The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday November 25, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim^(A) of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar^[a](B) of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ² The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.^(C) Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,^[b](D) to the house of his god,^[c] and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

³ The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family^(E) and from the nobility— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,^(F) knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace.^(G) He was to teach them the Chaldean language^(H) and literature. ⁵ The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.^(I) They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.^{[d](J) 6} Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel,^(K) Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.^(L)

Faithfulness in Babylon

⁸ Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food^(M) or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.^{(N) 9} God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch,^{(O) 10} yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would endanger my life^[e] with the king.”

¹¹ So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” ¹⁴ He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵ At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier^[f] than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.^{(P) 16} So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

Faithfulness Rewarded

¹⁷ God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding^(Q) in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams^(R) of every kind. ¹⁸ At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.^(S) So they began to attend the king. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times^[g](T) better than all the magicians and mediums^(U) in his entire kingdom. ²¹ Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^(V)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams^(W) that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.^{(X) 2} So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans^[h](Y) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”

⁴ The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic^[i](Z) begins here): “May the king live forever.^(AA) Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,^[j] and your houses will be made a garbage dump.^{(AB) 6} But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me.^(AC) So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”

⁷ They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”

⁸ The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. ⁹ If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you.^(AD) You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests.^(AE) Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. ¹¹ What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”^{(AF) 12} Because of this, the king became violently angry^(AG) and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

¹⁴ Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard,^[k](AH) who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” ^[l](AI) Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶ So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, ¹⁸ urging them to ask the God of the heavens^(AJ) for mercy^(AK) concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.^{(AL) 19} The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision^(AM) at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens ²⁰ and declared:

Do No Evil

⁸ Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another,^(A) and be compassionate^(B) and humble,^{[a] 9} not paying back evil for evil^(C) or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing,^(D) since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

Undeserved Suffering

¹³ Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness,^(K) you are blessed. Do not fear them^[b](L) or be intimidated,^{[c](M) 15} but in your hearts regard^[d] Christ^[e] the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.^{(N) 16} Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience,^(O) so that when you are accused,^[f] those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer^(P) for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered^(Q) for sins once for all,^(R) the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.^(S) He was put to death in the flesh^[g](T) but made alive by the Spirit,^{[h] 19} in which^[i] he also went and made proclamation to the spirits^(U) in prison ²⁰ who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah^(V) while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people^[j](W)—were saved through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body,^(X) but the pledge^[k] of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,^{(Y) 22} who has gone into heaven^(Z) and is at the right hand of God^(AA) with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.^(AB)

Following Christ

4 Therefore, since Christ suffered^[l] in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding^[m]—because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished^(AC) with sin^[n]— ² in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.^{(AD) 3} For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires,^(AE) drunkenness, orgies,^(AF) carousing, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living—and they slander^[o] you. ⁵ They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.^{(AG) 6} For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead,^[p](AH) so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards,^(AI) they might live^(AJ) in the spirit according to God’s standards.

ט Teth

י Yod