Daniel 2
King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he had a dream. His spirit was deeply troubled, and his sleep departed from him.†
2 So the king gave orders to summon the enchanters, the magicians, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. Thus they came and stood before the king.
3 Then the king said to them, “The king had a dream, and my spirit is deeply troubled to know the meaning of the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in the Syrian language, “O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will tell you its interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The dream has departed from me. If you do not make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you shall be destroyed, and your houses will be plundered.
6 But if you do make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you will receive all kinds of gifts from me and be honored by me. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 But they answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will tell you its interpretation.”
8 The king answered them, “Truly, I know you are trying to gain time, because you see that the thing has departed from me.
9 Therefore if you do not tell me the dream, I will know that you have agreed beforehand to give my dream a false and corrupt interpretation. So before any more time passes by, tell me my dream, then I will know that you can tell me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is no man on earth who can make known the king’s dream, and there is no great king or ruler who asks such a thing as this of any enchanter, magician, or Chaldean.
11 The question you ask, O king, is difficult and above expectation, for there is no man who can tell the king his dream except the gods, whose dwelling is not with any flesh.”
12 Then the king, angry and furious, commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 He decreed that the wise men be put to death, and he sought for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
God Reveals the Dream
14 Then with counsel and intelligence, Daniel spoke to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who went out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15 He asked him for what reason the bitter decree had come from the king. Then Arioch, the king’s official, made the reason known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and entreated the king to give him time, and he would tell the king his dream and its interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
18 They sought mercies from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, that Daniel and his friends might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision during the night. After that, Daniel blessed the God of heaven,
20 saying, “May God’s name be blessed from now on and forever, for wisdom and understanding belong to Him.
21 He changes times and seasons; He appoints kings and removes them; He gives wisdom to the wise and insight to those who have skill.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things, and He knows what is in the darkness, and the light is with Him.
23 I give thanks and praise to You, O God of my fathers, for You have given me wisdom and power. Now You have made known to me what I asked from You, for You made known the king’s vision to me.”
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king appointed to put to death the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me before the king, and I will tell the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I found a man among the children of the captivity of Judah who will tell the interpretation to the king.”†
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Can you tell me the dream I saw and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “The mystery which the king demanded to be told to the king cannot be revealed by wise men, magicians, enchanters, and diviners.
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what must come to pass in the last days. Your dream and the visions in your head upon your bed was this:
29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to you while on your bed as to what must happen after this, and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what must take place.
30 But as for me, this mystery was not made known to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for the sake of making known the interpretation to the king, that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
31 “As for you, O king, you saw and beheld one great image. That image was very large and its appearance excellent. It stood before you, and its vision was fearful.
32 The image had a head made of fine gold, and its hands, chest, and arms were made of silver, and its stomach and thighs, of copper.
33 Its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay.
34 You saw while a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and ground them to powder.
35 Then at once the clay, the iron, the copper, the silver, and the gold were like dust from the summer threshing floor, and a great force of wind blew them away; and their place was not to be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled all the earth.†
36 “This is the dream, and we will tell its interpretation before the king.
37 You, O king, are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a strong, mighty, and highly regarded kingdom.
38 In every place where the children of men live, as well as the wild animals of the field and the birds of heaven—He put them all in your hand, and made you the lord of them all. You are the head made of gold.
39 But after you another kingdom shall arise, inferior to yours; then a third kingdom of copper, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 Then a fourth kingdom as strong as iron shall arise, and inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues everything, so also it shall break in pieces and subdue all things.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly clay and partly iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, in the manner you saw the iron mixed with the clay.
42 Whereas the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so part of the kingdom shall be strong and part of it shall be broken.
43 Whereas you saw iron mixed with clay, they shall mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 “Then in the times of those kings, the God of heaven will raise up a kingdom, and it shall never be destroyed. This kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it will break in pieces and crush all these kingdoms; and it will stand forever.
45 Whereas you saw the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, it ground to powder the clay, the iron, the copper, the silver, and the gold. Thus the great God has made known to the king what must come to pass after this. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel and Companions Rule Babylon
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshiped Daniel, and commanded sacrifices and drink offerings be made to him.†
47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God, He is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, who reveals mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then King Nebuchadnezzar exalted Daniel and gave him many great gifts. He set him over the whole province of Babylon and over all the wise men of Babylon.†
49 Daniel also petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s palace.
Psalms 146
1 Alleluia; of Aggeus and Zacharias. †Praise the Lord, for a psalm is a good thing; Let praise be sweet to our God.
2 The Lord is building Jerusalem, And He shall gather together the dispersion of Israel;
3 He heals the brokenhearted And He binds up all their wounds.
4 He numbers the multitude of stars And calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and great is His strength; His understanding exceeds every measure.
6 The Lord raises up the gentle, But humbles sinners to the ground.
7 Begin with thanksgiving to the Lord; Sing to our God with the harp,
8 To Him who covers heaven with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass grow on the mountains And the green growth for the service of men,
9 To Him who gives the cattle their food And who gives food to the nestlings of ravens When they call upon Him.
10 He shall not take pleasure in the strength of a horse, Nor be pleased with the legs of a man;
11 The Lord is pleased with those who fear Him, And with those who hope in His mercy.
Proverbs of Solomon 31
6 Give strong drink to those in sorrow, And wine to drink for those in pain,
7 So they may forget their poverty And no longer remember their grief.
8 Open your mouth for the word of God, And judge all men fairly;
9 Open your mouth and judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and helpless.
Revelation 18
The Judgment of Babylon
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.†
2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!†
3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.†
5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.
7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
The World Mourns for Babylon
9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,†
10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:†
12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance
18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’
19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”†
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.†
22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.
23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”