Book of Daniel
In 605 B.C., Jerusalem was conquered by Babylonians, capturing many young men, including Daniel. Daniel served as Nebuchadnezzar's powerful king, demonstrating boldness and faithfulness to God.
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00:00:30♪♪
00:00:37-♪♪
00:00:42Lord, I have waited for You
00:00:46to lead us out of Babylon,
00:00:50for I was just a boy when I came here.
00:00:54The generation which offended You has passed away.
00:01:00And now their children's children
00:01:02yearn to see a home they have never known.
00:01:08You have spoken through Your prophet Jeremiah.
00:01:12When 70 years are completed for Babylon,
00:01:16I will come to You
00:01:19and fulfill My gracious promise
00:01:24and bring You back to this land.
00:01:28My heart grows with excitement
00:01:33that now that time has come.
00:01:38♪♪♪
00:01:43♪♪♪
00:01:48♪♪♪
00:01:53♪♪♪
00:01:57An old man who comes unbidden is often a fool.
00:02:02And less often come as assassins.
00:02:05Perhaps a foolish assassin.
00:02:08-♪♪♪
00:02:11Forgive us, my king.
00:02:12Do you know whom you address?
00:02:15He's the king of Babylon,
00:02:19ruler of the four quarters of the earth,
00:02:22Kourosh, in the old Persian tongue.
00:02:26He has seized by might of arms
00:02:29the birthright which would otherwise have been denied him.
00:02:35He is Cyrus the Great.
00:02:37♪♪♪♪
00:02:41Leave us.
00:02:43♪♪♪♪
00:02:49Who are you, old man?
00:02:52I am Daniel of the tribe of Benjamin,
00:02:57made captive nearly 70 years ago.
00:03:00I never could miss her.
00:03:02My king, I have heard of this man.
00:03:05He served Aria as well,
00:03:07after he captured the city in your name.
00:03:10It is said he spent a night in the lion's den.
00:03:13The beasts would not touch him.
00:03:17Is this true?
00:03:19Is this true?
00:03:21It is.
00:03:23Oh.
00:03:25I know who you are now.
00:03:27Tell me while you're here.
00:03:29I seek to tell you a story,
00:03:32a tale of four kings,
00:03:35one great, one foolish,
00:03:37one who has been deceived,
00:03:39and one who is destined to be regarded as wise
00:03:43for all the ages of the world to come.
00:03:46Stories from your imagination?
00:03:48No, king.
00:03:50For I will speak only the truth,
00:03:53and if you would not wish to hear it,
00:03:56you must bid me speak nothing.
00:04:01Come.
00:04:03You will give us entertainment while we eat.
00:04:06Please.
00:04:08My king, we're expected in Babylon this evening.
00:04:13The palace will be there in the morning.
00:04:16As you wish.
00:04:41I cannot, oh king.
00:04:43My king, the Hebrews eat and drink only their own food,
00:04:47which is prepared according to their rituals.
00:04:50To do otherwise, even from the hand of the king,
00:04:54is to defile themselves.
00:04:56You promised me a tale.
00:04:58For, in fact, I delayed my journey to the lesson.
00:05:02I will hear them now.
00:05:04So be it, my lord.
00:05:06The first king I will speak of is Nebuchadnezzar,
00:05:09king of Babylon.
00:05:11When I was just a boy,
00:05:13he threw down the Assyrian empire,
00:05:16my people's ancient nemesis.
00:05:19But the destruction of Israel's enemies
00:05:22brought us no relief,
00:05:24because in the third year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
00:05:28he turned his gaze upon Jerusalem and besieged it.
00:05:33And the lord delivered the king of Judea into his hand,
00:05:37along with all of his officers, nobles, and administrators.
00:05:50We, the exiles, arrived in Babylon.
00:05:53Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch,
00:05:56to select some of the Israelites from the royal family and nobility,
00:06:01young men without any physical defect
00:06:03and showing aptitude for every kind of learning,
00:06:06one of whom was myself.
00:06:36O Lord,
00:06:40Jerusalem has sinned greatly.
00:06:45Like a widow is she,
00:06:47once great among the nations,
00:06:50a queen among the people,
00:06:53has become a slave,
00:06:56her children captive before the foe.
00:06:59My eyes overflow with tears,
00:07:03for you, Lord, are righteous,
00:07:05yet we rebelled against your command.
00:07:11Comfort me, O Lord,
00:07:15comfort me and my brothers
00:07:19and restore our spirit.
00:07:29I miss Jerusalem.
00:07:34As do I.
00:07:37I fear that we shall never see her again.
00:07:40Have faith, my brothers.
00:07:43I have only begun my studies.
00:07:46But here,
00:07:51the procession is over.
00:07:54Here.
00:07:58The prophet Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,
00:08:01has written that we shall serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.
00:08:05Seventy years is a long time.
00:08:07As punishment for our sins.
00:08:09And even if we were to survive it, we would be very old.
00:08:14Very old indeed.
00:08:17You are summoned for your meal.
00:08:19Why would they only take 10,000 of us
00:08:21and leave the rest of our people behind?
00:08:23Yes, look at who they've taken.
00:08:25The scholars, the princes, our military leaders and our families.
00:08:29It's the Babylonian way of conquest.
00:08:31You take away the leaders and the rest can easily be governed.
00:08:34They've changed our names, hoping we'll forget our God and our clothes.
00:08:37So we'll look like them.
00:08:39They've changed everything about us.
00:08:42We need to make each other a promise.
00:08:44My brothers, such a promise is worthless, for we are but men.
00:08:49What we need to promise is to always love our God and be obedient to Him.
00:08:55And in so doing, what we become on the outside will not matter.
00:09:00Set it here.
00:09:02Lord Stuart, please allow me to ask,
00:09:05what is this meat, where is it from, and how was it slaughtered?
00:09:10The cattle are from the king's herd.
00:09:12They are fattened along the river and strangled before the altars of Marduk
00:09:16before their flesh is carried to the kitchens of the king.
00:09:19And they are slaughtered here?
00:09:21Yes, they are slaughtered here.
00:09:23And they are slaughtered here?
00:09:25Yes, they are slaughtered here.
00:09:27And they are slaughtered here?
00:09:29Yes, they are.
00:09:31The flesh is carried to the kitchens.
00:09:33The swine are from the king's pens.
00:09:35They are fed on choice food.
00:09:37And it is rumored the king's executioner laces their feet with the entrails of his victims
00:09:44so that the king's chosen may feast and grow strong on the flesh of his enemies.
00:09:49It is considered the greatest of delicacies.
00:09:52To some, perhaps, but not to us.
00:09:55We are forbidden to eat it.
00:09:57For the Almighty has commanded us,
00:09:59If the pig is unclean, you are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
00:10:03Nor can we eat anything sacrificed to gods other than our own.
00:10:06But the king cannot, he will not, change the customs of his hall to fit your wishes.
00:10:11You must know this.
00:10:13We will not ask him to.
00:10:15But you must eat.
00:10:17I have been charged with your well-being.
00:10:19If you are seen to be wasting away, I am afraid of what my lord the king will do.
00:10:24He will have my head.
00:10:26And we would not wish it so.
00:10:29Therefore, put your servants to the test.
00:10:32For ten days, give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
00:10:37Then compare our appearance to that of the other young men who eat the royal food.
00:10:46Ten days?
00:10:47Ten days.
00:10:48And if, after that, your appearance is found wanting?
00:10:53Then we will do as you wish.
00:11:00Your request was polite.
00:11:03I am rather surprised it was honored.
00:11:05I have no doubt the lord favorably disposed his heart to hear our request.
00:11:11By the end of ten days, my companions and I looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who ate the royal food.
00:11:21And so the chief eunuch allowed us to continue refusing the wine and choice fare.
00:11:29And we remained undefiled.
00:11:35The period of our instruction went by quickly.
00:11:38During those many years, we were living in a foreign land, speaking a foreign language, and living under a foreign king.
00:11:46But despite this, our hearts belonged only to God.
00:11:52And at the end of that time, my companions and I were presented before Nebuchadnezzar himself.
00:11:59The king's executioner, Ariok, will be in the chamber.
00:12:02If you are found unworthy, you will be executed on the spot.
00:12:08And so will I.
00:12:16Lord king.
00:12:20I present you the princes of Judah.
00:12:25Preserved by the right hand of your mercy and tutored by the left hand of your wisdom.
00:12:32They are come before you now for judgment as to their training.
00:12:36They are Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
00:12:45Who am I?
00:12:50You are Nebuchadnezzar, son and heir of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.
00:12:56You have destroyed Nineveh, the mighty seat of Assyria.
00:12:59And taken from her hand the scepter of nations.
00:13:02You are the commander of commanders and king of kings.
00:13:06From the rising of the sun unto its setting in the western sea.
00:13:10And beneath heaven, there is none more powerful than thee.
00:13:19You.
00:13:21You are Nebuchadnezzar, son and heir of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:13:25You.
00:13:27Come forth.
00:13:36Why should I allow you, sons of my former enemies, to serve in my court?
00:13:44Because you have spared the lives of our people who were delivered into your hand.
00:13:49And because the word of the prophet Jeremiah has come unto us, saying,
00:13:53This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
00:14:01Build houses and settle down.
00:14:04Plant gardens and eat what they produce.
00:14:07Marry and have sons and daughters.
00:14:09Also, seek the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
00:14:14Pray to the Lord for it.
00:14:16Pray to the Lord for it.
00:14:18For if it prospers, you too will prosper.
00:14:24This is good.
00:14:27So now even your God commands you to serve me.
00:14:33I have no need of lapdogs.
00:14:36Would you dare to tell me the truth, even if you knew it would displease me?
00:14:40Lord King, it must be so.
00:14:42I will speak only the truth.
00:14:44And when you would not hear it, you must ask me nothing.
00:14:55I pronounce them worthy.
00:14:59Have their names be written in the Book of the Wise.
00:15:07Nebuchadnezzar's questioning showed wisdom.
00:15:10A former enemy can be a good counselor.
00:15:13If they can be trusted.
00:15:15And a wise king is capable of choosing whom to trust.
00:15:21For are you not Croesus,
00:15:24formerly king of Lydia and once the richest man in the world,
00:15:28whose name alone signified riches almost beyond comprehending?
00:15:34I am he.
00:15:37Trusting the words of the oracle Adelphi,
00:15:40I went to war with Cyrus
00:15:43and was defeated.
00:15:46Cyrus pardoned me and my family.
00:15:53I am eternally grateful.
00:15:56Worthy counselor is rare indeed.
00:15:58As Nebuchadnezzar came to learn
00:16:01at a time when his Babylonian counselors,
00:16:05his magi, sorcerers,
00:16:07diviners, magicians and astrologers
00:16:12were unable to help him.
00:16:16No!
00:16:19What is it, my king?
00:16:23Summon my counselors.
00:16:25The enchanters, the sorcerers, art astrologers?
00:16:27All of them!
00:16:33O king!
00:16:35My king.
00:16:37Your wisest subjects have arrived.
00:16:40Command and it is done.
00:16:44I've had a dream that troubles me.
00:16:47I need to know what it means.
00:16:49O king, tell your servants your dream and we will interpret it for you.
00:16:52No!
00:16:54What need I have wise men who are not wise?
00:16:57Astrologers who read nothing in the stars?
00:16:59Magicians who perform children's tricks?
00:17:02Sorcerers who divine nothing except what I tell them?
00:17:05No. It is enough for the king to dream his dreams.
00:17:08It is up to you to discern and interpret them.
00:17:11But, my lord, if only you would tell us your dream,
00:17:14we could interpret it as we have always done.
00:17:17Always?
00:17:19I know you're trying to gain time
00:17:22or trick me into revealing what I've seen.
00:17:24Either way, I'll have none of it.
00:17:26But there's no man on earth who can do what the king asks.
00:17:29No king ever asked such a thing before.
00:17:32Only the gods could know these things.
00:17:35And when we ask, they don't answer.
00:17:38Well, I suggest you try and get them to answer.
00:17:41Or beg that they endow you with the necessary skills
00:17:44to divine it on your own.
00:17:46For as I am king, I swear
00:17:48that when the sun rises, if my dream is not made known to me,
00:17:51along with its interpretation,
00:17:53you will all be made shorter by the height of your heads.
00:17:56You may withdraw.
00:17:58Now!
00:18:02Lord Ashbenaz, is it true?
00:18:05It is.
00:18:07Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?
00:18:10Why don't you come along with me and ask him yourself?
00:18:21Lord King!
00:18:23What?
00:18:25Beltejazzar requests an audience.
00:18:27Speak.
00:18:29O king, live forever!
00:18:32I have heard your decree,
00:18:34and I understand that I shall fall beneath the blade
00:18:37if your dream is not made known and interpreted.
00:18:40I ask only for more time
00:18:42that I might withdraw for a while,
00:18:45my friends and I, to pray to our god
00:18:47and see if he might not make the dream known to us.
00:18:50The time is fixed and cannot be altered.
00:18:53Sentence is granted.
00:18:54The time is fixed and cannot be altered.
00:18:57Sentence is to be carried out at sunrise.
00:18:59You may withdraw.
00:19:02So long as you return at dawn,
00:19:05as your fate and that of the others is one and the same,
00:19:09and when you return,
00:19:11be sure to bring your companions with you.
00:19:14Shall I send guards along, my king?
00:19:19No.
00:19:21No, if he says he'll pray,
00:19:22he'll pray, not flee.
00:19:26That much, at least, I'm sure.
00:19:29Even if we were to flee the city,
00:19:32the whole world would have been against us.
00:19:35Not that it mattered.
00:19:37I had given my word and intended to keep it.
00:19:41I would pray
00:19:44and hope that the answer came.
00:19:47Prepare to bind the prisoners.
00:19:49Once the sun rises, there could be no delay.
00:19:53Bring forth the counsellors.
00:20:02O king,
00:20:04live forever.
00:20:06O king, do not execute these men, I beg you.
00:20:09Belteshazzar,
00:20:11your death is upon you as well,
00:20:13unless you know my dream and can interpret it.
00:20:16I am, and I will.
00:20:17Praise be to the God of my fathers,
00:20:20forever and ever.
00:20:22He gives wisdom to the wise
00:20:24and knowledge to the discerning.
00:20:26He reveals deep and hidden things
00:20:28and has made plain all that you have asked,
00:20:31for he has shown me the vision of the king.
00:20:35Then speak.
00:20:38As you lay upon your bed, O king,
00:20:41you looked,
00:20:43and there before you stood alone.
00:20:45And there before you stood a large statue,
00:20:48awesome in its appearance.
00:20:51The head of the statue was made of pure gold,
00:20:54its chest and arms of silver,
00:20:57its belly and thighs of bronze,
00:20:59its legs of iron,
00:21:01its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
00:21:05As you were watching,
00:21:07a rock was cut out,
00:21:09but not by human hands.
00:21:11It struck the statue on its feet
00:21:13of iron and clay
00:21:15and smashed them.
00:21:17Then the iron,
00:21:19the clay, the bronze,
00:21:21the silver and the gold
00:21:23were all broken to pieces at the same time,
00:21:25and the wind swept them away without a trace.
00:21:27But the rock
00:21:29that struck the statue
00:21:31became a mountain
00:21:33and filled the whole earth.
00:21:34You have done
00:21:36what I was told was impossible.
00:21:40This mystery has been revealed to me
00:21:42not because I am wiser than other men,
00:21:45but because God wishes you
00:21:47to understand the meaning of your dream.
00:21:56You know my dream
00:21:58as if I were a dreamer.
00:22:00You know my dream
00:22:02as if you dreamt it yourself.
00:22:07What does it mean?
00:22:10You, O king,
00:22:12are the king of kings.
00:22:14The God of heaven
00:22:16has given you dominion and power
00:22:18and might and glory.
00:22:20In your hands he has placed mankind.
00:22:22He has made you ruler over the nation,
00:22:25for you are the head of pure gold.
00:22:27After you,
00:22:29another kingdom will rise,
00:22:31inferior to yours.
00:22:33Next, a third kingdom,
00:22:35one of bronze,
00:22:37will rule over the whole earth.
00:22:39Finally,
00:22:41there will be a fourth kingdom,
00:22:43strong as iron,
00:22:45for iron breaks and smashes things to pieces.
00:22:47But just as you saw
00:22:49that the feet and toes
00:22:51were partly of baked clay
00:22:53and partly of iron,
00:22:55so this people will be a mixture
00:22:57more than iron mixes with clay.
00:22:59And in the time of those kings,
00:23:02the God of heaven
00:23:04will set up a kingdom
00:23:06that will never be destroyed.
00:23:08It will crush those kingdoms
00:23:10and bring them to an end,
00:23:12but will itself endure forever.
00:23:14The Almighty has shown the king
00:23:16what will take place in the future.
00:23:18The dream is true
00:23:20and the interpretation
00:23:22is trustworthy.
00:23:27I am the head of gold?
00:23:32Yes, O king.
00:23:34You are the head of pure gold.
00:23:37Surely your God
00:23:39is the God of gods,
00:23:41the ruler of kings
00:23:43and the revealer of mysteries.
00:23:46Let this man be paid honor
00:23:48and present him with incense.
00:23:52Thus the king made me ruler
00:23:54over the entire province of Babylon.
00:23:57And at my request
00:23:59made Shadrach, Meshach
00:24:01and Abednego administrators.
00:24:03King Nebuchadnezzar
00:24:05made an image of gold
00:24:0790 feet high.
00:24:09All were commanded
00:24:11to fall down and worship
00:24:13and all did as commanded
00:24:15except for three.
00:24:17Live forever!
00:24:19A moment of your precious time.
00:24:21As your dutiful servants,
00:24:23we know the law
00:24:25that when the horn sounds
00:24:27all bow down
00:24:29and worship your image.
00:24:31But these Jews
00:24:33whom you have set over the affairs
00:24:35of the province of Babylon
00:24:37pay no attention to you, O king.
00:24:39None.
00:24:41They neither worship your gods
00:24:43or serve the image of gold
00:24:45you have created.
00:24:47Nothing.
00:24:48Is this true?
00:24:50You refuse to worship my statue?
00:24:52O king,
00:24:54we do not need to defend ourselves
00:24:55Really?
00:24:57Then you shall be thrown into the furnace
00:24:59and no god will save you from my hand.
00:25:01If we are thrown
00:25:03into the blazing furnace
00:25:05our god will defend us from it.
00:25:07And if he does not
00:25:09we want you to know, O king
00:25:11that we will not serve your gods
00:25:13or worship the statue of...
00:25:15Enough!
00:25:17You dare to defy me?
00:25:19Let the furnace be heated sevenfold
00:25:21bind them
00:25:23and cast them into the fire.
00:25:25Yes, O king.
00:25:55There were three
00:25:57thrown into the fire.
00:26:00Certainly, O king.
00:26:03But now I see four
00:26:07and the fourth
00:26:10the fourth
00:26:13looks
00:26:15like an angel of the gods.
00:26:19The fire has not
00:26:20harmed your bodies
00:26:22not even
00:26:23a hair is singed
00:26:25your robes
00:26:27there's not even
00:26:28the smell of the fire on you.
00:26:36Praise be to your god
00:26:39who sent his angel
00:26:41to rescue his servants.
00:26:44You trusted in him
00:26:46you defied
00:26:48my commands
00:26:50you were willing
00:26:52to give up your lives
00:26:54rather than serve
00:26:55any but your own god.
00:27:06Therefore
00:27:08I decree
00:27:10any
00:27:11who speaks ill
00:27:12of the god of Shadrach
00:27:13Meshach
00:27:14Abednego
00:27:15will be cut
00:27:16into little pieces
00:27:18and his house
00:27:19turned to rubble
00:27:20for no other god
00:27:23can save
00:27:24in this way.
00:27:29And for a time
00:27:30all was well
00:27:32until Nebuchadnezzar's
00:27:33sleep
00:27:35was troubled yet
00:27:36by another dream.
00:27:38It seems like
00:27:39Nebuchadnezzar's life
00:27:40was rife
00:27:41with dreams
00:27:42and prophecies
00:27:43much like my own has been.
00:27:45Before I was born
00:27:46my grandfather
00:27:47Asterges
00:27:48was troubled
00:27:49by a dream
00:27:50where a flood
00:27:52beginning near his throne
00:27:54was overflowing
00:27:55the whole earth
00:27:56when he went
00:27:57to his astrologers
00:27:58and his
00:27:59diviners
00:28:00for an interpretation.
00:28:03They told him
00:28:04that his grandson
00:28:05was destined
00:28:06to one day
00:28:07usurp him.
00:28:09So he sent his daughter
00:28:10Mandane in exile
00:28:12and when a son
00:28:13was born to her
00:28:15he conspired
00:28:16to have it stolen
00:28:17and exposed
00:28:18on a hilltop
00:28:19to die.
00:28:20But a shepherd
00:28:21whose wife
00:28:22had recently given birth
00:28:23to a stillborn child
00:28:26persuaded her husband
00:28:27to trade
00:28:28her dead infant
00:28:29for the living
00:28:30and the shepherd
00:28:31raised the boy
00:28:33as his own.
00:28:35The king upon being presented
00:28:36with the dead infant
00:28:38repented
00:28:40of his crime
00:28:41he didn't learn
00:28:42until ten years later
00:28:43that the boy
00:28:44was actually alive
00:28:45at which time
00:28:46he killed the boy
00:28:48and restored him
00:28:49to his rightful parents
00:28:50and for a time
00:28:52the matter
00:28:53was forgotten.
00:28:54Until one day
00:28:56years later
00:28:57when you marched
00:28:58into your grandfather's city
00:28:59at the head
00:29:00of your troops
00:29:01and seized
00:29:02the throne of Medea
00:29:03taking the old man
00:29:04captive
00:29:06and the prophecy
00:29:07was proven true.
00:29:09All the Styges
00:29:11he knew of the prophecy
00:29:13but he was powerless
00:29:14to overcome it.
00:29:15All men are powerless
00:29:17to prevent their fate
00:29:19if the prophesizing
00:29:20be true.
00:29:21Listen then
00:29:23as I tell
00:29:25of the prophetic vision
00:29:27that led to Nebuchadnezzar's
00:29:28madness
00:29:30for when he dreamed
00:29:31that great dream
00:29:33his enchanters
00:29:35sorcerers
00:29:36and astrologers
00:29:38were once again unable
00:29:40to interpret
00:29:41the vision.
00:29:42When I was asleep
00:29:43I had a dream
00:29:44which made me afraid
00:29:47the images
00:29:48I saw
00:29:49terrified me.
00:29:53Belteshazzar
00:29:55I looked
00:29:56and saw before me
00:29:58a tree
00:29:59in the middle of the land
00:30:01a tree grew
00:30:02strong
00:30:03and tall
00:30:04its
00:30:05top touched
00:30:06the sky
00:30:07and it was visible
00:30:08to the ends of the earth
00:30:10its leaves
00:30:11they were
00:30:13beautiful
00:30:15its fruit
00:30:16was abundant
00:30:18the beasts
00:30:19of the field
00:30:20took shelter
00:30:21under it
00:30:22and the birds
00:30:23of the air
00:30:24lived in its branches
00:30:25and from it
00:30:26every creature
00:30:27was fed.
00:30:29Then I looked
00:30:30again
00:30:33and I saw
00:30:34a messenger
00:30:35coming down
00:30:36from heaven
00:30:37and he cried
00:30:38out aloud
00:30:39cut down
00:30:40the tree
00:30:41trim off
00:30:42its branches
00:30:44strip
00:30:45its leaves
00:30:47scatter its fruit
00:30:49let the beasts
00:30:50flee from under it
00:30:51and the birds
00:30:52fly from its branches
00:30:55but let the stump
00:30:56and its roots
00:30:57bound in iron
00:30:58and brass
00:30:59remain in the ground
00:31:00in the grass
00:31:01of the field
00:31:02let it be drenched
00:31:03by the dew
00:31:04from heaven
00:31:05let it live
00:31:06in the air
00:31:07let it live
00:31:08with the animals
00:31:09of the earth
00:31:10and let its mind
00:31:12be changed
00:31:13from that
00:31:14of a man
00:31:15to the mind
00:31:16of an animal
00:31:19this
00:31:21is the dream
00:31:22that I had
00:31:25what does it mean
00:31:29my lord
00:31:31if only the dream
00:31:32applied to your enemies
00:31:34and its meaning
00:31:35to your adversaries
00:31:37the tree
00:31:38which you saw
00:31:40which grew
00:31:41large and strong
00:31:42with its top
00:31:43touching the sky
00:31:45you
00:31:46oh king
00:31:47are that tree
00:31:49you have become
00:31:50great and strong
00:31:52your greatness
00:31:53has grown
00:31:54until it reaches
00:31:55the sky
00:31:56and your dominion
00:31:57extends to the
00:31:58distant parts
00:31:59of the earth
00:32:00but you saw
00:32:01a messenger
00:32:02a holy one
00:32:03coming down
00:32:04from heaven
00:32:05saying
00:32:06down the tree
00:32:07and destroy it
00:32:09but leave the stump
00:32:10bound with
00:32:11iron and bronze
00:32:12in the grass
00:32:13of the field
00:32:14while its roots
00:32:15remain in the ground
00:32:17let him be drenched
00:32:18with the dew
00:32:19of heaven
00:32:20let him live
00:32:21like wild animals
00:32:25this is the interpretation
00:32:26oh king
00:32:29and this is the decree
00:32:31that the most high
00:32:32has issued
00:32:33against
00:32:34my lord
00:32:35you will be
00:32:36driven away
00:32:37from people
00:32:38and live
00:32:39with the wild animals
00:32:40you will eat
00:32:41grass
00:32:42like cattle
00:32:43until you acknowledge
00:32:44that the most high
00:32:45is sovereign
00:32:46over the kingdoms
00:32:47of men
00:32:48and gives them
00:32:49to anyone he wishes
00:32:52the command
00:32:53to leave the stump
00:32:54of the tree
00:32:55with its roots
00:32:56means that your kingdom
00:32:57will be restored
00:32:58to you
00:32:59when you acknowledge
00:33:00that the most high
00:33:01rules
00:33:03therefore
00:33:05oh king
00:33:06be pleased
00:33:07to accept my advice
00:33:09renounce your sins
00:33:10by doing what is right
00:33:12and your wickedness
00:33:13by being kind
00:33:14to the oppressed
00:33:15seek the lord
00:33:16while he may be found
00:33:20and
00:33:21it may be
00:33:22that your prosperity
00:33:23will continue
00:33:25but the memory
00:33:26of kings
00:33:27is often short
00:33:28and twelve months
00:33:29later
00:33:30when the king
00:33:31was walking
00:33:32on the roof
00:33:33of the royal palace
00:33:34in all the world
00:33:36is there anything
00:33:37like this
00:33:38no my king
00:33:40my great wall
00:33:41which
00:33:42mountain like
00:33:43cannot be moved
00:33:44I've made
00:33:45with mortar
00:33:46and brick
00:33:47its foundations
00:33:48I've placed upon
00:33:49the very bosom
00:33:50of the underworld
00:33:51its top
00:33:52I've raised
00:33:53mountain high
00:33:54is this not
00:33:55the great
00:33:56Babylon
00:33:57that I have built
00:33:58as my royal palace
00:34:00with my mighty power
00:34:02for the glory
00:34:03of my majesty
00:34:05his words
00:34:06were still
00:34:07on his lips
00:34:08when a voice
00:34:09came down from heaven
00:34:11Nebuchadnezzar
00:34:14for your arrogance
00:34:15and your failure
00:34:16to give glory
00:34:17to the most high
00:34:19your authority
00:34:20is stripped
00:34:21from you
00:34:22go now
00:34:23from this kingdom
00:34:24which you claim
00:34:25your mind
00:34:26shall be reduced
00:34:27to that
00:34:28of an animal
00:34:29and you will
00:34:30wander the land
00:34:31until you
00:34:32acknowledge
00:34:33the glory
00:34:34of God
00:34:35as above
00:34:36your own
00:34:38immediately
00:34:39what had been
00:34:40said about
00:34:41Nebuchadnezzar
00:34:42was fulfilled
00:35:02greatest of those below heaven
00:35:21he sought to make himself
00:35:23as great
00:35:24as he who rules
00:35:25above heaven
00:35:26and the Lord
00:35:27would not have it
00:35:29because he insisted
00:35:32on being more
00:35:33than he was made
00:35:34he became less
00:35:35than he was made
00:35:36because he aspired
00:35:38to be more
00:35:39than a man
00:35:41he became less
00:35:42than a man
00:35:44he became
00:35:45like the wild beasts
00:35:47how did he survive
00:35:48alone in the wilds
00:35:50even in his insanity
00:35:52neither the lion
00:35:53nor the bear
00:35:54disturbed him
00:35:56though he wandered
00:35:57alone and unarmed
00:35:58and slept naked
00:35:59in the places
00:36:00where they found
00:36:01him
00:36:02because it had
00:36:03been prophesied
00:36:04that one day
00:36:06he would honor
00:36:07the most high
00:36:16for seven years
00:36:17he reigned
00:36:18the wild lands
00:36:19of Babylon
00:36:20but it was not
00:36:21until the full time
00:36:22of his exile
00:36:23was completed
00:36:24that he turned
00:36:25his eyes
00:36:26toward heaven
00:36:27and declared
00:36:29praise me
00:36:31to the master
00:36:35honor
00:36:36and glory
00:36:37to him who lives
00:36:38forever
00:36:41rise
00:36:42Nebuchadnezzar
00:36:58for his dominion
00:37:01is an eternal dominion
00:37:04before him
00:37:06all the people
00:37:07of the earth
00:37:08are regarded
00:37:09as nothing
00:37:11he may do
00:37:12as he pleases
00:37:14with the powers of heaven
00:37:16and all the people
00:37:17of the earth
00:37:18and no one
00:37:20no one
00:37:22may say him nay
00:37:27no one
00:37:29may say him nay
00:37:31no one
00:37:48beware your place
00:37:51for I am not
00:37:53as I was
00:37:56let it be recorded
00:37:58that I
00:37:59Nebuchadnezzar
00:38:00do praise
00:38:02exalt
00:38:03and glorify
00:38:05the king of heaven
00:38:07because everything
00:38:08he does
00:38:09is right
00:38:10and all
00:38:11his ways
00:38:12are just
00:38:15and those
00:38:16who walk in pride
00:38:19he is able
00:38:20to humble
00:38:22and so
00:38:23Nebuchadnezzar
00:38:24returned to his throne
00:38:25but eventually
00:38:26he was gathered
00:38:27to his fathers
00:38:28and a series
00:38:30of new kings
00:38:31came to the throne
00:38:33non-lasting
00:38:34more than a short time
00:38:36you're about to tell
00:38:37about the downfall
00:38:38of Babylon
00:38:39are you not?
00:38:40I am
00:38:41well at last
00:38:42we come to the part
00:38:43of the tale
00:38:44where I have
00:38:45some knowledge
00:38:46to share
00:38:47for though I had
00:38:48conquered
00:38:49from east
00:38:50to west
00:38:51Babylon was
00:38:52the last
00:38:53to resist me
00:38:54and I dreaded
00:38:55its siege
00:38:56for Babylon's
00:38:57wealth
00:38:58had allowed her
00:38:59and her towers
00:39:00walls and gates
00:39:01were so formidable
00:39:02that even
00:39:03untrained men
00:39:04could defend them
00:39:05with ease
00:39:07walls too high
00:39:08to scale
00:39:09with parapets
00:39:10wide enough
00:39:11for chariots
00:39:12to patrol them
00:39:13and a river fed
00:39:14moat to cross
00:39:15before even
00:39:16getting there
00:39:17it was enough
00:39:18to freeze the heart
00:39:19of even an old soldier
00:39:20such as I am
00:39:22then one night
00:39:23as I lay on the ground
00:39:26courting sleep
00:39:27that would not come
00:39:29a thought came to me
00:39:32from whence it came
00:39:33I do not know
00:39:35like some spirit of God
00:39:36whispered it in my ear
00:39:40but the river Euphrates
00:39:42which flowed down
00:39:43to Babylon
00:39:44raised above
00:39:45its natural level
00:39:46hemmed in
00:39:47by dams and dikes
00:39:49but if dams were
00:39:50opened full
00:39:51and the dikes were broken
00:39:53the river
00:39:54which ran straight
00:39:55through the heart
00:39:56of the city
00:39:58would fall to nothing
00:40:01an army poised
00:40:02and ready to strike
00:40:03could march into the city
00:40:04on its dry riverbed
00:40:06underneath the gates
00:40:07designed to repel
00:40:08ships
00:40:09when the river
00:40:10was at its normal level
00:40:13and I suddenly realized
00:40:14I had been given
00:40:15a key
00:40:17to defeat
00:40:18the mighty Babylon
00:40:19it was as though
00:40:20in all the world
00:40:21throughout all of history
00:40:22I was the only one
00:40:23that had the thought
00:40:25all it required
00:40:26was the right moment
00:40:27to act
00:40:29a night
00:40:31when every man in Babylon
00:40:33from the least
00:40:35the king himself
00:40:36would drink himself ill
00:40:38in honor of their gods
00:40:40who were naught but
00:40:41worthless idols
00:40:43and could not protect them
00:40:45listen O king
00:40:47and I will tell
00:40:48of the second king
00:40:49of my story
00:40:51Belshazzar
00:40:53king of Babylon
00:40:56both foolish
00:40:57and wicked
00:40:59of equal measure
00:41:26enough
00:41:29we still have
00:41:30our three-fold walls
00:41:31with their battlements
00:41:33and within our granaries
00:41:34we have grain enough
00:41:35to endure a siege
00:41:36of ten years
00:41:37our watchmen
00:41:38have seen
00:41:39the Persians
00:41:40digging my lord
00:41:42they seem quite
00:41:43concerned about this
00:41:44my king
00:41:45yes yes
00:41:46they will look
00:41:47to build
00:41:48a siege ramp
00:41:49against the city
00:41:51and I will tell
00:41:52of the third king
00:41:53of my story
00:41:54they will look
00:41:55to build
00:41:56a siege ramp
00:41:57against the city
00:41:59but first
00:42:01they must build
00:42:02a causeway
00:42:03across the moat
00:42:05that alone
00:42:06will take months
00:42:10in the meantime
00:42:12let us feast
00:42:14and toast
00:42:15Marduk
00:42:17the patron god
00:42:18of Babylon
00:42:19Marduk
00:42:24have a taste
00:42:28and I will not have it so
00:42:34bring me
00:42:35the golden vessels
00:42:36from the temple
00:42:37of Jerusalem
00:42:38but my king
00:42:39is it wise
00:42:40to use the vessels
00:42:41my king
00:42:43these cups
00:42:44are considered sacred
00:42:46are they not my king
00:42:47perhaps in Jerusalem
00:42:50by that pathetic
00:42:51desert deity of Judah
00:42:54but here they are
00:42:57spoiled for our gods
00:42:59and they would have me
00:43:00use them as I see fit
00:43:04bring them
00:43:19yes
00:43:20you see these vessels
00:43:22in Jerusalem
00:43:24they were used
00:43:25for the worship
00:43:26of their god
00:43:29now
00:43:31instead of the blood
00:43:32of bulls and rams
00:43:34let them flow
00:43:35with foaming wine
00:43:38for I am not
00:43:39a devourer of blood
00:43:41I am a devourer
00:43:42of drink
00:43:45and joy spared
00:43:50to Marduk
00:43:52the god of our city
00:43:54Marduk
00:43:55and to our idols
00:43:56of gold and silver
00:43:58bronze and iron
00:44:00wood and stone
00:44:02partake of our pleasures
00:44:04and protect our city
00:44:24you
00:44:49whoever reads this
00:44:51and tells me
00:44:52what it means
00:44:53purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck and be made third highest ruler in the kingdom.
00:45:09And all the king's wise men came in but they could not interpret the inscription
00:45:15or tell the king what it meant so Belshazzar became even more terrified.
00:45:21A Judean once told Nebuchadnezzar your forefather of his dreams he succeeded when everyone else
00:45:28had failed. This man Daniel whom the king called Belshazzar he could tell you what this writing
00:45:35means. Does he still live? He does. Bring him to me quickly but do not harm him.
00:45:43We shall soon learn if this Hebrew can do as you say.
00:45:52Nothing it would seem is too sacred not to be profaned under the influence of wine.
00:45:57Nothing the king.
00:46:07How can I be of service highness? Are you Daniel? One of the exiles my father brought back from
00:46:14Judah. I am he. I am told you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems.
00:46:22If you can read the writing on that wall you will be clothed in purple have a chain
00:46:27of gold placed around your neck and be made third highest ruler in the kingdom.
00:46:36Long ago I told your forefather Nebuchadnezzar
00:46:42that I would speak to him only the truth
00:46:45and that if he rather not hear it he should ask me nothing.
00:46:53Perhaps it would be better if you asked me nothing. No it is unseemly for a king to be
00:47:01baffled by a message in his own hall. No human hand has scribed it. No other tongue can interpret it.
00:47:09Tell me what it means be it for good or ill.
00:47:17O king the most high god gave your father Nebuchadnezzar greatness and glory
00:47:29but when his heart became arrogant he was deposed from his throne and stripped of his glory
00:47:37until he acknowledged that the most high is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.
00:47:45Even though you knew all this you should have appealed to him.
00:47:51Instead you set yourself up against the lord of heaven. You had the goblets of his temple
00:48:00brought to you and praised the gods of bronze and iron wood and stone instead of him. These vessels
00:48:12were made for the service of the most high and you have used them to pour wine for your harlots.
00:48:22Would you humble the almighty by desecrating his possessions? Would you bind him like a captive
00:48:33and beat him like a slave? Would you pluck out his eyes and have him beg for scraps of food
00:48:41beneath your table? This you would do if you could. Only almighty knows it.
00:48:55This is his answer to you. The lord god will strike you down like an enemy
00:49:03who he has bidden his angel to unsheathe his sword. These then are the words he has written.
00:49:15God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
00:49:22Tekel, you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting.
00:49:33Asim, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. This very night
00:49:44your life will be demanded of you and before the sun rises your flesh will grow cold.
00:49:55Thus says the lord, your line is ended, your rule is over, your kingship is no more.
00:50:07Is there nothing to be done? No. In your arrogance you have doomed not only yourself
00:50:18but your house, your line, your inheritance, your city and your kingdom.
00:50:28Choose now where you will spend your last few hours but knowing your fate
00:50:35but knowing your fate, who now will humbly, who now will fear you?
00:50:44Will the least of your slaves comfort you or will they desert you? Seeking to avoid the fate
00:50:56which is yours.
00:50:58Let it be as I have commanded. Let this man be clothed in purple,
00:51:06a chain of gold placed around his neck, for I am not dead yet.
00:51:21All hail King Darius!
00:51:27I am King Belshazzar of the Babylonians. Unhand me! Surrender or die! Never!
00:51:44Send word to Cyrus, the city's taken in his name. As he is commanded I shall assume the crown.
00:51:52Do you know who stands before you?
00:51:57You are Darius, a Mede-Persian, uncle and father-in-law to Cyrus who has
00:52:11by stratagem taken the city. By right of conquest you are now her king. Yes and you are an official
00:52:22Babylon. Why should I not kill you? It is true I served Babylon in the days of Nebuchadnezzar
00:52:30whom I served truly and well but her latter kings I did not serve until tonight. How is this possible?
00:52:43It is a reward for letting Belshazzar know that you were about to take the city.
00:52:50Who told you? Have we a traitor in our ranks? It was revealed to me by my god
00:52:57who sent his angel, the scribe, the writing on that war.
00:53:03It is true. You read the inscription and revealed the message. He told the king that he would die
00:53:11this very night. Though brought here as an exile in my youth by birth I am a Hebrew from the kingdom
00:53:21of Judea and I serve the god of my forefathers. The most high reveals to me what he sees fit.
00:53:32You might believe your god revealed my coming to you. If I was to lie would this be the lie I would
00:53:39choose? Who else could have revealed your deepest secret and known ahead of time that you would
00:53:47succeed or known with certainty that you would slay Belshazzar and how could you have done so
00:53:57if the lord had not decreed it or is it not by the hand of the most high that both
00:54:05victories and disasters come?
00:54:14I would have you put this gift of divination in my service yet how do I know I could trust you
00:54:19Hebrew? I will speak to you honestly my king and when you would not hear the truth you must ask me
00:54:28nothing. So be it I see by your insignia you were made third in all of Babylon that is not the
00:54:37Persian way but below me I have three administrators all of equal rank yet I shall name you one of the
00:54:44three. What of the other counselors? Slay them if they were loyal to the former master they're no
00:54:51good to me if they were disloyal to him then they will be disloyal to me. Ah Darius he's twice my
00:55:00uncle by blood and marriage and serves me well as co-counsel to my empire. Has it pleased Darius
00:55:07to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with administrators above them
00:55:15one of whom was me but before long I so distinguished myself that Darius planned to
00:55:21set me over the whole kingdom. Which would cause great envy among the others. Yes oh king
00:55:29so they called a meeting in secret the plan for my destruction.
00:55:33Are we safe? Yes. Did anyone see you? No.
00:55:46Why are we meeting so far from the city? Do you think it would be wise for this meeting to be
00:55:50overheard by anyone? Are you sure you weren't followed? Not unless whatever's following has
00:55:55wings. We don't have much time. Daniel being put over us if we allow it to stand means our demise
00:56:06once he is in charge he'll be looking into everything we do. Perhaps perhaps we should
00:56:13eliminate him. How? A hunting accident. He doesn't hunt. A sudden illness or a drowning. I would
00:56:20believe it. Maybe we can ensnare him. How? There is no corruption in him nor any negligence he is as
00:56:28diligent as he is skillful. There must be some way. He claims he's so effective because three times a
00:56:33day his heart inclines to the city of god. There's a spirit of excellence in him in every test he has
00:56:38proven faithful. No one is that honest. On the contrary I had a man tried to bribe him once
00:56:44and a very generous bribe at that he would have no part of it.
00:56:46Such a man is dangerous. How long before he learns that we've been generous with ourselves
00:56:51and covered the thefts with false accounts? We'll never be able to find any basis for
00:56:55charges against him unless it has something to do with that god of his. That invisible god of his.
00:57:01No altars, no shrines, no idols, laying claim to every good thing yet somehow not responsible for
00:57:06the bad. I've seen him praying before his window on his knees facing Jerusalem morning noon and night
00:57:12always the same. Then perhaps we need to make him stop. He won't do it.
00:57:20Then perhaps we need to make sure he continues.
00:57:25You say there is nothing anyone can do to stop his prayers? No nothing. What if the penalty for
00:57:30this devotion of his was death? If we could forbid his prayers for an entire month under penalty of
00:57:37immediate execution. Don't be ridiculous he'll just stop praying. No he won't. I know him.
00:57:44He can't keep himself from praying to that god of his for one day let alone a month.
00:57:49Well I still don't see how it'll ever work. The king knows that Daniel and his people pray
00:57:53continuously and only to one god. Which is why we need to disguise our purpose.
00:58:02More fitting testimony to your honesty could not have been made.
00:58:07Had there been any infidelity in your record they would have discovered it.
00:58:14Indeed they could find nothing amiss in my work either willfully nor through negligence or lack
00:58:19of care. So they tried to trip me up with my prayers but since worship of the most high
00:58:27was not prohibited by the laws of the realm they had to conceal their purpose
00:58:33like poison in a cup of honeymead. Oh king it has come to our attention that there are those among
00:58:42your subjects who still cling to the old gods of Babylon in the hopes that their line of kings may
00:58:49yet be restored and have not submitted to your rule. Who are they that I may bring them before
00:58:55me and destroy them? It is not that simple of a matter to detect them oh king for they are devious
00:59:01and work to hide their treasonous thoughts. And if you come before me without a plan for
00:59:07discovering them. We would dare not do so oh king indeed we have labored to construct a plan
00:59:13whereby the loyalty of all may be tested. Then speak of it. If oh king you were to issue an edict
00:59:21that none in Babylon nor anywhere in the empire may pray to anyone be to god or man except to
00:59:27you for a period of 30 days. But what if the gods of Persia on my servant obey? Well you alone oh king
00:59:34would be free to pray to them and offer them sacrifice. You would stand as a priest before
00:59:40all the peoples and in this way ingratiate yourself to the gods themselves because for an entire month
00:59:47all of their worship would come from you. Thus their worship will continue through you and the
00:59:52old gods of Babylon will be starved for worship lessening their power. How would you enforce such
00:59:58an edict? No one would be allowed to go before any altar or shrine for the entire period except
01:00:04for you. And anyone found violating the decree would be thrown into the lion's den before sundown
01:00:10on the very day of the offense. In this way their treason would be discovered and eliminated in a
01:00:15single stroke. I approve your plan. I dare as commanded be made so. In anticipation of your
01:00:27approval oh king we have taken the liberty of drafting the edict and bringing it along. Well
01:00:31done. Bring it here that I may fix my seal. Let all the world hear and obey.
01:00:52So Darius found no need to consider it further. Darius had a great deal of experience as a soldier
01:00:59but very little as a ruler until Babylon fell. One sign the order could not be changed.
01:01:07Let every order be upheld for the law cannot be countermanded and the laws cannot contradict
01:01:14themselves. Let each law be fixed unchangeable for the king cannot err and once a law is written
01:01:21even the king himself cannot change it. Such is the law of the Persian.
01:01:27Daniel the king's seal is barely dry. Already you have defied his law.
01:01:35You made your choice. You chose your god over your king. Take him away.
01:01:51Oh king it is my sad duty to inform you that someone has already defied your decree.
01:02:01Bring him to me. Bring forth the prisoner.
01:02:05Daniel he is one of the exiles from Judah. He pays no attention to you oh king or to the decree
01:02:26you have put in writing. He still prays three times a day. What sort of foolishness is this?
01:02:34Daniel's my chief advisor. No one is above the law.
01:02:38Yes sadly oh king no one is above the law. Bring forth the tablet.
01:02:49Is this not the edict from the king signed with your own seal?
01:02:54Let it be known that for the next 30 days anyone who prays to any god or man other than Darius the
01:03:02king shall be thrown into the lion's den on the same day the offense is discovered by my hand
01:03:09and seal Darius the king ruler of the Medes and Persians.
01:03:24I call my counselors together. We will begin the trial. Oh king live forever.
01:03:34There is no need of the trial. I am guilty. Knowing the king's command I have disobeyed it.
01:03:43The commands of the king are immutable and once ordered cannot be changed.
01:03:50I shall command my wise men to make every effort
01:03:54to search out some reason that the law may be found unenforceable.
01:03:58I do not think they will find one. Let them search your king but only for a short time
01:04:05because your own law commands that sentence be carried out the day of the offense.
01:04:12Already the shadows are starting to grow longer and you have only until sunset.
01:04:20Darius was angry with himself for allowing himself to be fooled seeing that their purpose
01:04:27was not for his honor and glory but rather for my destruction.
01:04:35And so Darius had the law book searched to discover if there might be some legal way to spare my life.
01:04:50It is as I expected. Why didn't I consult you before passing that accursed law?
01:05:00Now I'm forced to abide by my own decree. A king who will not enforce his own laws cannot
01:05:06be a king. Your enemies know this and use it to their advantage. Do not grieve oh king.
01:05:14The most high does not want you to deliver me.
01:05:19If he grants me deliverance it will be by his own hand not yours.
01:05:25It is a privilege he reserves unto himself.
01:05:40And now it is time oh king.
01:05:44That I may not break your laws a second time.
01:05:54I will walk with you Daniel one last time. As you wish oh king.
01:06:04For those who have schemed to bring about my death I will say only this.
01:06:09My forefather Abraham came from this land and the most high said unto him.
01:06:16I will make you into a great nation. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you
01:06:25I will curse. They have surely cursed me and may yet live to reap the fruits of that curse.
01:06:39A cup of wine from the king's own hand. I cannot drink it oh king.
01:06:45It is blessed to your gods not mine. Not so Daniel.
01:06:51I have gone to your people and asked for wine which was blessed by them.
01:06:55From the cup I have poured no libation.
01:07:01One last gesture of friendship.
01:07:02My king.
01:07:11Goodbye my friend.
01:07:15Farewell but perhaps not goodbye. We have yet to see what the dawn will bring.
01:07:20He who is real lord our god.
01:07:40The lord is one.
01:07:50He is angry with us. It will fade.
01:08:00By tomorrow morning Daniel will be a distant memory and the king will need us again.
01:08:50Have mercy on me oh god.
01:08:59No no take it away. All of it. Tonight I honor Daniel in silence with fasting.
01:09:10Now leave me.
01:09:16God have mercy on me.
01:09:27In you my soul takes refuge.
01:09:31I'm in the midst of lands surrounded by ravenous beasts.
01:09:38With teeth are spears. Tongues are sharp as swords.
01:09:47I call upon your name oh lord. From the depths of the pit hear my plea.
01:09:59Come near you say. Do not fear.
01:10:03Oh lord take up my case. Redeem my life.
01:10:20A divine plan my friend.
01:10:24A toast to the lions who show no partiality to a Hebrew over any other man.
01:11:03I will extol the lord at all times. His praise be ever on my lips.
01:11:34But those who seek the lord
01:11:41will lack for no good thing.
01:11:46A righteous man may have many troubles.
01:11:53But the lord rescues him from them all.
01:12:04You have rescued me from the mouth of lions.
01:12:09And I will declare your name to my brothers in the congregation.
01:12:21I will praise you.
01:12:26Out of my way Daniel. Servant of the living god.
01:12:30Has your god been able to save you?
01:12:37Oh king live forever. My god has sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions.
01:12:48They have not hurt me. Because I was found innocent in his sight.
01:12:54They have not hurt me. Because I was found innocent in his sight. Come forth.
01:13:13Behold there is no sign of wound on him.
01:13:18For he is trusted in his god.
01:13:20Surely your god is above all men. For while you were in the lions' den, you were in his hand.
01:13:32How much must a man pay if he steals another man's treasure? With his hands perhaps.
01:13:41But what if that man who is robbed is the king and the treasure is prized possession?
01:13:47Is there any penalty less than death which will do? If so, speak now and let me consider it.
01:13:53But oh king he is a Hebrew. Why should you put such trust in him?
01:13:57This Hebrew is the greatest treasure I possess.
01:14:00He speaks to his god and more importantly his god speaks to him.
01:14:05You have deceived me. That's your purpose.
01:14:08You fashioned my own words as a snare about my feet knowing my edict could not be reversed.
01:14:13But the living god, the god of Daniel, has delivered him out of my hand.
01:14:22For six days they have hungered.
01:14:26But today they shall feed.
01:14:29No, no, no, no, no!
01:14:31No, no, please!
01:14:33No!
01:14:39Please!
01:14:42Please! Please, my king!
01:14:44You fools! Did you not think I would punish you?
01:14:47No, my king!
01:14:53They have spread a net for my feet. I was bowed down in distress.
01:15:03They have dug a pit in my path.
01:15:08But they have fallen into it themselves.
01:15:12I, Darius, issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the god of Daniel.
01:15:27For he is the living god and he endures forever.
01:15:35His kingdom will not be destroyed. His dominion will never end.
01:15:38He rescues and he saves. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.
01:15:52He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.
01:16:08And so I served Darius throughout his reign.
01:16:14However, my heart still longed to see Jerusalem.
01:16:20For seventy years I had waited.
01:16:24And I knew our time was near.
01:16:32Lord!
01:16:34Lord!
01:16:38For your prophet Jeremiah.
01:16:40When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise.
01:16:52And bring you back to this land.
01:16:58My heart grows with excitement.
01:17:00That now, that time has come.
01:17:18And so your journey has led you here.
01:17:20You've spoken of three kings. Nebuchadnezzar the mighty, Belshazzar the foolish, and Darius who was deceived.
01:17:32Who is this fourth king?
01:17:34It is he of whom these scrolls speak.
01:17:40It is one chosen by the Most High to perform great and mighty deeds.
01:17:46To perform great and mighty deeds.
01:17:52Before he was ever knitted in his mother's womb.
01:17:56Hear then, O king.
01:17:58The words which were written more than a hundred and fifty years ago.
01:18:04For these are the words of the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
01:18:10From the east, I summon a ravenous bird of prey from a far off land.
01:18:18To fulfill my purpose.
01:18:20What I have said, I will bring about.
01:18:22What I have planned, that will I do.
01:18:28A bird of prey.
01:18:32The Lord's chosen will carry out his purpose against Babylon.
01:18:36His arm will be against the Babylonians.
01:18:40He pursues them unscathed by a path he has not traveled before.
01:18:46True. I have never saw the regions of the Euphrates or further westward until I came in conquest.
01:18:52And yet you chased your enemies uninjured.
01:18:56They had no power to rally.
01:18:58You were not led into ambush.
01:19:00And you were safe as far as you chose to pursue them, were you not?
01:19:06It's true.
01:19:08This is what the Lord says to his anointed.
01:19:12Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of.
01:19:16Cyrus?
01:19:18It mentions me by name?
01:19:20It does.
01:19:22To Cyrus.
01:19:24Whose right hand I take hold of.
01:19:26To subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor.
01:19:30To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.
01:19:36I will go before you and will level the mountains.
01:19:40I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
01:19:44I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places,
01:19:50so that you may know that I am the Lord, God of Israel, who summons you by name.
01:19:58And when you captured Babylon, their treasures were the richest in the world, were they not?
01:20:08Oh, indeed they were, and Croesus will testify.
01:20:12Yes, quite the most magnificent.
01:20:16O king, if I may.
01:20:18Please continue.
01:20:20Cyrus, for the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel, my chosen,
01:20:26I summon you by name and give you a place of honor,
01:20:30though you do not acknowledge me.
01:20:33I am the Lord.
01:20:35I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
01:20:39so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting,
01:20:43men may know there is none beside me.
01:20:47There is none beside me.
01:20:49I am the Lord.
01:20:51There is no other.
01:20:57And do you understand that the Most High has the power to raise up kings and to throw them down?
01:21:07Yes, I do.
01:21:10I profess it.
01:21:13And that you, O king, like a polished arrow, hidden in the quiver of the Almighty,
01:21:19carefully preserved for its day of use.
01:21:23Yes.
01:21:25How else to explain my unlikely birth, or my survival, or successes?
01:21:33How else might it be explained?
01:21:36All my life, I had always thought of myself as favored by my gods.
01:21:45Is it possible that I've been favored by yours?
01:21:49You have answered your own question, O king.
01:21:52For nearly two centuries, a message in this scroll has awaited your coming.
01:21:59This is what the Lord says.
01:22:02I am the Lord, who has made all things,
01:22:06who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
01:22:11who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners,
01:22:16who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense,
01:22:22who says of Jerusalem, it shall be inhabited,
01:22:27of the towns of Judea, they shall be built,
01:22:31and of their ruins, I will restore them,
01:22:35who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd,
01:22:41and I will accomplish all that I please.
01:22:45He will say of Jerusalem, let it be rebuilt,
01:22:49and of the temple, let its foundation be laid.
01:22:54He even calls me a shepherd.
01:22:57I who was saved by a shepherd's hand.
01:23:03And I was raised in a shepherd's house.
01:23:06It's I who refer to myself as a shepherd of my people.
01:23:11Who else could have known this, the power of God or his prophet?
01:23:16Seventy years are over, my king.
01:23:20Seventy years since I was taken from the land of my birth.
01:23:26Babylon has been punished. You have punished her.
01:23:31Only one thing remains, for you to free her.
01:23:37O king, the words of the scrolls are in a tongue foreign to us.
01:23:44Shall we not at least confirm them?
01:23:47No.
01:23:49O friend, have you heard nothing?
01:23:52Do you not recognize the truth when you hear it?
01:23:56Or do you suppose this Daniel has spent a lifetime
01:23:59arranging events in the hopes of one day deceiving me?
01:24:05Your God has called me a shepherd,
01:24:08and so to your people I shall be,
01:24:11to rescue them from wolves and tyrants,
01:24:14to gather them gently,
01:24:17and to relieve them from bondage,
01:24:20and provide for their return.
01:24:25And so say I, Cyrus, king of the Persians,
01:24:28let Jerusalem be rebuilt.
01:24:33The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,
01:24:37and has appointed for me to build a temple in Jerusalem in Judea.
01:24:44Any one of his people among you, may his God be with you.
01:24:48Let him go to Jerusalem in Judea and build a temple of the Lord,
01:24:52the God of Israel.
01:24:54In all my years I had never known envy,
01:24:59but that day I came closer to tasting it than I ever have,
01:25:05for I would never see the temple I so yearned to see.
01:25:10However, my heart was joyous as my brothers and sisters
01:25:14departed on their journey home,
01:25:17while I remained in Babylon,
01:25:19awaiting the day when I too would be gathered to my ancestors.
01:25:25And remember me also, O Lord,
01:25:28and show mercy according to your great love.
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