As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’ –

<p class="bodytext">Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage<n id="1" /> demanded that they bring<n id="2" /> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them<n id="3" /> before the king.

While these words were still on the king&#8217;s lips,<n id="1" /> a voice came down from heaven: &#8220;It is hereby announced to you,<n id="2" /> King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you!

<p class="bodytext">At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared<n id="1" /> and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand.<n id="2" /> The king was watching the back<n id="3" /> of the hand that was writing.

Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening<n id="1" /> to the den. The king sealed<n id="2" /> it with his signet ring and with those<n id="3" /> of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel.

<t /><p class="bodytext">In the first<n id="1" /> year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had<n id="2" /> a dream filled with visions<n id="3" /> while he was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion.<n id="4" />

I looked up<n id="1" /> and saw<n id="2" /> a<n id="3" /> ram with two horns standing at the canal. Its two horns were both long,<n id="4" /> but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up after the shorter one.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Then the king of the south<n id="1" /> will be enraged and will march out to fight against the king of the north, who will also muster a large army, but that army will be delivered into his hand.

Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city.<n id="1" /> The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents.<n id="2" /> They will have no strength to prevail.

<p class="bodytext">So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king&#8217;s presence, saying to him, &#8220;I<n id="1" /> have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.&#8221;

Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as he raised both his right and left hands to the sky<n id="1" /> and made an oath by the one who lives forever: &#8220;It is for a time, times, and half a time. Then, when the power of the one who shatters<n id="2" /> the holy people has been exhausted, all these things will be finished.&#8221;p>

Now let the king issue a written interdict<n id="1" /> so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.<n id="2" />

But reports will trouble him from the east and north, and he will set out in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many.

He answered, &#8220;But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!&#8221;<n id="1" />

I was watching in the night visions,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;And with<n id="1" /> the clouds of the sky<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">one like a son of man<n id="3" /> was approaching.p> <p class="poetry">He went up to the Ancient of Daysp> <p class="poetry">and was escorted<n id="4" /> before him.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;This is what he told me:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earthp> <p class="poetry">that will differ from all the other kingdoms.p> <p class="poetry">It will devour all the earthp> <p class="poetry">and will trample and crush it.p>

As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?&#8221;p>

At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The wise men replied to the king, &#8220;There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king&#8217;s secret,<n id="1" /> for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.

So a decree went out, and the wise men were about<n id="1" /> to be executed. They also sought<n id="2" /> Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.p>