Beloved, do not believe  ¹every spirit, but  ²prove the spirits whether they are  ³of God, because many  ⁴false prophets have gone out into the world.

In this you know the Spirit of God: Every  ¹spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come  ²in the flesh is of God,

And every  ¹spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is the spirit of the  ²antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming and now is already in the world.

You are  ¹of God,  ²little children; and you have overcome  ³them because greater is  ⁴He who is in you than  ⁵he who is in the world.

They are  ¹of the world; therefore they speak  ¹out of the world, and the world hears them.

We are  ¹of God; he who knows God hears us; he who is  ²not of God does not hear us.  ³From this we know the  ⁴Spirit of  ⁵truth and the  ⁴spirit of deception.

Beloved, let us  ¹love one another, because  ²love is of God, and everyone who  ³loves has been  ⁴begotten of God and  ⁵knows God.

He who does not love has  ¹not known God, because God is  ²love.

In this the love of God was manifested  ¹among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the  ²world that we might  ³have life and live through Him.

 ¹Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a  ²propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God has loved us in this way, we also ought to  ¹love one another.

No one has  ¹beheld God at any time; if we  ²love one another, God abides in us, and  ³His love is  ⁴perfected in us.

In  ¹this we know that we  ²abide in Him and He in us, that He has given to us  ³of His Spirit.

And we have beheld and testify that the Father has  ¹sent the Son as the Savior of the  ²world.

Whoever  ¹confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.

And we know and have believed the  ¹love which God has  ²in us. God is  ³love, and he who  ⁴abides in love  ⁵abides in God and  ⁶God abides in him.

In  ¹this has love been  ²perfected with us, that we may have  ³boldness in the day of the  ⁴judgment because even as  ⁵He is, so also are we in this world.

There is no  ¹fear in love, but  ²perfect love casts out fear because fear has punishment, and he who fears has  ³not been perfected in love.

We love because He  ¹first loved us.

If anyone says, I love God, and  ¹hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

And this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God love his brother also.

Everyone who  ¹believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God, and everyone who loves Him who has begotten loves him also who has been begotten of Him.

In this we know that we love the children of God, when we  ¹love God and  ²do His commandments.

For this is the  ¹love of God, that we  ²keep His commandments; and His commandments are not  ³burdensome.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an  ¹image of gold, its height sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the chief judges, the treasury officials, the law officials, the judges, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the chief judges, the treasury officials, the law officials, the judges, and all the  ¹rulers of the provinces assembled themselves for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Then a herald proclaimed loudly, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,

At the time that you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up;

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the midst of a blazing furnace of fire in that very hour.

Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery,  ¹bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Because of this at that time certain Chaldeans drew near and accused the Jews.

They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live forever!

You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image;

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the midst of a blazing furnace of fire.

There are certain Jews, whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego — these men have not respected you, O king; they do not serve your gods nor worship the golden image that you have set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded men to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then they brought these men before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, Do you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, purposely not serve my gods nor worship the golden image that I have set up?

Now then, if, at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are ready to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well; but if you do not worship, you will be thrown into the midst of a blazing furnace of fire in that very hour; and who is that god who will deliver you out of my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, there is no need for us to give you an answer in this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the blazing furnace of fire, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

But if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image that you have set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and the countenance of his face was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He responded and commanded that the furnace be made seven times hotter than it was usually heated.

And he commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and throw them into the blazing furnace of fire.

Then these men were bound in their shirts, tunics, and mantles, and other clothing, and thrown into the midst of the blazing furnace of fire.

For this reason, because the king's word was so harsh and the furnace had been heated to an extreme, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the blazing furnace of fire bound up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his counselors, Did we not throw three men into the midst of the fire bound up? They answered and said to the king, Certainly, O king.

He answered and said, Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not harmed. And the appearance of the  ¹fourth is like a son of the gods.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the blazing furnace of fire. He responded and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of God the Most High, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.

And the satraps, prefects, and governors, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw concerning these men that the fire had no effect on their bodies and that the hair of their heads was not singed, nor had their clothes been affected, nor had the smell of fire come upon them.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him and  ¹changed the king's word and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks something offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.

Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in the whole earth: May your peace abound!

It pleases me to declare the signs and wonders that God the Most High has done for me.

How great are His signs,
And how mighty are His wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and was flourishing in my palace.

I saw a dream and it frightened me, and the imaginings upon my bed and the visions of my head alarmed me.

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

Then the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, and I told the dream to them; but they could not make its interpretation known to me.

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

O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery troubles you, here are the visions of my dream that I have seen; now tell me its interpretation.

Now these were the visions of my head upon my bed: I was watching and there was a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

The tree grew great and became strong,
And its height reached to heaven,
And the sight of it to the end of all the earth.

Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches;
And all flesh fed from it.

I was watching in the visions of my head upon my bed, and there was a watcher, indeed, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

He cried out loudly and spoke in this way,
Cut down the tree and cut off its branches;
Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the beasts flee from under it,
And the birds from its branches.

Yet leave its stump of roots
In the earth,
But with an iron and bronze band around it,
In the tender grass of the field;
And let him be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth;

Let his mind be changed from that of a man's,
And let a beast's mind be given to him;
And let seven periods of time pass over him.

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the  ¹Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills and sets up over it the lowliest of men.

This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, inasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make the interpretation known to me; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.

Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies!

The tree that you saw, which grew great and became strong, and whose height reached to heaven and the sight of it to all the earth,

And whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, and under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged —

It is you, O king, who have grown great and become strong, for your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

And in that the king saw a watcher, indeed, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Cut down the tree and destroy it; yet leave its stump of roots in the earth, but with an iron and bronze band around it, in the tender grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him;

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:

You shall be driven out from among mankind, and with the beasts of the field shall your dwelling place be; and you shall be made to eat grass as bulls do and shall be wet with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you come to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.

And in that it was commanded that the stump of roots of the tree be left, your kingdom will be assured to you after you have come to know that the  ¹heavens do rule.

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: Break off your sins by doing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; perhaps there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.

All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king.

At the end of  ¹twelve months he was walking upon the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.

The king responded and said, Is this not Babylon the great, which I have built up as a royal house by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?

While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven: To you it is spoken, King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has passed on from you;

And from among mankind you shall be driven out, and with the  ¹beasts of the field shall your dwelling place be; you shall be made to eat grass as bulls do; and  ²seven periods of time will pass over you, until you come to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.

In that very hour the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and from among mankind he was driven out, and he began to eat grass as bulls do, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

And at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and  ¹reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored the ever-living One;
For His dominion is an eternal dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation;

And all the inhabitants of earth are considered as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth;
And there is no one who can resist His hand
Or say to Him, What are You doing?

At that time reason returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me; and my counselors and my lords sought me out, and I was established in my kingdom, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of the heavens, because all His works are truth and His ways justice, and because He is able to abase those who walk in pride.