NKJV Bible in 365 Days
Courage to Stand for God — August 9
Daniel 1-3
Daniel 1
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 365N 221.1
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of [a] the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. 365N 221.2
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 365N 221.3
4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and [b] literature of the Chaldeans. 365N 221.4
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 365N 221.5
6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 365N 221.6
7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. 365N 221.7
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 365N 221.8
9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and [c] goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 365N 221.9
10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.” 365N 221.10
11 So Daniel said to [d] the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 365N 221.11
12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 365N 221.12
13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 365N 221.13
14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. 365N 221.14
15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 365N 221.15
16 Thus [e] the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 365N 221.16
17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 365N 221.17
18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 365N 221.18
19 Then the king [f] interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 365N 221.19
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 365N 221.20
21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. 365N 221.21
Daniel 2
1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 365N 221.22
2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 365N 221.23
3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to [a] know the dream.” 365N 221.24
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O [b] king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 365N 221.25
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My [c] decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 365N 221.26
6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.” 365N 221.27
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.” 365N 221.28
8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 365N 221.29
9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the [d] time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can [e] give me its interpretation.” 365N 221.30
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 365N 221.31
11 It is a [f] difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” 365N 221.32
12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 365N 221.33
13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 365N 221.34
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 365N 221.35
15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so [g] urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. 365N 221.36
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 365N 221.37
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 365N 221.38
18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 365N 221.39
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 365N 221.40
20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 365N 221.41
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. 365N 221.42
22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 365N 221.43
23 “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s [h] demand.” 365N 221.44
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.” 365N 221.45
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the [i] captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 365N 221.46
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?” 365N 221.47
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 365N 221.48
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 365N 221.49
29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 365N 221.50
30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may [j] know the thoughts of your heart. 365N 221.51
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 365N 221.52
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and [k] thighs of bronze, 365N 221.53
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of [l] clay. 365N 221.54
34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 365N 221.55
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 365N 221.56
36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 365N 221.57
37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 365N 221.58
38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 365N 221.59
39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 365N 221.60
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 365N 221.61
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 365N 221.62
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly [m] fragile. 365N 221.63
43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 365N 221.64
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall [n] break in pieces and [o] consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 365N 221.65
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” 365N 221.66
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 365N 221.67
47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 365N 221.68
48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 365N 221.69
49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in [p] the gate of the king. 365N 221.70
Daniel 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was [a] sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 365N 221.71
2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 365N 221.72
3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 365N 221.73
4 Then a herald cried [b] aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 365N 221.74
5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 365N 221.75
6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” 365N 221.76
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 365N 221.77
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 365N 221.78
9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 365N 221.79
10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 365N 221.80
11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 365N 221.81
12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.” 365N 221.82
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 365N 221.83
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “ Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 365N 221.84
15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” 365N 221.85
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 365N 221.86
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 365N 221.87
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” 365N 221.88
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 365N 221.89
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 365N 221.90
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 365N 221.91
22 Therefore, because the king’s command was [c] urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 365N 221.92
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 365N 221.93
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his [d] counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 365N 221.94
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the [e] Son of God.” 365N 221.95
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the [f] mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. ” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 365N 221.96
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. 365N 221.97
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel [g] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 365N 221.98
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” 365N 221.99
30 Then the king [h] promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. 365N 221.100