and subdueth all things; even as iron, that breaketh all 41 these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as 42 thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by marriage, but they shall not cleave to each other, even as iron is not mixed with 44 clay. But in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall be left to no other people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these king45 doms, and it shall stand forever; even as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should. 47 offer an oblation and sweet odors to him. The king

answered Daniel and said, Of a truth, your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer 48 of secrets, since thou couldst reveal this secret.

Then

the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise 49 men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over

the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the gate of the king.

III.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are east into a furnace, for refusing to worship a golden image, and come out of it unhurt.—CH. III.

1

NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the king, made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and whose breadth was six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the 2 province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the deputy governors, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the counsellors, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image, which 3 Nebuchadnezzar, the king, had set up. Then the satraps, prefects, and deputy governors, the chief judges, treasurers, judges, counsellors, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king, had set up ; and they stood before the image, which Nebuchadnez4 zar, the king, had set up. Then a herald cried aloud; To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and 5 languages, that at the time ye hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king, 6 hath set up. And whoso doth not fall down and worship shall the same hour, be cast into the midst of a

7 burning fiery furnace. Therefore at the time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king, had set up.

8

Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, 9 and accused the Jews. They spake and said to king • Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever! Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall 11 down and worship the golden image; and that whoso doth not fall down and worship shall be cast into the 12 midst of a burning fiery furnace. Now there are certain Jews, whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these men, O king, have not regarded thee; they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then 14 they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said to them; Was it by design, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do ye not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have 15 set up? Now if ye be ready that at the time ye hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image, which I have set up, well! but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to 17 answer thee in this matter. Behold, our God, whom

we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king! 18 But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it 20 was wont to be heated. And he commanded the mightiest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery 21 furnace. Then these men were bound in their trowsers, their under-garments, their mantles, and their other clothing, and were cast into the midst of the 22 burning fiery furnace. And because the command of

the king was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire killed those men that took up Sha23 drach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24

Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said to his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the 25 king, True, O king! He answered and said, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the appearance of the 26 fourth is like a son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

27

ye servants of the Most High God, come forth! Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth out of the midst of the fire.

And the satraps, prefects, and deputy governors, and the counsellors of the king, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, nor were their trowsers changed, nor had the smell of fire passed 28 on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants, that trusted in him, and disobeyed the command of the king, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speaks any thing reproachful against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and its houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god, that can 30 deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

IV.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Its interpretation, and fulfilment.

1

1

NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the king, to all people, nations,

and languages, that dwell upon the whole earth. Peace 2 be multiplied to you! I have thought it good to show