Daniel 3:67-4:18
67 “Bless the Lord, you winter cold and summer heat,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
68 Bless the Lord, you dews and snows,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
69 Bless the Lord, you frost and cold,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
70 Bless the Lord, you hoarfrosts and snows,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
71 Bless the Lord, you night and day,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
72 Bless the Lord, you light and darkness,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
73 “Bless the Lord, you lightning and clouds,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
74 Let the earth bless the Lord,
And let it sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
75 Bless the Lord, you mountains and hills,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
76 Bless the Lord, all you things growing on the earth,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
77 Bless the Lord, you springs,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
78 Bless the Lord, you seas and rivers,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
79 “Bless the Lord, you sea-monsters and everything that moves in the waters,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
80 Bless the Lord, all you birds of heaven,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
81 Bless the Lord, all you wild animals and cattle,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
82 Bless the Lord, O children of men,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
83 Bless the Lord, O Israel,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
84 Bless the Lord, O priests of the Lord,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
85 Bless the Lord, O servants of the Lord,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
86 Bless the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
87 Bless the Lord, O holy ones and humble in heart,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages.
88 “Bless the Lord, O Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael,
And sing a hymn to Him,
And exalt Him beyond measure unto the ages;
For He delivered us from Hades
And saved us from the hand of death.
He rescued us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace
And saved us from the midst of the fire.
89 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
Because His mercy endures forever.
90 Bless the Lord, the God of gods,
All you who worship Him,
And sing a hymn and give thanks to Him;
For His mercy endures forever.”
The King Praises God
91 Now Nebuchadnezzar heard their singing, and he marveled and rose up in haste, and said to his nobles, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They replied to the king, “Truly, O king.” 92 Then the king said, “Behold, I see four men untied and walking in the midst of the fire, yet they are not destroyed; and the vision of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 93 Then the king approached the door of the burning fiery furnace, and called out to them by name, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth and come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth from the midst of the fire. 94 Then the governors, the commanders, the viceroys, and the court officials gathered together and beheld the men, that the fire had no power over their bodies; neither had it singed their hair, nor scorched their clothes, nor was the smell of fire on them.
95 So King Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His Angel and saved His servants who trusted in Him; for they altered the word of the king and handed over their bodies to be burned, so as not to serve and worship any god other than their God. 96 Therefore I make a decree: ‘Any people, tribe, or language that blasphemes the God of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego shall be destroyed, and their houses plundered, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.’ ” 97 Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego authority over the province of Babylon, and considered them worthy to be the rulers of all the Jews in his kingdom.
The King’s Second Dream
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, tribes, and languages who live in all the earth: May peace be multiplied to you. 2 I am pleased to report to you the signs and wonders the Most High God did with me. 3 How great and mighty is His kingdom, an eternal kingdom! His authority is from generation to generation.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was prospering and flourishing in my house, 5 and I saw a dream that terrified me. Thus I was troubled on my bed, for the visions in my mind greatly disturbed me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon before me, to make the interpretation of the dream known to me. 7 So the enchanters, the magicians, and the diviners of the Chaldeans came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known its interpretation to me, 8 until at last Daniel came in (whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and who has the Spirit of the Holy God in him).
Then I told the dream before him, saying, 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the enchanters, I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no mystery is impossible to you. Hear the vision of the dream I saw, and tell me its interpretation. 10 I was on my bed, and I looked and behold, in the midst of the earth there was a very tall tree. 11 The tree was large and strong. Its height reached to heaven, and its extent to the ends of all the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it there was food for all. The wild animals lived beneath it, and the birds of heaven dwelled in its branches. All flesh was fed from it.
13 “I saw in a vision of the night on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He cried with a loud voice and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree, and cut off its branches. Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the wild animals be driven from beneath it and the birds from its branches. 15 Nevertheless, leave its stump and roots in the ground, and he shall lie down outdoors in the tender grass, wet with the dew of heaven and bound with an iron and copper chain. His portion shall be with the wild animals, to graze on the vegetation of the earth. 16 His heart shall be changed from that of a man, and the heart of a wild animal will be given to him. Seven years shall bring this change upon him. 17 This saying is by the decree of the watchers, and this decision by the word of the holy ones, so the living might know that the Lord is the Most High over the kingdom of men, and will give it to whomever He will, and set over it even objects of contempt among men.’
18 “This is the dream I, Nebuchadnezzar the king, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell the interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are unable to reveal its interpretation to me; but you, Daniel, are able, because the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”
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 31:6–9
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
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 Babylon’s Fall
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!”
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.”