The Book of Daniel Page #7

O Lord, take up my case.

Redeem my life.

Oh, a divine plan,

my friends.

A toast to the lions

who show no partiality...

to a Hebrew

over any other man.

I will extol

the Lord at all times.

His praise

be ever on my lips.

But those

who seek the Lord...

will lack

for no good thing.

A righteous man

may have many troubles,

but the Lord rescues him

from them all.

You have rescued me

from the mouth of lions,

and I will declare your name

to my brothers.

In the congregation

I will praise you.

Out of my way!

Out of my way!

Daniel!

Servant of the living God,

has your God

been able to save you?

Oh king, live forever.

My God has sent his angel,

and he shut the mouth

of the lions.

They have not hurt me...

because I was

found innocent in his sight.

Come forth.

Behold, there is

no sign of wound on him,

for he has

trusted in his God.

Surely your God

is above all men,

for while you were in the

lions' den you were in his hand.

How much must the man pay if he

steals another man's treasure?

With his hands perhaps.

But what if that man

who is robbed is the king...

and the treasure

his prized possession?

Is there any penalty

less than death which will do?

If so, speak now,

and let me consider it.

But, oh king,

he is a Hebrew.

Why should you

put such trust in him?

This Hebrew is the

greatest treasure I possess.

He speaks to his God,

and more importantly

his God speaks to him.

You have deceived me

as to your purpose.

You fashioned my own words

as a snare above my feet...

knowing my edict

could not be reversed,

but the living God,

the God of Daniel,

has delivered him

out of my hand.

For 6 days

they have hungered,

but today they shall feed.

No!

No, please!

No!

Please!

Please wait, king, please!

You fools.

Did you not think

I would punish you?

No, my king.

They have spread a net

for my feet.

I was bowed down

in distress.

They have dug

a pit in my path,

but they have fallen

into it themselves.

I, Darius, issue a decree

that in every part of my kingdom...

people must fear

and reverence the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,

and he endures forever.

His kingdom

will not be destroyed.

His dominion will never end.

He rescues, and he saves.

He performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.

And so I served

Darius throughout his reign.

However, my heart

stiff longed to see Jerusalem.

For 70 years I had waited,

and I knew

our time was near.

Lord, through your

prophet, Jeremiah,

"When 70 years are

completed for Babylon,

"I will come to you

and fulfill my gracious promise...

and bring you

back to this land."

My heart

grows with excitement...

that now

that time has come.

And so your journey

has led you here.

You have spoken

of three kings:

Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty;

Belshazzar, the foolish;

Darius, who was deceived.

Who is this fourth king?

It is he of whom

these scrolls speak of.

It is one chosen by

the Most High...

to perform great

and mighty deeds

before he was ever

knitted in his mother's womb.

Hear then, oh king,

the words which were Mitten...

more than 150 years ago,

for these are the words

of the prophet Isaiah,

son of Amoz.

"From the east I summon

a ravenous bird of prey...

"from a far off land

to fulfill my purpose.

"When I have said,

I will bring about;

what I have planned,

that will I do."

A bird of prey?

The Lord's chosen will carry

out his purpose against Babylon.

His ann will be against

the Babylonians.

He pursues them unscathed...

by a path

he has not travelled before.

True, I had never saw

the regions of the Euphrates...

or further westward

until I came in conquest.

And yet you chased

your enemies uninjured.

They had no power to rally.

You were not led into ambush,

and you were safe as far as

you chose to pursue them,

were you not?

That's true.

This is what the

Lord says to his anointed.

"Cyrus, whose right hand

I take hold of..."

Cyrus?

It mentions me by name?

It does.

"To Cyrus, whose right

hand I take hold of...

"to subdue nations

before him,

"and to strip kings

of their armor,

"to open doors before him...

"so that gates

will not be shut.

"I will go before you

and will level the mountains.

"I will break down

gates of bronze...

"and cut through

bars of iron.

"I will give you

the treasures of darkness,

"riches stored

in secret places...

"so that you may know that

lam the Lord God of Israel...

who summons you by name."

And when you

captured Babylon,

their treasures were

the richest in the world,

were they not?

Oh, indeed they were,

and Croesus will testify.

Yes, quite

the most magnificent.

Oh king, if I may.

Please continue.

Please continue.

"Cyrus, for the sake of Jacob

my servant, of Israel my chosen,

"I summon you by name

and give you a place of honor.

"Though you do not

acknowledge me, I am the Lord.

"I will strengthen you, though

you have not acknowledged me,

"so that from

the rising of the sun...

"to the place of its setting,

"men may know

there is none beside me.

I am the Lord.

There is no other."

And do you understand

that the Most High has the power...

to raise up kings

and to throw them down?

Yes, I do.

I profess it.

And that you, oh king,

are like a polished arrow...

hidden in the quiver

of the Almighty,

carefully preserved

for its day of use?

Yes, how else to explain

my unlikely birth...

or my survival

or successes?

How else

might it be explained?

All my life I had always thought

of myself as favored by my gods.

Is it possible that

I've been favored by yours?

You have answered

your own question, oh king.

For nearly 2 centuries...

the message in this scroll

has awaited your coming.

This is what the Lord says.

"I am the Lord

who has made all things,

"who alone stretched

out the heavens,

"who spread out

the earth by myself,

"who foils the signs

of false prophets...

"and makes fools of diviners,

"who overthrows

the learning of the wise...

"and turns it into nonsense,

"who says of Jerusalem,

'It shall be inhabited.

"'Of the towns of Judea,

they shall be built,

"and of their ruins,

I will restore them.'

'Who says of Cyrus,

'He is my shepherd,

"'and I will accomplish

all that I please.

"'He will say of Jerusalem,

"Let it be rebuilt,"

and of the temple,

"Let its foundation

be laid.""'

He even calls me

a shepherd,

I, who was saved

by a shepherd's hand?

And I was raised

in a shepherd's house.

It's I who refer to myself

as a shepherd of my people.

Who else could

have known this...

but the power of God

or his prophet?

Seventy years are over,

my king.

Seventy years since I was

taken from the land of my birth.

Babylon has been punished.

You have punished her.

Only one thing remains:

For you to free her.

Oh king,

the words of the scrolls...

are in a tongue

foreign to us.

Should we not

at least confirm them?

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