http://www.gospeltranslations.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Nebuchadnezzar%2C_Part_2 2026-05-04T18:49:43Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.16alpha http://www.gospeltranslations.org/w/index.php?title=Nebuchadnezzar,_Part_2&diff=14498&oldid=prev 2008-10-13T13:52:22Z

<p>New page: {{info}}The night was never peaceful for &lt;br&gt;The king of Babylon. Before &lt;br&gt;The blood-red harvest moon each year,&lt;br&gt;Before that night, he felt more fear&lt;br&gt;Than any other month. That nig...</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{info}}The night was never peaceful for &lt;br&gt;The king of Babylon. Before &lt;br&gt;The blood-red harvest moon each year,&lt;br&gt;Before that night, he felt more fear&lt;br&gt;Than any other month. That night&lt;br&gt;The cult of Raku swore to smite&lt;br&gt;A human sacrifice before&lt;br&gt;The fullness of the moon would pour&lt;br&gt;Its light once more upon the plains&lt;br&gt;Of Babylon. Again the stains &lt;br&gt;Of human blood would soak the stones&lt;br&gt;Outside the capital, and groans&lt;br&gt;From foreign gods would satisfy&lt;br&gt;With death once more the hungry eye&lt;br&gt;That glowers from the midnight sky,&lt;br&gt;Like a celestial Cyclops high&lt;br&gt;Above the blood-soaked kingdom, ruled&lt;br&gt;With fear and so-called wise men, fooled &lt;br&gt;By royal arrogance. And when&lt;br&gt;The oath was made this night again,&lt;br&gt;That one would die within a space&lt;br&gt;Of thirty days, the secret place&lt;br&gt;Was shaken, and a voice was heard:&lt;br&gt;“Tonight, Nebuchadnezzar, word&lt;br&gt;Will come to you in visions on&lt;br&gt;Your bed. And in a dream, the dawn&lt;br&gt;Of distant times will be revealed&lt;br&gt;And fullness of the time unsealed.&lt;br&gt;I give you this in payment for&lt;br&gt;The blood that next month you will pour.”<br /> <br /> And so it was. Or so he thought&lt;br&gt;It was. The dream did come. But naught&lt;br&gt;In this night’s dream flowed from a grim&lt;br&gt;And petty fiend, or from the whim&lt;br&gt;Of any oracle in hell,&lt;br&gt;But from the God of Israel.<br /> <br /> So in the morning, full of dread,&lt;br&gt;Nebuchadnezzar left his bed&lt;br&gt;And called his sorcerers, and all&lt;br&gt;Magicians, to the counsel hall,&lt;br&gt;And said, “Tell me the dream I had&lt;br&gt;Last night. And tell me, good or bad,&lt;br&gt;The meaning of this dream.” But they&lt;br&gt;Replied, “Your majesty, just say&lt;br&gt;The dream and we will gladly tell&lt;br&gt;You what it means.” “You would compel&lt;br&gt;Me how to deal with sorcerers?&lt;br&gt;I know your trade. If someone errs&lt;br&gt;In prophesying distant times,&lt;br&gt;Who knows it now? And when your crimes&lt;br&gt;At last appear, you will be dead,&lt;br&gt;And no one hangs a corpse. Instead,&lt;br&gt;I vow you will, before you die,&lt;br&gt;Be severed limb from limb, and I &lt;br&gt;Will lay in ruins everything &lt;br&gt;You own, until they say, ‘The king&lt;br&gt;Of Babylon will not be duped&lt;br&gt;By clever charlatans who trooped&lt;br&gt;Across his stage in prophets’ clothes,&lt;br&gt;As if their play would not disclose&lt;br&gt;Itself to royal eyes.’ No, I &lt;br&gt;Have called you here not to reply&lt;br&gt;With counsel back to me. But by&lt;br&gt;My gods! Say what I dreamed, or die.”&lt;br&gt;“No man upon the earth,” they said,&lt;br&gt;“Can meet the king’s demand. No head&lt;br&gt;Of state in any empire put&lt;br&gt;A yoke like this, or set his foot,&lt;br&gt;On man. This is the business of&lt;br&gt;The gods, not us. Some pow’r above,&lt;br&gt;Alone, not on the earth, could tell&lt;br&gt;The king his dream.” At this, there fell&lt;br&gt;The wrath of all his royal pride&lt;br&gt;Upon the heads of those who tried&lt;br&gt;To justify their impotence.&lt;br&gt;And he decreed: “The consequence&lt;br&gt;Of your enfeebled magic skills&lt;br&gt;And brazen insolence that spills&lt;br&gt;So freely from your mouths will be&lt;br&gt;The end of all your sorcery,&lt;br&gt;And death to every so-called wise&lt;br&gt;Man in this realm who wears the guise&lt;br&gt;Of truth, and cannot tell to me&lt;br&gt;What I just dreamed or even see&lt;br&gt;The past—six hours old. As though,&lt;br&gt;With ease, the future you would know!&lt;br&gt;Be gone. I will appoint a day &lt;br&gt;To put your folly on display.”<br /> <br /> The captain of the royal guard&lt;br&gt;Walked slowly through the palace yard&lt;br&gt;To bear this news to Daniel and&lt;br&gt;His friends. The exiles from the land&lt;br&gt;Of Judah proved themselves tenfold&lt;br&gt;More wise and gifted than the old&lt;br&gt;And seasoned charlatans the king&lt;br&gt;Had leaned upon. But now the sting&lt;br&gt;Of royal rage would reach to them&lt;br&gt;As well. “You mean, he will condemn&lt;br&gt;Us all?” Daniel enquired. “He must&lt;br&gt;Have gone insane. We had his trust.”&lt;br&gt;“He had a dream last night. And he&lt;br&gt;Demands that someone have the key&lt;br&gt;Not only to its meaning, but&lt;br&gt;The very dream itself and what &lt;br&gt;Was in his head. There’s something more&lt;br&gt;Than meets the eye. I sense a war&lt;br&gt;Inside his head, and some dark foe&lt;br&gt;He cannot crush or even show&lt;br&gt;To anyone. The death of all &lt;br&gt;His counselors! There is a thrall&lt;br&gt;To this, and he is not his own.”<br /> <br /> “Please, tell the king the dream is known,”&lt;br&gt;These words came forth unbidden from &lt;br&gt;The mouth of Daniel. “I will come&lt;br&gt;And tell the king the secrets in&lt;br&gt;His mind. Ask him: Might we begin&lt;br&gt;Tomorrow night? First, I must speak&lt;br&gt;With Shadrach, and my friends, and seek&lt;br&gt;Their prayers. Please, ask the king if he&lt;br&gt;Would stay his hand until he see&lt;br&gt;If Daniel’s God can know his mind.”<br /> <br /> The king agreed to wait, and signed&lt;br&gt;A stay of execution for&lt;br&gt;The counselors. Behind the door&lt;br&gt;Of their small dwelling Daniel prayed&lt;br&gt;That God would now come to his aid,&lt;br&gt;Then counseled with his friends. “Shadrach,”&lt;br&gt;He said, “What do you think? More’s back&lt;br&gt;Of this than meets the human eye,&lt;br&gt;The captain said. Do you comply&lt;br&gt;With that assessment? Arioch,&lt;br&gt;I think, is able to unlock&lt;br&gt;The secrets of the king. What do&lt;br&gt;You think?” The question was not new&lt;br&gt;For Shadrach. Ever since the king&lt;br&gt;Had given him this name, the sting&lt;br&gt;Had stirred in him more insight to&lt;br&gt;The royal mind than any knew.&lt;br&gt;“I think,” he said, “that when the moon&lt;br&gt;Is full again, there will be strewn&lt;br&gt;Across the plains of Dura shards&lt;br&gt;Of broken secrets, and the guard’s&lt;br&gt;Opinion will be proven true.&lt;br&gt;Indeed there’s more to this than you&lt;br&gt;Or I yet understand. But on&lt;br&gt;That night we’ll know the truth. And gone&lt;br&gt;Will be the powers that enslave&lt;br&gt;The king, but not without a grave.”&lt;br&gt;The friends looked deep and long into&lt;br&gt;Each other’s steady eyes. They knew &lt;br&gt;The stories of the prophets, and&lt;br&gt;The ancient truth that life will stand&lt;br&gt;At last because of death, and all&lt;br&gt;The ropes of evil bondage fall&lt;br&gt;Forever, severed by the knife&lt;br&gt;Of one who freely gives his life.&lt;br&gt;No more was said. The time had come&lt;br&gt;To tell the king his dream. <br /> <br /> The dumb&lt;br&gt;Enchanters trembled in the ring&lt;br&gt;Of sorcerers around the king,&lt;br&gt;Awaiting execution if&lt;br&gt;The Jews should fail. The king was stiff&lt;br&gt;With unbelief. And then he heard&lt;br&gt;The voice of Daniel and this word: &lt;br&gt;“A great and brilliant image stood&lt;br&gt;Before the king. There was no wood.&lt;br&gt;The head was gold; the arms and chest&lt;br&gt;Were silver; bronze was all the rest,&lt;br&gt;Down to the knees; connecting thighs&lt;br&gt;And feet, the legs, of mammoth size,&lt;br&gt;Were made of iron and joined the feet &lt;br&gt;Of clay and iron mixed. The seat&lt;br&gt;From where you watched was shaken as&lt;br&gt;A little stone was cut, which has&lt;br&gt;No maker—none to cut or fling &lt;br&gt;This stone like David from his sling.&lt;br&gt;And yet it flew against the clay&lt;br&gt;And iron of the feet, and they&lt;br&gt;Were shattered by this little stone.&lt;br&gt;And then the gold and bronze was thrown&lt;br&gt;Down to the earth, and silver lay&lt;br&gt;With powdered iron, blown away &lt;br&gt;Like chaff. And not a trace of them&lt;br&gt;Was found. And then the stone, the gem,&lt;br&gt;Became a mountain there before&lt;br&gt;Your eyes, and then forevermore&lt;br&gt;It filled the earth.” <br /> <br /> Then Daniel stopped.&lt;br&gt;Nebuchadnezzar never dropped&lt;br&gt;His eyes from Daniel’s face, but stood&lt;br&gt;Without a word and wondered: Would&lt;br&gt;This Jewish prophet also know&lt;br&gt;The meaning of this dream? “From toe&lt;br&gt;To head, your majesty, it stands&lt;br&gt;For nations. You, with all your lands&lt;br&gt;And wealth and power, are the head &lt;br&gt;Of gold. And after you are dead&lt;br&gt;A lesser will arise, and then&lt;br&gt;A third, of bronze, and rule all men&lt;br&gt;Upon the earth. And then a throne &lt;br&gt;Of iron that crushes ev’ry bone &lt;br&gt;Before it will prevail. Then clay&lt;br&gt;Will mingle in and bring the day&lt;br&gt;Of dissolution. Then, O king,&lt;br&gt;Almighty God will come and bring&lt;br&gt;To pass, in ways that neither you&lt;br&gt;Nor I can comprehend, the new&lt;br&gt;And everlasting reign of One &lt;br&gt;Whose age is older than the sun,&lt;br&gt;And yet appears by birth, and gains&lt;br&gt;His crown, not by the sword, but pains,&lt;br&gt;And finally by death. His reign&lt;br&gt;Will have no end, and by his pain&lt;br&gt;He will obtain the heavens and&lt;br&gt;The earth. All this, O king, is planned.&lt;br&gt;And in the end, the silver, gold,&lt;br&gt;And bronze and iron, the kings of old, &lt;br&gt;Will be forgotten. So beware,&lt;br&gt;O golden king, God does not share&lt;br&gt;His power with the sun or moon.&lt;br&gt;Your dream came from the blazing noon&lt;br&gt;Of God’s all-knowing pow’r and light,&lt;br&gt;Not from the borrowed pow’rs of night.&lt;br&gt;Take heed, O king! How close the brink!&lt;br&gt;Full moons do not mean what you think.<br /> <br /> The truth of candle two must shine:&lt;br&gt;Kings have their thrones by God’s design.&lt;br&gt;Not by their sword or intellect,&lt;br&gt;Or by black arts or secret sect.&lt;br&gt;And if in Babylon a king&lt;br&gt;Is proud, and blind in everything,&lt;br&gt;And thinks that Raku rules the skies,&lt;br&gt;He will soon find it otherwise.<br /> <br /> &lt;br&gt;</div>

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