So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.

The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”

“How great are his signs! How mighty are his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”

Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

Then with smooth words he will defile those who have rejected the covenant. But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly.

“At that time, I will willingly respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the sky, and the sky will respond to the ground;

Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah! Sound the trumpet in Ramah! Sound the alarm in Beth Aven! Tremble in fear, O Benjamin!

They do not pray to me, but howl in distress on their beds; They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from me.

They sow the wind, and so they will reap the whirlwind! The stalk does not have any standing grain; it will not produce any flour. Even if it were to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it all up.

Very soon they will say, “We have no king since we did not fear the Lord. But what can a king do for us anyway?”

Yet it was I who led Ephraim, I took them by the arm; but they did not acknowledge that I had healed them.

He will roar like a lion, and they will follow the Lord; when he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.

Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria, and send olive oil as tribute to Egypt.

The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!

They have destroyed our vines; they have turned our fig trees into mere splinters. They have completely stripped off the bark and thrown them aside; the twigs are stripped bare.

If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the Lord not responsible?

Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. He will take away your power; your fortresses will be looted.”

But the Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up!

God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry as I could possibly be!”