Day 362 – December 28, 2022

Daniel 4:19-6:29

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, became mute about one hour, and his thoughts disturbed him greatly. After this, the king spoke and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream and its interpretation trouble you.” So Belteshazzar said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation be for your enemies! ²⁰ The large and strong tree you saw, whose top reached to heaven and its extent to all the earth, ²¹ and its leaves were flourishing and its fruit abundant, and in it there was food for all, and the wild animals lived beneath it, and the birds of heaven dwelled in its branches— ²² this is you, O king, for you have become great and strong; and your greatness has extended and reached to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.
²³ “Inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the ground, and he shall spend the night outdoors in the tender grass, wet with the dew of heaven and bound with an iron and copper chain, and his portion shall be with the wild animals, until seven years bring a change upon him’— ²⁴ this is its interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵ They shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the wild animals. They shall make you eat grass like an ox, and you will spend the night there, wet with the dew of heaven. Seven years will bring this change upon you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men, and will give it to whomever He will.
²⁶ “Inasmuch as they said, ‘Leave the stump and the roots of the tree,’ your kingdom will remain for you, after you come to know the heavenly authority. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my counsel be pleasing to you, to atone for your sins with alms and your wrongdoings with compassion on the poor. Perhaps God will be longsuffering regarding your trespasses.”
  Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation
²⁸ All these things came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king. ²⁹ After a period of twelve months he was walking about the royal palace in Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this the great Babylon which I built as a home for my kingdom, by my mighty power for the honor of my glory?”
³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, “King Nebuchadnezzar, your kingdom has passed from you, ³² and they shall drive you from men. Your dwelling shall be with the wild animals, and they shall make you eat grass like an ox. Seven years shall bring this change upon you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men, and will give it to whomever He will.” ³³ That very hour the word was accomplished upon Nebuchadnezzar, for he was driven from men, ate grass like an ox, and his body was covered with the dew of heaven, until his hair was like that of lions and his nails like birds’ claws.
The King Is Restored
³⁴ At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me. Then I blessed the Most High and praised and glorified Him who lives forever; for His authority is an eternal authority, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does according to His will with the army of heaven and with the habitation of earth. No one can resist His hand or say to Him, “What are You doing?”
³⁶ At that time, my understanding returned to me, and I came again into the honor of my kingdom. My appearance was also restored, and my rulers and nobles asked for me. I became strong again in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now therefore, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt beyond measure, and glorify the King of heaven; because all His works are true, His paths are just, and He is able to humble those who walk in arrogance.
Belshazzar’s Banquet
​¹ Belshazzar the king made a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. ² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded to bring in the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought from the temple in Jerusalem, so the king, his nobles, his concubines, and his wives might drink from them. ³ Thus the gold and silver vessels which he had brought from the temple of God in Jerusalem were brought in, and the king, his nobles, his concubines, and his wives drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods made of gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, and stones.
Handwriting on the Wall
⁵ In the same hour, the fingers of a man’s hand came forth and wrote opposite the lamp on the plaster of the wall in the king’s house; and the king saw the knuckles of the hand that wrote. ⁶ Then the appearance of the king changed, and his thoughts troubled him greatly. The joints of his hips were loosened, and his knees knocked against each other. ⁷ So the king cried aloud to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans and the diviners. He spoke to the wise men of Babylon, saying, “Whoever reads this writing and makes known its interpretation to me, he shall be clothed with purple and wear a gold chain around his neck. He shall also be the third ruler in my kingdom.” ⁸ Now all the king’s wise men entered, but they could not read the writing or make known the interpretation to the king. ⁹ So Belshazzar the king was greatly troubled, and his appearance changed in him; thus his nobles were very distressed.
¹⁰ Then the queen entered the banquet hall and spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of God. In the days of your father, vigilance and understanding were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar your father made him the chief of the enchanters, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the diviners. ¹² Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, discernment, understanding, interpreting dreams, revealing things to be grasped, and explaining difficult sayings were found in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now therefore, let him be summoned and he will tell you its interpretation.”
The Writing Interpreted
¹³ Then Daniel was led in before the king, and the king said to Daniel, “Are you the Daniel from the children of the captives of Judea, whom my father the king brought here? ¹⁴ I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and vigilance, understanding, and an excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now the wise men, the magicians, the diviners came before me to read this writing and make known its interpretation; but they could not reveal it to me. ¹⁶ Then I heard about you, that you are able to interpret matters requiring a judgment. Now therefore, if you can read the writing and make known its interpretation to me, you will be clothed in purple and wear a gold chain around your neck. You shall also be the third ruler in my kingdom.”
¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give the privilege of your house to another. But I will read the writing for the king and make known its interpretation to you. ¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom, majesty, honor, and glory. ¹⁹ So because of the majesty He gave him, all peoples, tribes, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished he put to death; whomever he wished he afflicted; whomever he wished he exalted; and whomever he wished he humbled. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened with arrogance, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his honor was taken from him. ²¹ Then he was driven from men, his heart was made like that of wild animals, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him grass like an ox, and his body was covered with the dew of heaven, until he came to know that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of men and will give it to whomever He will.
  ²² “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³ Nevertheless you lifted yourself up against the Lord God of heaven and brought the vessels of His house before you. You, your nobles, your concubines, and your wives drank wine from them and praised the gods of gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, and stones, which do not see or hear or know. But you have not glorified the God who holds your breath in His hand and knows all your ways.
²⁴ “Therefore the finger of the hand was sent by Him, and He ordered this writing. ²⁵ So this is the writing He ordered: Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. ²⁶ Now this is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has measured your kingdom and finished it. ²⁷ Tekel: He weighed you on the scales, but you were found lacking. ²⁸ Upharsin: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, put a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him to be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar Removed from Power
³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was put to death.
A Plot against Daniel
​¹ Now Darius the Mede received the kingdom. He was sixty-two years old. ² It pleased Darius to set one hundred and twenty governors over the kingdom, so they might be throughout his entire kingdom. ³ He also set three administrators above these, one of whom was Daniel, so the governors might give account to them, that the king might not be troubled. ⁴ But Daniel excelled beyond them, because there was an excellent spirit in him, and the king set him over his entire kingdom. ⁵ The administrators and governors sought to find some charge against Daniel, but they could find no charge or wrongdoing or fault against him because he was faithful. ⁶ Then the administrators said, “We will find nothing against Daniel unless we find it in the laws of his God.”
⁷ So the administrators and the governors stood before the king and said to him, “King Darius, live forever! ⁸ All the commanders, governors, the highest officials, and the regional officers have consulted together to establish a royal statute and a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except from you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁹ Now therefore, O king, establish the decree and exhibit the writing publicly, so the decree of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed.” ¹⁰ Then King Darius gave orders to write the decree.
¹¹ Now when Daniel learned that the decree was posted, he entered his house, where the windows facing Jerusalem were open to him in the upper rooms, and he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks to his God, as he was doing before. ¹² Then those men watched Daniel closely and found him praying and making supplication before his God. ¹³ So they approached the king and said, “O king, did you not give orders that any man who petitioned anything from any god or man, except from you, he would be cast into the den of lions?” The king replied, saying, “The word is true, and the decree of the Medes and Persians shall not pass away.”
¹⁴ Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the captives of Judea, does not obey your order concerning the decree you commanded, for he prays and petitions his God three times a day.” ¹⁵ Then when the king heard this word, he was very sad in himself, and he struggled hard to deliver Daniel, and did his best to deliver him until evening. ¹⁶ Then those men said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute the king establishes can be altered.”
¹⁷ After that, the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” ¹⁸ Then they brought a stone and placed it over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his ring and with the ring of his nobles, so the matter concerning Daniel might not be changed. ¹⁹ The king then went to his house and spent the night without his evening meal; for they brought no meats to him, and his sleep departed from him. Now God shut the mouths of the lions, and they did not trouble Daniel.
Daniel Is Spared
²⁰ Then the king arose early in the morning at daybreak and went in haste to the den of lions. ²¹ As he approached the den, he cried with a loud voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the mouth of the lions?” ²² Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²³ My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions so they did not destroy me, because uprightness was found in me before Him, and I did no wrongdoing in His sight.”
²⁴ Then the king rejoiced greatly over him and gave orders to bring Daniel out of the den; and no corruption was found in him, because he believed in his God. ²⁵ The king then gave orders, and they brought the men who brought charges against Daniel; and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the den of lions. They did not reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
  Darius’s New Decree
²⁶ Now Darius the king wrote to all peoples, tribes, and languages who dwell in all the earth:
“May peace be multiplied to you.
²⁷ “A decree was made in my presence, that in every dominion of my kingdom, men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, because He is the living God; He endures unto the ages. His kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall continue to the end. ²⁸ He helps and rescues, and works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; for He delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
²⁹ So Daniel prospered in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.

Psalms 147

​¹ Alleluia; of Aggeus and Zacharias.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem;
Praise your God, O Zion,
² For He strengthens the bars of your gates;
He blesses your children within you;
³ He who grants your borders peace,
And fills you with the finest of wheat;
⁴ He who sends His teaching to earth
Until His word shall run swiftly,
⁵ Giving snow like wool,
Sprinkling mist like ashes,
⁶ Casting His ice like morsels;
Who shall withstand His winter?
⁷ He shall send His word and melt them;
His wind shall blow, and the waters shall flow,
⁸ He who declares His word to Jacob,
His ordinances and judgments to Israel.
⁹ He did not do so with other nations,
Nor did He show His judgments to them.

Proverbs 31:10–15

¹⁰ Who will find a courageous wife?
For such a one is more valuable than precious stones.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her;
She will not be at a loss for fine spoils,
For she provides good things for her husband all her life.
¹² She weaves wool and linen cloth
And is productive with her hands.
¹³ She is like a ship trading afar off,
So she procures her livelihood.
¹⁴ She also rises before dawn
And gives food to her household,
And appoints tasks for her maidservants.
¹⁵ Seeing a farm, she buys it,
And from the fruits of her hands she plants her plot of land.

Revelation 19

​¹ After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
² “For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”
³ Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
⁶ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
⁷ “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Christ on a White Horse
¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The Beast and His Armies Defeated
¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
  ¹⁸ “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
¹⁹ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.