were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly
strong and partly broken. You saw the iron mixed with clay, for the
rulers will marry one another, but they will not stick together, even as
iron does not stick to clay.

"During the reigns of these kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the power be left to
another people; but it shall break in pieces and destroy all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. This is shown by the fact that you
saw a stone cut out of the mountain, but not with the hands of men. And
it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the
gold.

"The great God has made known to the king what is to come, and the dream
is real and this meaning true."

Then King Nebuchadrezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and
ordered that a sacrifice and sweet odors should be offered to him. The
king also said to Daniel, "Your God is the God of gods and the Lord of
kings, and one who tells his secrets to his servant, for you have been
able to tell this great secret." Then the king gave Daniel a high
position and many costly gifts, and made him ruler over all of Babylon
and chief over all the wise men in Babylon. And at Daniel's request the
king placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of
Babylon; but Daniel stayed in the king's court.

THE TEST BY FIRE

Nebuchadrezzar, the king, made an image of gold ninety feet high and
nine feet wide. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of
Babylon. Then he sent for the officers, the governors, the judges, the
treasurers, and all the rulers of the provinces. So they all came
together and stood before the image that Nebuchadrezzar had set up.

Then the herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O peoples,
nations: 'The moment you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lute,
harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, you shall fall down
and worship the golden image. Whoever does not fall down and worship
shall be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace.'" So when all the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lute, harp, bagpipe, and all
kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and races fell
down and worshipped the golden image that King Nebuchadrezzar had set
up.

But at that time certain Chaldeans came near to the king and made this
charge against the Jews: "O king, live forever! O king, you have
commanded t