Daniel 3:28-29

3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ¹  “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel ²  and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring ³  the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than ⁴  serve or pay homage to any god other than their God! 3:29 I hereby decree ⁵  that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes ⁶  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.”

Daniel 4:34-37

4:34 But at the end of the appointed time ⁷  I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up ⁸  toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.

I extolled the Most High,

and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.

For his authority is an everlasting authority,

and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.

4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. ⁹ 

He does as he wishes with the army of heaven

and with those who inhabit the earth.

No one slaps ¹⁰  his hand

and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

4:36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored ¹¹  to the honor of my kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out, and I was reinstated ¹²  over my kingdom. I became even greater than before. 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live ¹³  in pride.

[3:28]  ¹ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[3:28]  ² 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]  ³ tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”

[3:28]  ⁴ tn Aram “so that they might not.”

[3:29]  ⁵ tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”

[3:29]  ⁶ tn Aram “speaks negligence.”

[4:34]  ⁷ tn Aram “days.”

[4:34]  ⁸ tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”

[4:35]  ⁹ tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

[4:35]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “strikes against.”

[4:36]  ¹¹ tc The translation reads הַדְרֵת (hadret, “I returned”) rather than the MT הַדְרִי (hadri, “my honor”); cf. Theodotion.

[4:36]  ¹² tc The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotqÿnet, “I was established”) rather than the MT הָתְקְנַת (hotqÿnat, “it was established”). As it stands, the MT makes no sense here.

[4:37]  ¹³ tn Aram “walk.”