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Daniel 2

The king tells his wise men to explain his dream

2 When Nebuchadnezzar had been king for two years, he had many dreams. He had trouble in his mind and he could not sleep.

2 He told his servants that they must bring the magicians, enchanters, [ a ] diviners and wise men to him. He wanted them to explain his dream. So they came in and they stood in front of the king. 3 Then the king said to them, ‘I have had a dream that gives me trouble in my mind. I want to know what the dream means.’

4 Then the wise men answered the king. (This is in the Aramaic language. [ b ] ) They said, ‘King, live for ever! We are your servants. Tell us the dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’

5 The king replied to the wise men, ‘I have decided what to do. You must tell me what my dream was. Then you must tell me what it means. If not, I will punish you with death! My soldiers will cut you into pieces. They will knock down your houses so that they become heaps of stones. 6 You must tell me about the dream and you must tell me what it means. If you do that, I will give to you many gifts and great honour. So you must tell me my dream, and tell me what it means.’

7 They answered the king again, ‘We are your servants, so please tell us your dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’

8 The king said to them, ‘You know that I will not change my mind. So you are just trying to get more time. 9 If you do not tell me the dream, I will certainly punish you with death. You have agreed among yourselves to tell me lies. You want to deceive me until you can think of something better. So now, tell me the dream. Then I will believe you when you tell me what it means.’

10 The wise men answered the king, ‘There is nobody on earth who can know your dream! No king has ever asked anyone to do anything like this. No magician, enchanter or wise man could do that. Even the greatest and most powerful king has never asked anyone to do this. 11 You are asking us to do something much too difficult! Nobody can do it, except the gods. And they do not live among men.’

12 This made the king very angry. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Kill all the wise men in Babylon.’ 13 He sent a message to command them to kill all his wise men.

Some men went to look for Daniel and his friends too. They wanted to punish them with death. 14 But Daniel spoke carefully to Arioch. He was the captain of the king's soldiers who had gone to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 Daniel said to Arioch, ‘Why is the king's command so cruel?’ Then Arioch explained everything to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went to see the king. He asked the king for more time. Then he would be able to tell the king what the dream meant.

God shows the dream to Daniel

17 Then Daniel went to his home. He told his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah what had happened. 18 He told them that they should pray to God in heaven. They should pray that God would help them with this problem. They should ask God to keep them safe. Then they would not die with all the other wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night, Daniel had a vision. God showed him the secret of the king's dream. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said,

‘Praise God's great name for ever!
He has great wisdom and great power.
21 He makes things happen at the right time.
He gives to some kings authority to rule.
And he takes that authority away from other kings.
He causes some people to become wise.
He helps people to understand the things that they learn.
22 He explains difficult problems and secret things.
He knows about all things,
even when they are in dark places.
He himself lives in the light.
23 My ancestors' God,
I thank you and I praise you!
You have made me wise
and you have made me strong.
We asked you to help us,
and now you have shown me your answer.
You have explained the king's problem to us.
So I thank you.’

24 So Daniel went to see Arioch, the king's officer. The king had told Arioch to kill all the wise men of Babylon. But Daniel said to him, ‘Do not kill Babylon's wise men. Take me to the king. Then I will tell the king what his dream means.’

25 Then Arioch quickly took Daniel to meet the king. He said, ‘I have found this man, who is one of the people that you brought from Judah. He can tell you, sir, what your dream means.’

26 The king spoke to Daniel, whose other name was Belteshazzar. He asked Daniel, ‘Can you tell me my dream? And can you tell me what it means?’

27 Daniel answered the king, ‘Sir, your dream is a secret. No wise men, enchanters, magicians or diviners can tell you about it. 28 But there is a God in heaven. He explains secret things. In your dream, he has shown you what will happen in future years. Now I will tell you the dream and the visions that you had while you lay on your bed.

29 While you lay on your bed, you dreamed about future times. God explains secret things, and he has shown you what will happen in future years. 30 I am not more wise than other people. But God has explained your secret dream to me, because he wants you to know what it means. He wants you to understand the thoughts in your mind.’

The dream

31 Daniel said, ‘In your dream, you saw in front of you a statue with a man's shape. It was very big and very bright. It frightened people very much. 32 Its head was made from pure gold. The top of its body and its arms were made from silver. Its lower body was made from bronze. 33 The statue's legs were made from iron. Its feet had parts made from iron and parts made from clay. 34 While you looked, someone cut out a large stone from a mountain. But no human hand did this. The stone hit the statue on its iron and clay feet. The stone broke them into pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold all broke into pieces. They became like chaff that the wind blows away. Nobody could see any of those pieces any more. But the stone that had hit the statue became a large mountain. It filled the whole earth.’

Daniel explains the dream to the king

36 Daniel continued to say, ‘That was your dream, King Nebuchadnezzar. Now we will tell you what it means. 37 You are a great king who rules over other kings. The God of heaven has given you authority to rule. He has given you power, strength and honour. 38 He has put all the people of this world, the wild animals and the birds under your power. He has given you authority to rule them all, in every place that they live. You are like the head of gold that you saw in your dream.

39 After you, there will be another kingdom. It will not be as great as your kingdom. Then a third kingdom will come. It will be like the bronze part of the statue. It will also rule the whole earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom. It will be as strong as iron which breaks everything into pieces. Like iron, that kingdom will destroy the other kingdoms. 41 In your dream, you saw that the statue's feet and toes had parts of clay and parts of iron. This shows that this kingdom will not be united as one. Some parts will be strong, like iron. The iron that you saw shows that strength. 42 But the iron parts of the statue were mixed with clay parts. This shows that the fourth kingdom will be strong in some parts and weak in other parts. 43 You saw iron and clay that were mixed together. The two parts of that kingdom will try to become united by marriage. But that will not help them to stay together as one. Iron cannot mix properly with clay.

44 During the time when those kings rule, the God of heaven will begin a new kingdom. That kingdom will continue for ever. No other people will ever have power over it. It will break up all those other kingdoms and it will destroy them. And it will continue for ever. 45 You saw the stone that came from the mountain. It was not a human hand that cut it out. That stone broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold into pieces.

In your dream, King Nebuchadnezzar, the great God has shown you what will happen in future years. I have told you the dream, and I have told you what it means. You can be sure that all this is true.’

The king thanks Daniel

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bent down with his face towards the ground. He gave honour to Daniel. He commanded his servants to offer sacrifices and to burn incense to praise Daniel. 47 The king said to Daniel, ‘It is true that your God rules all other gods. He rules over kings and he explains secret things. I know this because you were able to explain this dream to me.’

48 Then the king made Daniel an important officer. He also gave Daniel many valuable gifts. He gave Daniel authority to rule over the whole region of Babylon. Daniel also became the most important officer with authority over all the wise men in Babylon.

49 Daniel asked the king to give important jobs to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So the king gave them authority over the region of Babylon. But Daniel himself stayed in the king's palace.

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 An enchanter tries to make things happen by speaking magic words.
  2. 2:4 From here, through to Daniel 7:28 , the book is written in the Aramaic language, instead of Hebrew.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 During Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king, he had dreams. They bothered him, and he could not sleep. 2 So the king called his wise men to come to him. They used magic and watched the stars. They did this to try to interpret dreams and to learn what would happen in the future. The king wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed, so they came in and stood in front of him.

3 Then the king said to them, “I had a dream that bothers me. I want to know what it means.”

4 Then the Chaldeans answered the king. They spoke Aramaic [ a ] and said, “King, live forever! Please tell your dream to us, your servants, and then we will tell you what it means.”

5 Then King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “No, you must tell me the dream, and then you must tell me what it means. If you don’t, I will give an order for you to be cut into pieces. And I will order your houses to be destroyed until they are nothing but piles of dust and ashes. 6 But if you tell me my dream and explain its meaning, I will give you gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me about my dream and what it means.”

7 Again the wise men said to the king, “Please, Sir, tell us about the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

8 Then King Nebuchadnezzar answered, “I know that you are trying to get more time. You know that I meant what I said. 9 You know that you will be punished if you don’t tell me about my dream. So you have all agreed to lie to me. You are hoping for more time so that I will forget what I want you to do. Now tell me the dream. If you can tell me the dream, I will know that you can tell me what it really means.”

10 The Chaldeans answered the king. They said, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking! No king has ever asked the wise men, the men who do magic, or the Chaldeans to do something like this. Not even the greatest and most powerful king has ever asked his wise men to do such a thing. 11 The king is asking something that is too hard to do. Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don’t live with people.”

12 When the king heard that, he became very angry. So he gave an order for all the wise men of Babylon to be killed. 13 King Nebuchadnezzar’s order to kill all the wise men was announced. The king’s men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them.

14 Arioch was the commander of the king’s guards. He was going to kill the wise men of Babylon, but Daniel talked to him. Daniel spoke politely to Arioch 15 and said, “Why did the king order such a severe punishment?”

Then Arioch explained the whole story about the king’s dreams, and Daniel understood. 16 When Daniel heard the story, he went to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel asked the king to give him some more time. Then he would tell the king what the dream meant.

17 So Daniel went to his house. He explained the whole story to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 18 Daniel asked his friends to pray to the God of heaven that God would be kind to them and help them understand this secret. Then Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the other wise men of Babylon.

19 During the night, God explained the secret to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said,

“Praise God’s name forever and ever!
Power and wisdom belong to him.
21 He changes the times and seasons.
He gives power to kings,
and he takes their power away.
He gives wisdom to people, so they become wise.
He lets people learn things and become wise.
22 He knows hidden secrets that are hard to understand.
Light lives with him,
so he knows what is in the dark and secret places.
23 God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you.
You gave me wisdom and power.
You told us what we asked for.
You told us about the king’s dream.”

Daniel Tells What the Dream Means

24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man who King Nebuchadnezzar had chosen to kill the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to Arioch, “Don’t kill the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king. I will tell him what his dream means.”

25 So very quickly, Arioch took Daniel to the king. Arioch said to the king, “I have found a man among the captives [ b ] from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

26 The king asked Daniel (Belteshazzar) a question. He said, “Are you able to tell me about my dream, and what it means?”

27 Daniel answered, “King Nebuchadnezzar, no wise man, no man who does magic, and no Chaldean could tell the king the secret things he has asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who tells secret things. God has given King Nebuchadnezzar dreams to show him what will happen later. This was your dream, and this is what you saw while lying on your bed: 29 King, as you were lying there on your bed, you began thinking about what might happen in the future. God can tell people about secret things—he has shown you what will happen in the future. 30 God also told this secret to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other men, but so that you, king, may know what it means. In that way you will understand what went through your mind.

31 “King, in your dream you saw a large statue in front of you that was very large and shiny. It was very impressive. 32 The head of the statue was made from pure gold. Its chest and the arms were made from silver. The belly and upper part of the legs were made from bronze. 33 The lower part of the legs was made from iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 While you were looking at the statue, you saw a rock that was cut loose, but not by human hands. Then the rock hit the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold broke to pieces all at the same time. And all the pieces became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summertime. The wind blew them away, and there was nothing left. No one could tell that a statue had ever been there. Then the rock that hit the statue became a very large mountain and filled up the whole earth.

36 “That was your dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. 37 King, you are the most important king. The God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. 38 He has given you control, and you rule over people and the wild animals and the birds. Wherever they live, God has made you ruler over them all. King Nebuchadnezzar, you are that head of gold on the statue.

39 “Another kingdom will come after you, but it will not be as great as your kingdom. Next, a third kingdom will rule over the earth—that is the bronze part. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom. That kingdom will be strong like iron. Just as iron breaks things and smashes them to pieces, that fourth kingdom will break all the other kingdoms and smash them to pieces.

41 “You saw that the feet and toes of the statue were partly clay and partly iron. That means the fourth kingdom will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron in it just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. 42 The toes of the statue were partly iron and partly clay. So the fourth kingdom will be partly strong like iron and partly weak like clay. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay, but iron and clay don’t completely mix together. In the same way the people of the fourth kingdom will be a mixture. They will not be united as one people.

44 “During the time of the kings of the fourth kingdom, the God of heaven will set up another kingdom that will continue forever. It will never be destroyed. And it will be the kind of kingdom that cannot be passed on to another group of people. This kingdom will crush all the other kingdoms. It will bring them to an end, but that kingdom itself will continue forever.

45 “King Nebuchadnezzar, you saw a rock cut from a mountain, but no one cut that rock. The rock broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces. In this way God showed you what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and you can trust that this is what it means.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down in front of Daniel to honor him. The king praised him. He gave an order that an offering and incense be given to honor Daniel. 47 Then the king said to Daniel, “I know for sure your God is the God over all gods and the Lord over all kings. He tells people about things they cannot know. I know this is true because you were able to tell these secret things to me.”

48 Then the king gave Daniel a very important job in his kingdom and gave him many expensive gifts. Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon and put him in charge of all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel asked the king to make Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego important officials over the province of Babylon. The king did as Daniel asked. Daniel himself became one of the important officials who was always near the king.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:4 Aramaic The text of Daniel from here to 7:28 is written in Aramaic. See “ Aramaic ” in the Word List.
  2. Daniel 2:25 captives People taken away as prisoners. Here, it means the Jewish people who were taken to Babylon.

2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

The King’s Dream

2 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar [ a ] ( A ) had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his ( B ) sleep [ b ] left him. 2 Then the king [ c ] gave orders to call in the ( C ) soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the [ d ] Chaldeans, to [ e ] tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I [ f ] ( D ) had a dream, and my spirit [ g ] is anxious to [ h ] understand the dream.”

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in [ i ] ( E ) Aramaic: “ ( F ) O king, live forever! ( G ) Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command [ j ] from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be [ k ] ( H ) torn limb from limb and your houses will be turned into a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me ( I ) gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king ( J ) tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king replied, “I know for certain that you are trying to buy time, because you have perceived that the command [ l ] from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only ( K ) one [ m ] decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [ n ] words before me until the [ o ] situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, so that I may ( L ) know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [ p ] the king and said, “There is no person on earth who could declare the matter [ q ] to the king, because no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any ( M ) soothsayer priest, sorcerer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it [ r ] to the king except ( N ) gods, whose ( O ) dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”

12 Because of this, the king became ( P ) angry and extremely furious, and he gave orders to kill all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the [ s ] decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for ( Q ) Daniel and his friends, to [ t ] kill them .

14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to ( R ) Arioch, the captain of the king’s [ u ] bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he said to Arioch, the king’s officer, “For what reason is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. 16 So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him a grace period, so that he might declare the interpretation to the king.

17 Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, ( S ) Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, 18 so that they might ( T ) request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not be ( U ) killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

The Secret Is Revealed to Daniel

19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night ( V ) vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said,

“May the name of God be ( W ) blessed forever and ever,
For ( X ) wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 It is He who ( Y ) changes the times and the periods;
He ( Z ) removes kings and appoints kings;
He gives ( AA ) wisdom to wise men,
And knowledge to [ v ] people of understanding.
22 It is He who ( AB ) reveals the profound and hidden things;
( AC ) He knows what is in the darkness,
And the ( AD ) light dwells with Him.
23 To You, ( AE ) God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me ( AF ) wisdom and power;
Even now You have made known to me what we ( AG ) requested of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”

24 Thereupon, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to kill the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “ ( AH ) Do not kill the wise men of Babylon! Take me [ w ] into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”

25 Then Arioch hurriedly ( AI ) brought Daniel [ x ] into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the [ y ] ( AJ ) exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was ( AK ) Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the secret about which the king has inquired, neither ( AL ) wise men, sorcerers, soothsayer priests, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a ( AM ) God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [ z ] ( AN ) latter days. This was your dream and the ( AO ) visions [ aa ] in your mind while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [ ab ] turned to what would take place [ ac ] in the future; and ( AP ) He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me [ ad ] for any ( AQ ) wisdom [ ae ] residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the ( AR ) thoughts of your [ af ] mind.

The King’s Dream

31 “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and [ ag ] of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was [ ah ] ( AS ) awesome. 32 The ( AT ) head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You [ ai ] continued watching until a ( AU ) stone was broken off ( AV ) without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and ( AW ) crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces [ aj ] all at the same time, and they were ( AX ) like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that ( AY ) not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great ( AZ ) mountain and filled the entire earth.

The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom

36 “This was the dream; and now we will tell ( BA ) its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are the ( BB ) king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the [ ak ] kingdom, the ( BC ) power, the strength, and the honor; 38 and wherever the sons of mankind live, or the ( BD ) animals of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has handed them over to you and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

Medo-Persia and Greece

39 And after you another kingdom will arise inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Rome

40 Then there will be a ( BE ) fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron smashes and crushes everything, so, like iron that crushes, it will smash and crush all these things. 41 And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have within it some of the toughness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with [ al ] common clay. 42 And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile. 43 In that you saw the iron mixed with [ am ] common clay, they will combine with one another [ an ] in [ ao ] their descendants; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Divine Kingdom

44 And in the days of those kings the ( BF ) God of heaven will ( BG ) set up a ( BH ) kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [ ap ] left for another people; it will ( BI ) crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 45 Just as you saw that a ( BJ ) stone was broken off from the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the ( BK ) great God has made known to the king what ( BL ) will take place [ aq ] in the future; so the dream is certain and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid ( BM ) humble respect to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and ( BN ) incense. 47 The king responded to Daniel and said, “ ( BO ) Your God truly is a ( BP ) God of gods and a Lord of kings and a ( BQ ) revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king [ ar ] ( BR ) promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire ( BS ) province of Babylon, and chief [ as ] prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel made a request of the king, and he ( BT ) appointed ( BU ) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s [ at ] ( BV ) court.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:1 Lit dreamed dreams
  2. Daniel 2:1 Lit was gone upon him
  3. Daniel 2:2 Lit said to call
  4. Daniel 2:2 Probably master astrologers, diviners, etc., and so throughout the ch
  5. Daniel 2:2 Lit explain to
  6. Daniel 2:3 Lit dreamed
  7. Daniel 2:3 Lit was troubled
  8. Daniel 2:3 Lit know
  9. Daniel 2:4 The text is in Aramaic from here through 7:28
  10. Daniel 2:5 Another reading is is issued by me
  11. Daniel 2:5 Lit turned into limbs
  12. Daniel 2:8 See note 1 v 5
  13. Daniel 2:9 Or verdict
  14. Daniel 2:9 Lit word
  15. Daniel 2:9 Lit time
  16. Daniel 2:10 Lit before the
  17. Daniel 2:10 Lit of
  18. Daniel 2:11 Lit before
  19. Daniel 2:13 Or law
  20. Daniel 2:13 Lit be killed
  21. Daniel 2:14 Or executioners
  22. Daniel 2:21 Lit knowers of
  23. Daniel 2:24 Lit in before the king
  24. Daniel 2:25 Lit in before the king
  25. Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
  26. Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
  27. Daniel 2:28 Lit of your head
  28. Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
  29. Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
  30. Daniel 2:30 Or through
  31. Daniel 2:30 Lit which is
  32. Daniel 2:30 Lit heart
  33. Daniel 2:31 Lit its radiance was extraordinary
  34. Daniel 2:31 Or dreadful
  35. Daniel 2:34 Lit were
  36. Daniel 2:35 Lit as one
  37. Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
  38. Daniel 2:41 Lit wet clay
  39. Daniel 2:43 Lit wet clay
  40. Daniel 2:43 Or with
  41. Daniel 2:43 Lit the seed of men
  42. Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
  43. Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
  44. Daniel 2:48 Lit made Daniel great
  45. Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
  46. Daniel 2:49 Lit gate

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; ( A ) his mind was troubled ( B ) and he could not sleep. ( C ) 2 So the king summoned the magicians, ( D ) enchanters, sorcerers ( E ) and astrologers [ a ] ( F ) to tell him what he had dreamed. ( G ) When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles ( H ) me and I want to know what it means. [ b ] ”

4 Then the astrologers answered the king, [ c ] ( I ) “May the king live forever! ( J ) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: ( K ) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces ( L ) and your houses turned into piles of rubble. ( M ) 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. ( N ) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

8 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: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty ( O ) 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.” ( P )

10 The astrologers ( Q ) 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. ( R ) 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, ( S ) and they do not live among humans.”

12 This made the king so angry and furious ( T ) that he ordered the execution ( U ) of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 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. ( V )

14 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. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ( W ) 18 He urged them to plead for mercy ( X ) from the God of heaven ( Y ) concerning this mystery, ( Z ) so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery ( AA ) was revealed to Daniel in a vision. ( AB ) Then Daniel praised the God of heaven ( AC ) 20 and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; ( AD )
wisdom and power ( AE ) are his.
21 He changes times and seasons; ( AF )
he deposes ( AG ) kings and raises up others. ( AH )
He gives wisdom ( AI ) to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning. ( AJ )
22 He reveals deep and hidden things; ( AK )
he knows what lies in darkness, ( AL )
and light ( AM ) dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: ( AN )
You have given me wisdom ( AO ) and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king. ( AP ) ”

Daniel Interprets the Dream

24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, ( AQ ) 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.”

25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles ( AR ) from Judah ( AS ) who can tell the king what his dream means.”

26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), ( AT ) “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, ( AU ) 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. ( AV ) He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. ( AW ) Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind ( AX ) as you were lying in bed ( AY ) are these: ( AZ )

29 “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. ( BA ) 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed ( BB ) 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.

31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, ( BC ) awesome ( BD ) in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. ( BE ) It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed ( BF ) them. ( BG ) 35 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 ( BH ) without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain ( BI ) and filled the whole earth. ( BJ )

36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. ( BK ) 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. ( BL ) The God of heaven has given you dominion ( BM ) and power and might and glory; 38 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. ( BN ) You are that head of gold.

39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. ( BO ) 40 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. ( BP ) 41 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. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 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.

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush ( BQ ) all those kingdoms ( BR ) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ( BS ) 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock ( BT ) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands ( BU ) —a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. ( BV ) The dream is true ( BW ) and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate ( BX ) before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering ( BY ) and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods ( BZ ) and the Lord of kings ( CA ) and a revealer of mysteries, ( CB ) for you were able to reveal this mystery. ( CC ) ”

48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high ( CD ) 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. ( CE ) 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, ( CF ) while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. ( CG )

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:2 Or Chaldeans ; also in verses 4, 5 and 10
  2. Daniel 2:3 Or was
  3. Daniel 2:4 At this point the Hebrew text has in Aramaic , indicating that the text from here through the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic.
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