The Skeptics Annotated Bible (667 page)

25
H
e answered and
said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God
.

(3.25)
“He … said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw
these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

(3.27)
“These men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

(3.28-39) Nebuchadnezzar converts again to Judaism (see 2.47 for his first conversion) and decrees that anyone who says anything against the Hebrew god “shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill.”

28
Then Nebuchadnezzar
spake, and
said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel
, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies,
that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

(3.28)
“Then Nebuchadnezzar … said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel
[angel? I thought it was Jesus!]
… that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”

29
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort
.

(3.29)
“Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.

(4.1-18) This part of the Bible was written by Nebuchadnezzar.

4
Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

(4.1)
“Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.”

(4.2-3) Nebuchadnezzar expresses his new-found, born-again, Judeo-Christian faith.

2
I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.

(4.2)
“I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.”

3
How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

(4.3)
“How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.”

4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:

5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.

7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.

8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,

9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

(4.10-16)
Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream
Nebuchadnezzar dreams about a tree that was so tall that it could be seen “from the end of the earth.” (Only on a flat earth would this be possible.) A “holy watcher” came down from heaven and began screaming, saying that someone should chop down the tree. But he said the stump should be left and a band of iron and brass put around it. Then have the banded stump hang out with the beasts and the grass, change the stump’s heart from a man’s heart to a beast’s heart, and “let seven times pass over him.”

10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed;
I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.

(4.10)
“I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.”

11
The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:

(4.11)
“The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.”

12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and,
behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven
;

(4.13) “Behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven.”

14
He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree
, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:

(4.14) “He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree.”

15
Nevertheless leave the stump
of his roots in the earth, even
with a band of iron and brass
, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth
:

(4.15) “Nevertheless leave the stump … with a band of iron and brass … and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.”

16
Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

(4.16) “Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.”

17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

(4.20-25)
Daniel’s interpretation
The tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is Nebuchadnezzar himself, who will soon be eating grass and living with animals until seven times passes over him.

20
The tree that thou sawest
, which grew, and was strong,
whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth
;