³⁴ As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,^[a](A) struck the statue^(B) on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.^{(C) 35} Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff^(D) from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled^(E) the whole earth.

⁴⁴ “In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed,^(A) and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms^(B) and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ You saw a stone^(C) break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,^[a](D) and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.^[b](E) The dream is true, and its interpretation certain.”

³² Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.^[a] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^{(A) 33} As it is written:

⁸ and

They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined^(B) for this.