Daniel 3:27--4:3

3:27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically ¹  unharmed by the fire. ²  The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!

3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ³  “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel ⁴  and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring ⁵  the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than ⁶  serve or pay homage to any god other than their God! 3:29 I hereby decree ⁷  that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes ⁸  the god of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.” 3:30 Then Nebuchadnezzar ⁹  promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

4:1 (3:31) ¹⁰  “King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and language groups that live in all the land: Peace and prosperity! ¹¹  4:2 I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me.

4:3 “How great are his signs!

How mighty are his wonders!

His kingdom will last forever, ¹² 

and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”

Daniel 6:25-27

6:25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! ¹³  6:26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever. ¹⁴ 

6:27 He rescues and delivers

and performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power ¹⁵  of the lions!”

[3:27]  ¹ tn Aram “in their bodies.”

[3:27]  ² tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”

[3:28]  ³ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[3:28]  ⁴ sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).

[3:28]  ⁵ tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”

[3:28]  ⁶ tn Aram “so that they might not.”

[3:29]  ⁷ tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”

[3:29]  ⁸ tn Aram “speaks negligence.”

[3:30]  ⁹ tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:37 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:31 AT, 4:2 ET = 3:32 AT, 4:3 ET = 3:33 AT, 4:4 ET = 4:1 AT, etc., through 4:37 ET = 4:34 AT. Thus Dan 3:31-33 of the Aramaic text appears as Dan 4:1-3 in the English Bible, and the corresponding verses of ch. 4 differ accordingly. In spite of the division of the Aramaic text, a good case can be made that 3:31-33 AT (= 4:1-3 ET) is actually the introduction to ch. 4.

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Aram “May your peace increase!”

[4:3]  ¹² tn Aram “his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”

[6:25]  ¹³ tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”

[6:26]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “until the end.”

[6:27]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “hand.”