Nebuchadnezzar

7The Lord GOD says this: "I will bring Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, against Tyre. He is a king who rules other kings. He will come from the north with horses and chariots. He will bring riders and huge crowds of soldiers."

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far away. Its army had beaten many other lands. A chariot is a cart pulled by horses. Soldiers rode in chariots to fight.

8"He will kill the people of your mainland towns with the sword. He will build a wall around you. He will pile up a ramp of dirt against your wall. He will lift up his shields against you."

He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.

NoteCity walls were too high to climb. So an army piled up dirt into a long ramp. Then soldiers could walk up to the top of the wall.

9"He will pound your walls with his battering rams. With his axes he will break down your towers."

And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.

NoteA battering ram was a huge heavy log. Soldiers swung it hard to smash holes in walls.

10"He will have so many horses that their dust will cover you. His riders, wagons, and chariots will make a great noise. Your walls will shake at the sound. He will ride in through your gates, the way soldiers walk into a city with a broken wall."

By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.

11"His horses will trample all your streets with their hooves. He will kill your people with the sword. Your strong stone pillars will fall to the ground."

With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.

NoteThese were tall stone posts inside the city. Tyre was proud of them.

12"They will take your riches and steal the goods you sell. They will break down your walls and tear down your lovely houses. They will throw your stones, your wood, and your dirt into the water."

And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.

13"I will stop the sound of your singing. No one will hear your harps anymore."

And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.

NoteA harp is an instrument with strings. People played it while they sang.

14"I will make you bare rock. You will be a place where fishermen spread out their nets. You will never be built again. I the LORD have said it, says the Lord GOD."

And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

17In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, a message from the LORD came to me.

And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

NoteThis message came about sixteen years after the one at the start of the chapter.

18Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, made his army work very hard against the city of Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald, and every shoulder was rubbed raw. Still he and his army got no pay from Tyre for all that work.

Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

NoteNebuchadrezzar is another way of spelling Nebuchadnezzar. Tyre was a rich city by the sea with strong walls. His army camped around it for many years to break in. The soldiers carried heavy baskets of dirt and stone. That rubbed their heads bald and their shoulders raw. Armies were paid with the treasure from a city they beat. Tyre's people carried their riches away in ships first, so there was nothing left to take.

19So the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its people, its riches, and its goods. That will be the pay for his army.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

NoteRiches and goods taken from a beaten city were called spoil. That was how a king paid his soldiers.

20I have given him Egypt as pay for his hard work. He and his army did that work for me, says the Lord GOD.

I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.

21On that day I will make Israel strong again, like a new horn growing. And I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

NoteA horn is what a bull or a ram fights with. People used a strong new horn as a picture of new strength. God is saying Israel will grow strong again. "Open your mouth" means Ezekiel will be able to speak out. He had been quiet for a long time.

10This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to Egypt's huge crowds of people. I will use Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, to do it.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far to the east. Nebuchadrezzar was its king. His name is also spelled Nebuchadnezzar.

11He and his army will be brought in to wreck the land. They are the most cruel of all the nations. They will pull out their swords against Egypt. They will fill the land with dead bodies.

He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

12I will dry up the rivers. I will hand the land over to wicked men. I will let strangers ruin the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have said it.

And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it.

NoteEgypt got all its water from the Nile, one big river. Near the sea it split into many smaller streams.

13This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols, the statues people pray to. I will put an end to the statues in Noph. Egypt will not have a ruler anymore. I will fill that land with fear.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

NoteAn idol is a statue that people treat like a god. Noph was a large Egyptian city. Today we call it Memphis.

14I will leave Pathros empty. I will set the city of Zoan on fire. I will punish the city of No.

And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.

NotePathros was the southern part of Egypt. Zoan and No were Egyptian cities. No is also called Thebes.

15I will pour out my anger on Sin, the strong fort that guards Egypt. I will cut down the crowds of people in No.

And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

NoteSin was a fort city at the edge of Egypt. Soldiers there guarded the road into the country.

16I will set Egypt on fire. Sin will twist in pain. No will be split wide open. Noph will be in trouble every single day.

And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

17The young men of Aven and Pibeseth will die by the sword. The people of those cities will be marched away as prisoners.

The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

NoteAven and Pibeseth were two more cities in Egypt. Going into captivity means enemies march people far away from home. Those people then have to live in a strange land.

18At Tehaphnehes the day will turn dark. There I will break the heavy bar Egypt used to hold others down. Egypt's proud strength will end. A dark cloud will cover her. The people of her towns will be taken away as prisoners.

At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

NoteTehaphnehes was another city in Egypt. A yoke is a heavy wooden bar. It sits on an animal's neck to make it pull. Here it means Egypt bossing other lands around. "Her daughters" means the small towns around a big city.

19This is how I will punish Egypt. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

1Jehoiakim was the king of Judah. In his third year as king, Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. His army surrounded the city and would not let anyone out.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

NoteJudah was the land where God's people lived. Babylon was a strong country far away. Nebuchadnezzar brought his army and surrounded Jerusalem so no food could get in.

2The Lord let King Jehoiakim be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord also let him have some of the special dishes from God's temple. He carried them far away to the land of Shinar. He put them in the treasure room of his own god's temple.

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

NoteThe temple was the special house where people came to worship God. The dishes were gold and silver bowls used there. Shinar is another name for Babylon.

3The king spoke to Ashpenaz, the leader of his palace helpers. He told him to bring in some young men from Israel. They were to come from the king's family and from other important families.

And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

NoteThe King James calls these helpers "eunuchs." They were men who worked close to the king inside his palace.

4They had to be young men with healthy, strong bodies and pleasant faces. They had to be smart, full of knowledge, and quick to learn. They had to be ready to work in the king's palace. Then they would be taught the writing and language of the Chaldeans, the people of Babylon.

Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Note"Well favoured" means good-looking. "Cunning in knowledge" does not mean sneaky here. In 1611 "cunning" meant clever and skilled.

5Every day the king sent them food and wine from his own table. They would be trained this way for three years. After that they would come and serve the king.

And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

NoteThe king's food was the best food in the land. Eating it meant you belonged to the king now.

6Four of these young men came from Judah. Their names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

7The leader of the palace helpers gave them new names. He called Daniel by the name Belteshazzar. He called Hananiah by the name Shadrach. He called Mishael by the name Meshach. He called Azariah by the name Abednego.

Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

NoteTheir old names each said something about God. The new names came from the gods of Babylon. Changing a name was a way of saying, you are ours now.

17God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in every kind of learning. He made them wise. God also helped Daniel understand dreams and visions, which are pictures God shows a person.

As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

NoteA vision is like a dream you have while awake. God used dreams and visions to show people things.

18The training time the king had set finally ended. Then the leader of the helpers brought the young men to Nebuchadnezzar.

Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19The king talked with them. Out of all the young men, none were as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So these four stayed to serve the king.

And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

20The king asked them hard questions about wise and difficult things. He found them ten times better than all the magicians and star-readers in his whole kingdom.

And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

NoteMagicians and star-readers were the king's wise men. They tried to learn secrets by magic and by watching the stars.

21Daniel stayed there many years. He was still there in the first year of King Cyrus.

And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

NoteCyrus was a king who ruled long after Nebuchadnezzar. This means Daniel lived and served in Babylon for many, many years.

1Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. In the second year he was king, he had dreams. The dreams troubled him, and he could not sleep.

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

NoteBabylon was a big, powerful kingdom far from Daniel's home. Nebuchadnezzar was its king. His name sounds like neb-yoo-kad-NEZ-zar.

2The king sent for his magicians and for men who read the stars. He also sent for men who used magic spells. He wanted them to tell him his dreams. They came and stood in front of the king.

Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

NoteThese men worked for the king. People believed they could explain dreams. Star readers watched the sky and said it told the future.

3The king said to them, "I had a dream. I am upset, and I want to know what it means."

And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4The star readers answered the king in Aramaic. "O king, may you live forever! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."

Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

NoteAramaic was the language most people spoke in that land. "O king, live for ever" was just a polite way to greet a king.

5The king answered them, "My word is final. If you do not tell me the dream and what it means, you will be cut in pieces. Your houses will be knocked down into piles of trash."

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

NoteA king then could order anyone killed. No one was allowed to argue with him.

6"But if you tell me the dream and what it means, I will give you gifts and rewards. I will honor you greatly. So tell me the dream and what it means."

But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7They answered a second time, "Let the king tell his servants the dream. Then we will tell what it means."

They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

8The king said, "I am sure you are only trying to gain time. You can see that my word will not change."

The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9"If you do not tell me the dream, only one thing will happen to you. You have agreed together to tell me lies until things change. So tell me the dream. Then I will know you can tell me what it means."

But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

10The wise men answered the king, "No one on earth can do what you ask. No king, however great, has ever asked such a thing. No magician or star reader was ever asked this."

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11"What the king asks is too hard. Only the gods could tell it, and they do not live among people."

And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

NoteThe people of Babylon believed in many gods. They thought those gods lived far away, not with people.

12This made the king very angry. He ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be killed.

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Note"Wise men" meant the king's helpers. Their job was to explain dreams and signs.

13So the order went out to kill the wise men. Men went to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them too.

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

NoteDaniel and his friends were being trained as the king's wise men. So this order included them too.

14Arioch was the captain of the king's guard. He went out to kill the wise men of Babylon. Daniel spoke to him wisely and carefully.

Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

NoteThe king's guard were soldiers who kept him safe. They also carried out his orders.

15Daniel asked Arioch, "Why did the king give such a harsh order?" Then Arioch explained the matter to Daniel.

He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16So Daniel went in to the king. He asked the king to give him some time. Then he would tell the king what the dream meant.

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

17Daniel went home. He told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened.

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

NoteThese three were Daniel's friends from home. Babylon had also given them new names.

18He asked them to beg the God of heaven to be kind. They were to pray about this hidden thing. Then Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the other wise men.

That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Note"The God of heaven" was a name the Jewish people used for God. It showed he was not one of Babylon's many gods.

19That night God showed Daniel the secret in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

NoteA vision was like a picture in his mind.

20Daniel said, "Praise the name of God forever and ever. Wisdom and power belong to him."

Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21"He changes the times and the seasons. He takes kings away, and he puts new kings in their place. He gives wisdom to the wise. He gives knowledge to those who understand."

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22"He shows things that are deep and hidden. He knows what is in the dark. Light lives with him."

He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23"God of my fathers, I thank you and praise you. You gave me wisdom and power. You have told me what we asked you for. You have shown us what the king dreamed."

I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

Note"God of my fathers" means the God his parents and grandparents had worshiped.

24Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man the king told to kill the wise men. Daniel said, "Do not kill the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what the dream means."

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

25Arioch hurried and brought Daniel to the king. He said, "I have found a man among the people brought here from Judah. He can tell the king what the dream means."

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

NoteJudah was Daniel's homeland. Soldiers from Babylon had taken its people far away from there.

26The king said to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, "Can you tell me the dream I saw? Can you tell me what it means?"

The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

NoteBelteshazzar was the new name Babylon gave Daniel. People taken from other lands were often given new names.

27Daniel answered the king, "No wise man can tell the king this secret. No star reader, magician, or fortune teller can tell it either."

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

NoteA fortune teller was someone who claimed to know what would happen later.

28"But there is a God in heaven who tells secrets. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Here is the dream you saw while lying in bed."

But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

Note"Days to come" means a long time in the future.

29"O king, as you lay in bed, you thought about what would happen later. God, who tells secrets, has shown you what will come."

As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30"This secret was not shown to me because I am wiser than other people. It was shown so the king could be told what it means. It was shown so you could understand your own thoughts."

But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

31"O king, you looked and saw a huge statue. It was tall and shining bright. It stood in front of you, and it looked frightening."

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

NoteA statue is a figure shaped like a person. This one was huge and made of metal.

32"The statue's head was made of pure gold. Its chest and arms were silver. Its stomach and upper legs were bronze."

This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

NoteThese metals were worth different amounts. Gold was worth the most, then silver, then bronze. Bronze is a hard metal made from copper and tin.

33"Its lower legs were iron. Its feet were part iron and part clay."

His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

NoteClay is soft earth that people shape and then bake hard. Baked clay cracks and breaks easily.

34"As you watched, a stone was cut out. No human hands cut it. It hit the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them."

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

NoteNo person cut this stone loose. It came away by itself.

35"Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold all broke into bits. They became like dry straw blown away from a field in summer. The wind carried them off, and nothing was left. But the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

NoteFarmers beat cut grain to loosen the seeds. The light, dry bits are called chaff. The wind blew the chaff away.

36"That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means."

This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37"O king, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven gave you your kingdom, your power, your strength, and your glory."

Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

Note"King of kings" means a king who ruled over other kings too.

38"Wherever people live, and the wild animals and the birds, he has put them in your hand. He made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold."

And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

39"After you, another kingdom will rise. It will not be as great as yours. Then a third kingdom, the bronze one, will rule the whole earth."

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40"Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Iron smashes and crushes everything. That kingdom will smash and crush all the others."

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41"You saw the feet and toes made partly of baked clay and partly of iron. So this kingdom will be split apart. But some of the strength of iron will still be in it, as you saw iron mixed with wet clay."

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

NoteA divided kingdom is one broken into parts. Different rulers hold the different parts.

42"The toes were part iron and part clay. So the kingdom will be partly strong and partly easy to break."

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"You saw iron mixed with wet clay. In the same way, the people will mix with one another. But they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay."

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

NotePeople mixing may mean rulers marrying into each other's families. Kings did that to join their kingdoms together.

44"In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom. It will never be destroyed. It will never be handed over to other people. It will break all these kingdoms and end them. It will stand forever."

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45"You saw a stone cut from the mountain, but not by human hands. It broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has shown the king what will happen later. The dream is true, and what it means is sure."

Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake 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.

46Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed with his face to the ground before Daniel. He gave orders that a gift and sweet-smelling smoke be offered to Daniel.

Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

NoteBowing with your face on the ground showed the greatest respect. Burning sweet-smelling smoke was how people honored a god.

47The king said to Daniel, "Your God is truly the God above all gods. He is the Lord over kings, and he tells secrets. You were able to tell me this secret."

The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

NoteThe king means Daniel's God is greater than every god Babylon believed in.

48Then the king gave Daniel a high place and many fine gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon. He put Daniel in charge of all the wise men there.

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 men of Babylon.

NoteA province is a big part of a kingdom, a bit like a state.

49Daniel asked the king for one thing. The king put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the work of the province. Daniel himself stayed at the king's court.

Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

NoteThese are the Babylonian names for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The king's gate was where leaders met and settled important matters.