Back when Jehoiakim was 36 years old and had reigned for eleven years as king of Judah, albeit with three of those years as the vassal of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, Jehoiakim had rebelled against the Babylonian king. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And Yahweh delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand. Jehoiakim was killed, and his son Jehoiachin was briefly king of Judah for three months.
Nebuchadnezzar had complete control of Jerusalem, and he took away some of the articles from the temple of Elohim. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. He also took away many of the people to captivity in Babylon, including the king Jehoiachin. Yahweh had already taken away his Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping, as he was certainly not going to let it fall into Babylonian hands.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility. These were young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service.
Among those sons of Judah who were chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
And the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see."
So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men Elohim gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. Yahweh broadcast his dream transmitters at these men, to see how he could 'educate' them and influence their thinking. And Daniel, being the most receptive to such influences, could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.
When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means."
Then the astrologers answered the king, "May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me."
Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me."
The astrologers answered the king, "There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans."
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.
At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the Elohim of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised his Elohim of heaven, saying: "Praise be to the name of Elohim for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, Elohim of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."
Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him."
Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means."
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is Elah in the heavens who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
"As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
"Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue, an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
"This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. Elah Shamayin has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
"After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron - for iron breaks and smashes everything - and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
"In the time of those kings, Elah Shamayin the Elohim of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands, by a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
"The great God, Elah Rab, has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
Yahweh's dream transmitters had broadcast the same dream to both Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, but he had only broadcast the meaning to Daniel.
The king said to Daniel, "Surely your Elah is the God of gods and lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
Then he summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace."
Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Judahites. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Judahites whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, our Elah whom we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, Your Majesty."
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
The fourth 'man', the "son of the gods", was one of Yahweh's robots that had installed the ceramic fiber blanket, as a 2m cube with one side at the entrance gate left open, so that the men could be thrown in and walk out. The temperature was ~1,200°C, and from the Stefan-Boltzmann law, the radiant heat hitting the men if unshielded would have been ~267 kW/m2, a rapidly fatal level.
The Al2O3 plus SiO2 blanket had a thermal conductivity of 0.34 W/(m.K) at 1,200°C, and it was 0.2m thick. Given the temperature difference of (1,200-25) = 1,175°C, the heat flux passing through to the safe zone was 0.34 W/(m.K) x 1,175K / 0.2m = ~2 kW/m2, which compares with the 2.5 kW/m2 that would later be declared as a human tenability limit by Babrauskas. However, that is for radiant heat, which is blocked, and so they are even safer.
The blanket's density was 128 kg/m3, and its volume was 5 x 0.2m x 2m x 2m = 4m3. Thus, its mass was 512 kg. It was lowered down from a cloaked overhead drone in a sling, and the robot set it in place as a cube with one side missing, folds bent to 90° and magnets to fix the corners together for the duration of the stunt.
Suppose as much as 2 kW/m2 of heat flux was passing through four of the 2m x 2m sides. We exclude the side on the ground, which is just used as a base for fixing three sides plus the top which extends from the innermost side, and we exclude the exit side with the gate. In ten minutes the total heat flow is 2 kW/m2 x 16 m2 x 600 secs = 19.2 MJ.
The specific heat capacity of ceramic fiber is about 1 kJ/kg.K, similar to that of air. If the 19.2 MJ only had to heat the ~9.8 kg of air in the 2m cube, it could hypothetically raise its temperature by ~1,959°C. However, the mass of four 2m x 2m sides of 0.2m thickness of the thermal blanket is 3.2 m3 x 128 kg/m3 = ~410 kg. The 19.2 MJ could raise the temperature of this ceramic fiber by ~47°C, so if the fire side is initially at 1,200°C and the protected cool side at 25°C, the midpoint at 0.1m might increase by 47°C, whereas the cool side would increase by a much lower amount.
The soldiers standing at the furnace edge were killed with a directed energy beam, which helped to create the legend of the "seven times" hotter than usual furnace. In reality, it might have been about 50°C hotter than usual. The robot operated a holographic projector, so that when people looked in through the gate, they saw the four characters walking about, apparently in the middle of 'flames'. And the robot was carrying a cylinder of compressed air, some of which was released now and then so the men had plenty of fresh air and suffered no injuries from smoke inhalation.
After the three men walked out, the sling was lowered again from the drone, and the robot fixed the ceramic blanket in place so that it could be carried up. Then the robot ascended under its own electrostatic power, with its holographic projector and compressed air cylinder strapped to it. Both ascended under cover of the smoke plume, just as the onlookers were distracted in their amazement at how the three men had come out completely unscathed from the 'flames'.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar made a statement to all the nations, starting with nonsense about "miraculous signs and wonders" that the greatest 'god' had performed for him. But his statement was music in the ears of Yahweh.
Nebuchadnezzar next began to speak about how he dreamed another dream, which terrified and troubled him. He told it to all his wise men, the magicians, astrologers and so on, but they could not interpret it for him. Finally, he told the dream to Daniel, whom he called Belteshazzar.
He said to him, "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
"In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice:
" 'Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven years pass by for him. The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.'
"This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you."
Then Daniel (or "Belteshazzar") was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you."
Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds. Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the Earth.
"Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven years pass by for him.'
"This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven years will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue."
This was a prediction that never came true. Neither King Nebuchadnezzar II nor Nebuchadnezzar I turned into an animal or became insane, despite the wild claims of the pro-Yahweh, anti-Babylonian propagandists. However, Daniel and his friends were spared any further fiery fates by Nebuchadnezzar, rather like a certain 'lucky' Yahweist named Silverstein would be spared a fiery fate at the turn of the 21th century because he had a "dermatologist's appointment", and his two children were also spared a similar ghastly fate because they were "running late".
Another false story involved 'King' Belshazzar giving a great banquet. Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar II, and was crown prince but never became king.
And another work of fiction involved a character called King Darius the Mede, who never existed.