Month: December 2019

Ezekiel 43

The Lord Returns to the Temple

1 The man took me to the gate that faces east,

2 and there I saw coming from the east the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel. God’s voice sounded like the roar of the sea, and the earth shone with the dazzling light.

3 This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem, and the one I saw by the Chebar River. Then I threw myself face downward on the ground.

4 The dazzling light passed through the east gate and went into the Temple.

5 TheLord’s spirit lifted me up and took me into the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Temple was filled with the glory of theLord.

6 The man stood beside me there, and I heard theLordspeak to me out of the Temple:

7 “Mortal man, here is my throne. I will live here among the people of Israel and rule them forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again disgrace my holy name by worshiping other gods or by burying the corpses oftheir dead kings.

8 The kings built the doorsills and doorposts of their palace right against the doorsills and doorposts of my Temple, so that there was only a wall between us. They disgraced my holy name by all the disgusting things they did, and so in my anger I destroyed them.

9 Now they must stop worshiping other gods and remove the corpses oftheir kings. If they do, I will live among them forever.”

10 And theLordcontinued, “Mortal man, tell the people of Israel about the Temple, and let them study its plan. Make them ashamed of their sinful actions.

11 Then if they are ashamed of what they have done, explain the plan of the Temple to them: its design, its entrances and exits, its shape, the arrangement of everything, and all its rules and regulations. Write all this down for them so that they can see how everything is arranged and can carry out all the rules.

12 This is the law of the Temple: All the area surrounding it on the top of the mountain is sacred and holy.”

The Altar

13 These are the measurements of the altar, using the same unit of measure as in measuring the Temple. All around the base of the altar there was a gutter 20 inches deep and 20 inches wide, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high.

14 The lowest section of the altar, from the top of the base, was 4 feet high. The next section was set back from the edge 20 inches all around, and was 7 feet high. The section after that was also set back from the edge 20 inches all around.

15 This top section, on which the sacrifices were burned, was also 7 feet high. The projections on the four corners were higher than the rest of the top.

16 The top of the altar was a square, 20 feet on each side.

17 The middle section was also a square, 24 feet on each side, with a rim at the outside edge 10 inches high. (The gutter was 20 inches wide.) The steps going up the altar were on the east side.

The Consecration of the Altar

18 The SovereignLordsaid to me, “Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. When the altar is built, you are to dedicate it by burning sacrifices on it and by sprinkling on it the blood of the animals that were sacrificed.

19 Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok are the only ones who are to come into my presence to serve me. I, the SovereignLord, command this. You will give them a young bull to offer as a sacrifice for sin.

20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the projections on the top corners of the altar, on the corners of the middle section of the altar, and all around its edges. In this way you will purify the altar and consecrate it.

21 You are to take the bull that is offered as a sacrifice for sin and burn it at the specified place outside the Temple area.

22 The next day you are to take a male goat without any defects and offer it as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood the same way you did with the bull.

23 When you have finished doing that, take a young bull and a young ram, both of them without any defects,

24 and bring them to me. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and burn them as an offering to me.

25 Each day for seven days you are to offer a goat, a bull, and a ram as sacrifices for sin. All of them must be without any defects.

26 For seven days the priests are to consecrate the altar and make it ready for use.

27 When the week is over, the priests are to begin offering on the altar the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings of the people. Then I will be pleased with all of you. I, the SovereignLord, have spoken.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/43-8a2a6a5695d81f6be419fa02dca88832.mp3?version_id=68—

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 44

The Use of the East Gate

1 The man led me to the outer gate at the east side of the Temple area. The gate was closed,

2 and theLordsaid to me, “This gate will stay closed and will never be opened. No human being is allowed to use it, because I, theLordGod of Israel, have entered through it. It is to remain closed.

3 The ruling prince, however, may go there to eat a holy meal in my presence. He is to enter and leave the gateway through the entrance room at the inner end.”

Rules for Admission to the Temple

4 Then the man took me through the north gate to the front of the Temple. As I looked, I saw that the Temple of theLordwas filled with the dazzling light of his presence. I threw myself face downward on the ground,

5 and theLordsaid to me, “Mortal man, pay attention to everything you see and hear. I am going to tell you the rules and regulations for the Temple. Note carefully which persons are allowed to go in and out of the Temple, and which persons are not allowed.

6 “Tell those rebellious people of Israel that I, the SovereignLord, will no longer tolerate the disgusting things that they have been doing.

7 They have profaned my Temple by letting uncircumcised foreigners, people who do not obey me, enter the Temple when the fat and the blood of the sacrifices are being offered to me. So my people have broken my covenant by all the disgusting things they have done.

8 They have not taken charge of the sacred rituals in my Temple, but instead have put foreigners in charge.

9 “I, the SovereignLord, declare that no uncircumcised foreigner, no one who disobeys me, will enter my Temple, not even a foreigner who lives among the people of Israel.”

The Levites Are Excluded from the Priesthood

10 TheLordsaid to me, “I am punishing those Levites who, together with the rest of the people of Israel, deserted me and worshiped idols.

11 They may serve me in the Temple by taking charge of the gates and by performing the work of the Temple. They may kill the animals which the people offer for burnt offerings and for sacrifices, and they are to be on duty to serve the people.

12 But because they conducted the worship of idols for the people of Israel and in this way led the people into sin, I, the SovereignLord, solemnly swear that they must be punished.

13 They are not to serve me as priests or to go near anything that is holy to me or to enter the Most Holy Place. This is the punishment for the disgusting things they have done.

14 I am assigning to them the menial work that is to be done in the Temple.”

The Priests

15 The SovereignLordsaid, “Those priests belonging to the tribe of Levi who are descended from Zadok, however, continued to serve me faithfully in the Temple when the rest of the people of Israel turned away from me. So now they are the ones who are to serve me and come into my presence to offer me the fat and the blood of the sacrifices.

16 They alone will enter my Temple, serve at my altar, and conduct the Temple worship.

17 When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard of the Temple, they are to put on linen clothing. They must not wear anything made of wool when they are on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple.

18 So that they won’t perspire, they are to wear linen turbans and linen trousers, but no belt.

19 Before they go to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must first take off the clothes they wore on duty in the Temple and leave them in the holy rooms. They are to put on other clothing in order to keep their sacred clothing from harming the people.

20 “Priests must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long. They are to keep it a proper length.

21 Priests must not drink any wine before going into the inner courtyard.

22 No priest may marry a divorced woman; he is to marry only an Israelite virgin or the widow of another priest.

23 “The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not.

24 When a legal dispute arises, the priests are to decide the case according to my laws. They are to keep the religious festivals according to my rules and regulations, and they are to keep the Sabbaths holy.

25 “A priest is not to become ritually unclean by touching a corpse, unless it is one of his parents, one of his children or a brother or an unmarried sister.

26 After he has become clean again, he must wait seven days

27 and then go into the inner courtyard of the Temple and offer a sacrifice for his purification, so that he can serve in the Temple again. I, the SovereignLord, have spoken.

28 “The priests have the priesthood as their share of what I have given Israel to be handed down from one generation to another. They are not to hold property in Israel; I am all they need.

29 The grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the repayment offerings will be the priests’ food, and they are to receive everything in Israel that is set apart for me.

30 The priests are to have the best of all the first harvest and of everything else that is offered to me. Each time the people bake bread, they are to give the priests the first loaf as an offering, and my blessing will rest on their homes.

31 The priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or is killed by another animal.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/44-3f31f5e478568f3d8fecf30c435279d8.mp3?version_id=68—

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 45

The Lord’s Portion of the Country

1 When the land is divided to give each tribe a share, one part is to be dedicated to theLord. It is to be 10 miles long by 8 mileswide. The entire area will be holy.

2 In this area there is to be a square plot of land for the Temple, 840 feet on each side, entirely surrounded by an open space 84 feet wide.

3 Half of this area, a section 10 miles by 4 miles, is to be measured off; it will contain the Temple, the holiest place of all.

4 It will be a holy part of the country, set aside for the priests who serve theLordin his Temple. It will contain their houses and the section of land for the Temple.

5 The other half of the area is to be set aside as the possession of the Levites, who do the work in the Temple. There will be towns there for them to live in.

6 Next to the holy area, another section, 10 miles long and 2 miles wide, is to be set aside for a city where any of the people of Israel may live.

Land for the Prince

7 Land is also to be set aside for the ruling prince. From the west boundary of the holy area it will extend west to the Mediterranean Sea; and from the east boundary it will extend to the eastern border of the country, so that its length will be the same as the length of one of the areas allotted to the tribes of Israel.

8 This area will be the share the ruling prince will have in the land of Israel, so that he will no longer oppress the people, but will let the rest of the country belong to the tribes of Israel.

Rules for the Prince

9 The SovereignLordsaid, “You have sinned too long, you rulers of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression. Do what is right and just. You must never again drive my people off their land. I, the SovereignLord, am telling you this.

10 “Everyone must use honest weights and measures:

11 “Theephahfor dry measure is to be equal to thebathfor liquid measure. The standard is thehomer.The resulting measures are as follows:

1homer= 10ephahs= 10baths

12 “Your weights are to be as follows:

20gerahs= 1shekel

60shekels= 1mina

13-15 “This is the basis on which you are to make your offerings:

Wheat: 1/60th of your harvest

Barley: 1/60th of your harvest

Olive oil: 1/100th of the yield of your trees

(Measure it by thebath: 10baths= 1homer= 1kor.)

Sheep: 1 sheep out of every 200 from the meadows of Israel

“You are to bring grain offerings, animals to be burned whole, and animals for fellowship offerings, so that your sins will be forgiven. I, the SovereignLord, command it.

16 “All the people of the land must takethese offerings to the ruling prince of Israel.

17 It will be his duty to provide the animals to be burned whole, the grain offerings, and the wine offerings for the whole nation of Israel at the New Moon Festivals, the Sabbaths, and the other festivals. He is to provide the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the offerings to be burned whole, and the fellowship offerings, to take away the sins of the people of Israel.”

The Festivals

18 The SovereignLordsaid, “On the first day of the first month you are to sacrifice a bull without any defects and purify the Temple.

19 The priest will take some of the blood of this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, on the four corners of the altar, and on the posts of the gateways to the inner courtyard.

20 On the seventh day of the month you are to do the same thing on behalf of anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance. In this way you will keep the Temple holy.

21 “On the fourteenth day of the first month you will begin the celebration of the Passover Festival. For seven days everyone will eat bread made without yeast.

22 On the first day of the festival the ruling prince must offer a bull as a sacrifice for his sins and for those of all the people.

23 On each of the seven days of the festival he is to sacrifice to theLordseven bulls and seven rams without any defects and burn them whole. He is also to sacrifice a male goat each day as a sin offering.

24 For each bull and each ram that is sacrificed, there is to be an offering of half a bushel of grain and three quarts of olive oil.

25 “For the Festival of Shelters, which begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the prince will offer on each of the seven days the same sacrifice for sin, the same offerings to be burned whole, and the same offerings of grain and olive oil.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/45-533e871cf8cf19bc9b2402e91bd593e6.mp3?version_id=68—

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 46

Open Bible Scripture Holy Book Religion Religious

The Prince and the Festivals

1 The SovereignLordsays, “The east gateway to the inner courtyard must be kept closed during the six working days, but it is to be opened on the Sabbath and at the New Moon Festival.

2 The ruling prince will go from the outer courtyard into the entrance room of the gateway and stand beside the posts of the gate while the priests burn his sacrifices whole and offer his fellowship offerings. There at the gate he must worship and then go back out. The gate must not be shut until evening.

3 Each Sabbath and each New Moon Festival all the people are also to bow down and worship theLordin front of the gate.

4 On the Sabbath the prince is to bring to theLord, as sacrifices to be burned whole, six lambs and one ram, all without any defects.

5 With each ram he is to bring an offering of half a bushel of grain, and with each lamb he is to bring whatever he wants to give. For each half-bushel of grain offering he is to bring three quarts of olive oil.

6 At the New Moon Festival he will offer a young bull, six lambs, and a ram, all without any defects.

7 With each bull and each ram the offering is to be half a bushel of grain, and with each lamb the offering is to be whatever the prince wants to give. Three quarts of olive oil are to be offered with each half-bushel of grain.

8 The prince must leave the entrance room of the gateway and go out by the same way he went in.

9 “When the people come to worship theLordat any festival, those who enter by the north gate are to leave by the south gate after they have worshiped, and those who enter by the south gate are to leave by the north gate. No one may go out by the same way he entered, but must leave by the opposite gate.

10 The prince is to come in when the people come, and leave when they leave.

11 On the feast days and at the festivals the grain offering will be half a bushel with each bull or ram, and whatever the worshiper wants to give with each lamb. Three quarts of olive oil are to be offered with each half-bushel of grain.

12 “When the ruling prince wants to make a voluntary offering to theLord, either an offering to be burned whole or a fellowship offering, the east gate to the inner courtyard will be opened for him. He is to make the offering in the same way he does on the Sabbath, and the gate is to be closed after he goes back out.”

The Daily Offering

13 TheLordsays, “Every morning a one-year-old lamb without any defects is to be burned whole as an offering to theLord. This offering must be made every day.

14 Also an offering of five pounds of flour is to be made every morning, along with one quart of olive oil for mixing with the flour. The rules for this offering to theLordare to be in force forever.

15 The lamb, the flour, and the olive oil are to be offered to theLordevery morning forever.”

The Prince and the Land

16 The SovereignLordcommands: “If the ruling prince gives any of the land he owns to one of his sons as a present, it will belong to that son as a part of his family property.

17 But if the ruling prince gives any of his land to anyone who is in his service, it will become the prince’s property again when the Year of Restorationcomes. It belongs to him, and only he and his sons can own it permanently.

18 The ruling prince must not take any of the people’s property away from them. Any land he gives to his sons must be from the land that is assigned to him, so that he will not oppress any of my people by taking their land.”

The Temple Kitchens

19 Then the man took me to the entrance of the rooms facing north near the gate on the south side of the inner courtyard. These are holy rooms for the priests. He pointed out a place on the west side of the rooms

20 and said, “This is the place where the priests are to boil the meat offered as sacrifices for sin or as repayment offerings, and to bake the offerings of flour, so that nothing holy is carried to the outer courtyard, where it might harm the people.”

21-22 Then he led me to the outer courtyard and showed me that in each of its four corners there was a smallercourtyard, 68 feet long and 48 feet wide.

23 Each one had a stone wall around it, with fireplaces built against the wall.

24 The man told me, “These are the kitchens where the Temple servants are to boil the sacrifices the people offer.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/46-6f0eb4267b7f2b1ecaf36d66e254c323.mp3?version_id=68—

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 47

The Stream Flowing from the Temple

1 The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east, the direction the Temple faced. It was flowing down from under the south part of the Temple past the south side of the altar.

2 The man then took me out of the Temple area by way of the north gate and led me around to the gate that faces east. A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate.

3 With his measuring rod the man measured 560 yards downstream to the east and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles.

4 Then he measured another 560 yards, and the water came up to my knees. Another 560 yards farther down, the water was up to my waist.

5 He measured 560 yards more, and there the stream was so deep I could not wade through it. It was too deep to cross except by swimming.

6 He said to me, “Mortal man, note all this carefully.”

Then the man took me back to the riverbank,

7 and when I got there, I saw that there were very many trees on each bank.

8 He said to me, “This water flows through the land to the east and down into the Jordan Valley and to the Dead Sea. When it flows into the Dead Sea, it replaces the salt water of that sea with fresh water.

9 Wherever the stream flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish. The stream will make the water of the Dead Sea fresh, and wherever it flows, it will bring life.

10 From the Springs of Engedi all the way to the Springs of Eneglaim, there will be fishermen on the shore of the sea, and they will spread out their nets there to dry. There will be as many different kinds of fish there as there are in the Mediterranean Sea.

11 But the water in the marshes and ponds along the shore will not be made fresh. They will remain there as a source of salt.

12 On each bank of the stream all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit. They will have fresh fruit every month, because they are watered by the stream that flows from the Temple. The trees will provide food, and their leaves will be used for healing people.”

The Boundaries of the Land

13 The SovereignLordsaid, “These are the boundaries of the land that is to be divided among the twelve tribes, with the tribe of Joseph receiving two sections.

14 I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give them possession of this land; now divide it equally among you.

15 “The northern boundary runs eastward from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon, to Hamath Pass, to the city of Zedad,

16 to the cities of Berothah and Sibraim (they are located between the territory of the kingdom of Damascus and that of the kingdom of Hamath), and to the city of Ticon (located by the border of the district of Hauran).

17 So the northern boundary runs from the Mediterranean eastward to Enon City, with the border regions of Damascus and Hamath to the north of it.

18 “The eastern boundary runs south from a point between the territory of Damascus and that of Hauran, with the Jordan River forming the boundary between the land of Israel on the west and Gilead on the east, as far as Tamaron the Dead Sea.

19 “The southern boundary runs southwest from Tamar to the oasis of Kadesh Meribah and then northwest along the Egyptian border to the Mediterranean Sea.

20 “The western boundary is formed by the Mediterranean and runs north to a point west of Hamath Pass.

21 “Divide this land among your tribes;

22 it is to be your permanent possession. The foreigners who are living among you and who have had children born here are also to receive their share of the land when you divide it. They are to be treated like full Israelite citizens and are to draw lots for shares of the land along with the tribes of Israel.

23 All foreign residents will receive their share with the people of the tribe among whom they are living. I, the SovereignLord, have spoken.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/47-5a3e3c45be2cb6da5216a032d7438f60.mp3?version_id=68—

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 48

The Division of the Land among the Tribes

1-7 The northern boundary of the land runs eastward from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon, to Hamath Pass, to Enon City, to the boundary between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. Each tribe is to receive one section of land extending from the eastern boundary west to the Mediterranean Sea,in the following order from north to south:

Dan

Asher

Naphtali

Manasseh

Ephraim

Reuben

Judah

The Special Section in the Center of the Land

8 The next section of the land is to be set apart for special use. It is to be 10 miles wide from north to south, and the same length from east to west as the sections given to the tribes. The Temple will be located within this section.

9 In the center of this section, a special area 10 miles by 8 milesis to be dedicated to theLord.

10 The priests are to have a portion of this holy area. From east to west their portion is to measure 10 miles, and from north to south, 4 miles. The Temple of theLordis to be located in the middle of this area.

11 This holy area is to be for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They served me faithfully and did not join the rest of the Israelites in doing wrong, as the other members of the tribe of Levi did.

12 So they are to have a special area next to the area belonging to the Levites, and it will be the holiest of all.

13 The Levites also are to have a special area, south of that of the priests. It too is to be 10 miles from east to west, by 4 miles from north to south.

14 The area dedicated to theLordis the best part of all the land, and none of it may be sold or exchanged or transferred to anyone else. It is holy and belongs to theLord.

15 The part of the special area that is left, 10 miles by 2 miles, is not holy, but is for the general use of the people. They may live there and use the land. The city is to be in the center of it,

16 and it will be a square, 2,520 yards on each side.

17 All around the city on each side there will be an open space 140 yards across.

18 The land that is left after the city has been built in the area immediately to the south of the holy area—4 miles by 2 miles on the east and 4 miles by 2 miles on the west—is to be used as farmland by the people who live in the city.

19 Anyone who lives in the city, no matter which tribe he comes from, may farm that land.

20 And so the total area in the center of the section which was set apart will be a square measuring 10 miles on each side, and it will include the area occupied by the city.

21-22 To the east and to the west of this area which contains the Temple, the priests’ land, the Levites’ land, and the city, the remaining land belongs to the ruling prince. It reaches east to the eastern boundary and west to the Mediterranean Sea, and is bounded on the north by the section belonging to Judah and on the south by the one belonging to Benjamin.

Land for the Other Tribes

23-27 South of this special section, each of the remaining tribes is to receive one section of land running from the eastern boundary west to the Mediterranean Sea, in the following order from north to south:

Benjamin

Simeon

Issachar

Zebulun

Gad

28 On the south side of the portion given to the tribe of Gad, the boundary runs southwest from Tamar to the oasis of Kadesh, and then northwest along the Egyptian border to the Mediterranean Sea.

29 The SovereignLordsaid, “That is the way the land is to be divided into sections for the tribes of Israel to possess.”

The Gates of Jerusalem

30-34 There are twelve entrances to the city of Jerusalem. Each of the four walls measures 2,520 yards and has three gates in it, each named for one of the tribes. The gates in the north wall are named for Reuben, Judah, and Levi; those in the east wall, for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; those in the south wall, for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and those in the west wall are named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

35 The total length of the wall on all four sides of the city is 10,080 yards. The name of the city from now on will be “The-Lord-Is-Here!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/48-673ebb04d8ab309b637622f881fed511.mp3?version_id=68—

Daniel

Daniel Introduction

Introduction

The Book of Daniel

was written during a time when the Jews were suffering greatly under the persecution and oppression of a pagan king. Using stories and accounts of visions, the writer encourages the people of his time with the hope that God will bring the tyrant down and restore sovereignty to God’s people.

The book has two main parts: (1) Stories about Daniel and some of his fellow exiles, who through their faith in God and obedience to him triumph over their enemies. These stories are set in the time of the Babylonian and Persian Empires. (2) A series of visions seen by Daniel, which in the form of symbols present the successive rise and fall of several empires, beginning with Babylonia, and predict the downfall of the pagan oppressor and the victory of God’s people.

Outline of Contents

Daniel and his friends (1.1—6.28)

Daniel’s visions (7.1—12.13)

a. The four beasts (7.1-28)

b. The ram and the goat (8.1—9.27)

c. The heavenly messenger (10.1—11.45)

d. The time of the end (12.1-13)

Daniel

Daniel 1

The Young Men at Nebuchadnezzar’s Court

1 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city.

2 The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the Temple treasures. He took some prisoners back with him to the temple of his gods in Babylon, and put the captured treasures in the temple storerooms.

3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families.

4 They had to be handsome, intelligent, well-trained, quick to learn, and free from physical defects, so that they would be qualified to serve in the royal court. Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language.

5 The king also gave orders that every day they were to be given the same food and wine as the members of the royal court. After three years of this training they were to appear before the king.

6 Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom were from the tribe of Judah.

7 The chief official gave them new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

8 Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him,

9 and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel.

10 Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, “The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don’t look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me.”

11 So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends.

12 “Test us for ten days,” he said. “Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

13 Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.”

14 He agreed to let them try it for ten days.

15 When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food.

16 So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided.

17 God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams.

18 At the end of the three years set by the king, Ashpenaz took all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar.

19 The king talked with them all, and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah impressed him more than any of the others. So they became members of the king’s court.

20 No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised, these four knew ten times more than any fortuneteller or magician in his whole kingdom.

21 Daniel remained at the royal court until Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, conquered Babylonia.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/DAN/1-72686d0f5ad7cf951ec2ffdf64bb583c.mp3?version_id=68—

Daniel

Daniel 2

bibel, christentum, christlich, christus, evangelisch, alt, jesus, katholisch, schrift, buch, kreuz, holz, antikes, bibliothek, jahrgang, magisch, studieren, religion, weisheit, Reformation, beten, erntedank, heilig, heilige, heiliger, hoffnung, werte

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

1 In the second year that Nebuchadnezzar was king, he had a dream. It worried him so much that he couldn’t sleep,

2 so he sent for his fortunetellers, magicians, sorcerers, and wizards to come and explain the dream to him. When they came and stood before the king,

3 he said to them, “I’m worried about a dream I’ve had. I want to know what it means.”

4 They answered the king in Aramaic,“May Your Majesty live forever! Tell us your dream, and we will explain it to you.”

5 The king said to them, “I have made up my mind that you must tell me the dream and then tell me what it means. If you can’t, I’ll have you torn limb from limb and make your houses a pile of ruins.

6 But if you can tell me both the dream and its meaning, I will reward you with gifts and great honor. Now then, tell me what the dream was and what it means.”

7 They answered the king again, “If Your Majesty will only tell us what the dream was, we will explain it.”

8 At that, the king exclaimed, “Just as I thought! You are trying to gain time, because you see that I have made up my mind

9 to give all of you the same punishment if you don’t tell me the dream. You have agreed among yourselves to go on telling me lies because you hope that in time things will change. Tell me what the dream was, and then I will know that you can also tell me what it means.”

10 The advisers replied, “There is no one on the face of the earth who can tell Your Majesty what you want to know. No king, not even the greatest and most powerful, has ever made such a demand of his fortunetellers, magicians, and wizards.

11 What Your Majesty is asking for is so difficult that no one can do it for you except the gods, and they do not live among human beings.”

12 At that, the king flew into a rage and ordered the execution of all the royal advisers in Babylon.

13 So the order was issued for all of them to be killed, including Daniel and his friends.

God Shows Daniel What the Dream Means

14 Then Daniel went to Arioch, commander of the king’s bodyguard, who had been ordered to carry out the execution. Choosing his words carefully,

15 he asked Arioch why the king had issued such a harsh order. So Arioch told Daniel what had happened.

16 Daniel went at once and obtained royal permission for more time, so that he could tell the king what the dream meant.

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

18 He told them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy and to ask him to explain the mystery to them so that they would not be killed along with the other advisers in Babylon.

19 Then that same night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he praised the God of heaven:

20 “God is wise and powerful!

Praise him forever and ever.

21 He controls the times and the seasons;

he makes and unmakes kings;

it is he who gives wisdom and understanding.

22 He reveals things that are deep and secret;

he knows what is hidden in darkness,

and he himself is surrounded by light.

23 I praise you and honor you, God of my ancestors.

You have given me wisdom and strength;

you have answered my prayer

and shown us what to tell the king.”

Daniel Tells the King the Dream and Explains It

24 So Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had commanded to execute the royal advisers. He said to him, “Don’t put them to death. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what his dream means.”

25 At once Arioch took Daniel into King Nebuchadnezzar’s presence and told the king, “I have found one of the Jewish exiles who can tell Your Majesty the meaning of your dream.”

26 The king said to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar), “Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”

27 Daniel replied, “Your Majesty, there is no wizard, magician, fortuneteller, or astrologer who can tell you that.

28 But there is a God in heaven, who reveals mysteries. He has informed Your Majesty what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you the dream, the vision you had while you were asleep.

29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about the future; and God, who reveals mysteries, showed you what is going to happen.

30 Now, this mystery was revealed to me, not because I am wiser than anyone else, but so that Your Majesty may learn the meaning of your dream and understand the thoughts that have come to you.

31 “Your Majesty, in your vision you saw standing before you a giant statue, bright and shining, and terrifying to look at.

32 Its head was made of the finest gold; its chest and arms were made of silver; its waist and hips of bronze,

33 its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

34 While you were looking at it, a great stone broke loose from a cliff without anyone touching it, struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, and shattered them.

35 At once the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold crumbled and became like the dust on a threshing place in summer. The wind carried it all away, leaving not a trace. But the stone grew to be a mountain that covered the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream. Now I will tell Your Majesty what it means.

37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of all kings. The God of heaven has made you emperor and given you power, might, and honor.

38 He has made you ruler of all the inhabited earth and ruler over all the animals and birds. You are the head of gold.

39 After you there will be another empire, not as great as yours, and after that a third, an empire of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.

40 And then there will be a fourth empire, as strong as iron, which shatters and breaks everything. And just as iron shatters everything, it will shatter and crush all the earlier empires.

41 You also saw that the feet and the toes were partly clay and partly iron. This means that it will be a divided empire. It will have something of the strength of iron, because there was iron mixed with the clay.

42 The toes—partly iron and partly clay—mean that part of the empire will be strong and part of it weak.

43 You also saw that the iron was mixed with the clay. This means that the rulers of that empire will try to unite their families by intermarriage, but they will not be able to, any more than iron can mix with clay.

44 At the time of those rulers the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. It will never be conquered, but will completely destroy all those empires and then last forever.

45 You saw how a stone broke loose from a cliff without anyone touching it and how it struck the statue made of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God is telling Your Majesty what will happen in the future. I have told you exactly what you dreamed, and have given you its true meaning.”

The King Rewards Daniel

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed to the ground and gave orders for sacrifices and offerings to be made to Daniel.

47 The king said, “Your God is the greatest of all gods, the Lord over kings, and the one who reveals mysteries. I know this because you have been able to explain this mystery.”

48 Then he gave Daniel a high position, presented him with many splendid gifts, put him in charge of the province of Babylon, and made him the head of all the royal advisers.

49 At Daniel’s request the king put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the affairs of the province of Babylon; Daniel, however, remained at the royal court.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/DAN/2-ce5d9fbffa97d1231138376efeee82f0.mp3?version_id=68—

Daniel

Daniel 3

Nebuchadnezzar Commands Everyone to Worship a Gold Statue

1 King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and he had it set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

2 Then the king gave orders for all his officials to come together—the princes, governors, lieutenant governors, commissioners, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces. They were to attend the dedication of the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

3 When all these officials gathered for the dedication and stood in front of the statue,

4 a herald announced in a loud voice, “People of all nations, races, and languages!

5 You will hear the sound of the trumpets, followed by the playing of oboes, lyres, zithers, and harps; and then all the other instruments will join in. As soon as the music starts, you are to bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

6 Anyone who does not bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

7 And so, as soon as they heard the sound of the instruments, the people of all the nations, races, and languages bowed down and worshiped the gold statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Daniel’s Three Friends Are Accused of Disobedience

8 It was then that some Babylonians took the opportunity to denounce the Jews.

9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May Your Majesty live forever!

10 Your Majesty has issued an order that as soon as the music starts, everyone is to bow down and worship the gold statue,

11 and that anyone who does not bow down and worship it is to be thrown into a blazing furnace.

12 There are some Jews whom you put in charge of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who are disobeying Your Majesty’s orders. They do not worship your god or bow down to the statue you set up.”

13 At that, the king flew into a rage and ordered the three men to be brought before him.

14 He said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you refuse to worship my god and to bow down to the gold statue I have set up?

15 Now then, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, oboes, lyres, zithers, harps, and all the other instruments, bow down and worship the statue. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Do you think there is any god who can save you?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves.

17 If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will.

18 But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”

Daniel’s Three Friends Are Sentenced to Death

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar lost his temper, and his face turned red with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual.

20 And he commanded the strongest men in his army to tie the three men up and throw them into the blazing furnace.

21 So they tied them up, fully dressed—shirts, robes, caps, and all—and threw them into the blazing furnace.

22 Now because the king had given strict orders for the furnace to be made extremely hot, the flames burned up the guards who took the men to the furnace.

23 Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, still tied up, fell into the heart of the blazing fire.

24 Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement. He asked his officials, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?”

They answered, “Yes, we did, Your Majesty.”

25 “Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?” he asked. “They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt—and the fourth one looks like an angel.”

The Three Men Are Released and Promoted

26 So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door of the blazing furnace and called out, “Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego! Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!” And they came out at once.

27 All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors, and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men, who had not been harmed by the fire. Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned, and there was no smell of smoke on them.

28 The king said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued these men who serve and trust him. They disobeyed my orders and risked their lives rather than bow down and worship any god except their own.

29 “And now I command that if anyone of any nation, race, or language speaks disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he is to be torn limb from limb, and his house is to be made a pile of ruins. There is no other god who can rescue like this.”

30 And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to higher positions in the province of Babylon.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/DAN/3-04c4647da291336ad07f44e3c5714ac4.mp3?version_id=68—