel from the Bible, a man who stood for his convictions despite opposition. His example even attracted the attention of the king, opening up unique opportunities for Daniel to share his faith. Daniel’s example continues to influence many today and offers a model for living the Christian faith in a misguided culture.

ESV

Daniel and the Three Friends at the Babylonian Court. The Hebrew exiles live faithfully to the Lord while serving in the court of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, from 605 B.C. down to the fall of the Babylonian Empire (539) and into the early years of Persian rule; their service brings blessing to the Gentiles.

CSB

Some commentators deny the historicity of this invasion, yet Babylonian documents record that Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish in late spring of 605 BC and quickly subdued northern Syria. Immediate threats against Egyptian allies such as Judah’s king Jehoiakim (2Kg 23:34) would be expected, and the Babylonian priest-historian Berosus (ca 300 BC) reported that Nebuchadnezzar took Jewish captives in his 605 BC campaign (Josephus, Against Apion 1.19). Jeremiah dates the battle of Carchemish to Jehoiakim’s fourth year (Jr 46:2), whereas Daniel (Dn 1:1) places the siege of Jerusalem, which took place shortly after that battle, in Jehoiakim’s third year. During this period the Jews used both the Babylonian spring and Judean fall calendars (see Ezk 29:17; 30:20; 32:17 where the “first month” reflects a spring new year). The months between Nisan (March–April) and Tishri (September–October) 605 BC, when the events took place, fell in the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign according to the Babylonian calendar but were still in Jehoiakim’s third year following the Judean system. Nebuchadnezzar was crowned “King... of Babylon” subsequent to the siege of Jerusalem, but Daniel wrote after Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation and likely spoke of the king’s position from the standpoint of a later time (Jr 46:2). Moreover, a Jewish writer could appropriately refer to the crown prince as king because father-son coregencies were commonplace in Judah.

In the Hebrew Bible, this book is not in the Prophets section but the Writings section, following the five “Scrolls” or megillot (Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations).

ESV

Prologue. Daniel describes how he and his three friends were taken into exile (vv. 1–7), remained undefiled (vv. 8–16), and were promoted and preserved (vv. 17–21).

ESV

Daniel and His Friends Taken into Exile. Here it is explained how the Hebrew youths came to be trainees for service in the Babylonian court.

ESV

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (605 B.C.), Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took Daniel and other promising young people to Babylon to be trained in Babylonian culture and literature. This deportation was the beginning of what came to be known as the Babylonian exile, which was the result of the Lord’s judgment on his people. In Lev. 26:33, 39 the Lord threatened his people with exile if they were unfaithful to the terms of the covenant established at Mount Sinai (see also Deut. 4:27; 28:64). After a lengthy history of disobedience, this threat was carried out in several stages, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple in 586 B.C. The final destruction and exile were foreshadowed by this earlier exile in which vessels of the house of God were taken into captivity along with some of his people. Daniel calls it the “third year of the reign of Jehoiakim,” apparently using the Babylonian system for counting the length of a reign, while Jer. 25:1 calls it “the fourth year,” using the Jewish system. (Reigns could be counted from the beginning of the new year preceding a king’s ascension, or from the actual date of ascension, or from the beginning of the new year following his ascension; the third system was used in Babylon.)

CSB

A century and a half earlier, Isaiah warned Hezekiah that some of his descendants would be carted off as officials to Babylon (Is 39:7)—an amazing example of fulfilled prophecy.

ESV

Some of the royal family and nobility were also exiled. Like the temple vessels and sacrifices, they had to be without blemish. Their exile was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy to King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 39, a century earlier. Hezekiah had shown the representatives of Babylon around his treasuries, hoping to win a political partner against the Assyrians. This failure to trust in the Lord was met with a prophecy that the treasures he had shown the Babylonians and some of his own descendants would be carried off to Babylon.

CSB

Tablets listing the provisions allotted to the exiled King Jehoiachin (2Kg 25:30; Jr 52:34) have been uncovered in Babylon and corroborate Daniel’s testimony that captives were assigned royal rations. The Babylonian training period of three years was apparently similar to that of the Persians. Plato wrote that Persian youths began their education when fourteen (Alcibiades 1.121), and Xenophon testified that they finished when sixteen or seventeen (Cyropaedia 1.2.8). According to the Persian Avesta, a Zoroastrian scripture, a student trained with a religious teacher for three years.

ESV

Nebuchadnezzar sought to assimilate the exiles into Babylonian culture by obliterating their religious and cultural identity and creating dependence upon the royal court. For this reason, the exiles were given names linked with Babylonian deities in place of Israelite names linked with their God. Daniel (“God is my Judge”), Hananiah (“Yahweh is gracious”), Mishael (“Who is what God is?”), and Azariah (“Yahweh is a helper”) became names that invoked the help of the Babylonian gods Marduk, Bel, and Nebo: Belteshazzar (“O Lady [wife of the god Bel], protect the king!”), Shadrach (“I am very fearful [of God]” or “command of Aku [the moon god]”), Meshach (“I am of little account” or “Who is like Aku?”), and Abednego (“servant of the shining one [Nebo]”). They were schooled in the language and mythological literature of the Babylonians, and their food was assigned from the king’s table, reminding them constantly of the source of their daily bread.

CSB

Dual names were not uncommon in ancient times. Pharaoh assigned Joseph an Egyptian name (Gn 41:45), and Hadassah is better known by her Persian name, Esther (Est 2:7).

ESV

Daniel and His Friends Remain Undefiled. Daniel and his three friends resisted the attempted assimilation. They retained their original names (see v. 11) and resolved not to defile themselves with the king’s food and drink (v. 8). Many have thought that the four men’s resolve came from their intent to eat only ceremonially clean food, not any “unclean” food as specified in Lev. 11:1–47 and Deut. 14:3–20—much as a group of Jewish priests later did in Rome, eating only figs and nuts (see Josephus, Life of Josephus 14; cf. Rom. 14:2). That may be part of the explanation, for the Babylonians would have eaten such things as pork, which was unclean for Jews. But wine (Dan. 1:8) would not have been prohibited by any law in Jewish Scripture, so that cannot be the entire explanation (unless the young men feared that somehow the wine had been polluted through failure to grow the grapes according to the rule of Lev. 19:23–25; cf. Deut. 20:6). Another view is that they feared the meat and wine would have been first offered to Babylonian idols. Again, this may have provided part of the reason for their reluctance to partake of the Babylonian food, but the vegetables and grains would probably also have been offered to idols, so that does not seem to be the most persuasive explanation. A third view, that they were following a vegetarian diet for health reasons, is unhelpful, because no OT laws would have taught them that (modern) idea. A fourth view combines elements of the first two, and seems the best explanation: Daniel and his friends avoided the luxurious diet of the king’s table as a way of protecting themselves from being ensnared by the temptations of the Babylonian culture. They used their distinctive diet as a way of retaining their distinctive identity as Jewish exiles and avoiding complete assimilation into Babylonian culture (which was the king’s goal with these conquered subjects). With this restricted diet they continually reminded themselves, in this time of testing, that they were the people of God in a foreign land and that they were dependent for their food, indeed for their very lives, upon God, their Creator, not King Nebuchadnezzar. (It is possible that Daniel later came to accept some of the Babylonian food; see Dan. 10:3.) The Lord gave Daniel favor (1:9) with his captors, an answer to Solomon’s prayer for the exiles (1 Kings 8:50), and the steward honored their request for a special diet. At the end of a trial period, Daniel and his friends looked fitter (fatter in flesh; Dan. 1:15) than those who had consumed a high-calorie diet. This confirmed that God’s favor was upon them.

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Daniel and His Friends Promoted and Preserved. God also gave to all four of them exceptional knowledge and understanding of the Babylonian literature and wisdom, and to Daniel the ability to discern all visions and dreams (v. 17). God’s favor enabled them to answer all of Nebuchadnezzar’s questions, so that he found them ten times better than all of his pagan advisers (v. 20). God placed them in a unique position where they could be a blessing to their captors and build up the society in which they found themselves (see Jer. 29:5–7), while at the same time enabling them to remain true to him amid extraordinary pressures.

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until the first year of King Cyrus. That is, 539 B.C., when Cyrus conquered Babylon. God’s faithfulness proved sufficient for Daniel throughout the 70 years of his exile. Babylonian kings came and went, and the Babylonians were replaced as the ruling world power by the Medo-Persian King Cyrus, yet God sustained his faithful servant (cf. 10:1).