Daniel 2

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

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign the king had dreams that upset him so much that he found it difficult to sleep.

2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood before him.

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

“I've had a dream that has really upset me,” he told them. “I need to know what it means.”

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in the Syrian language, O king, live forever. Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

The astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “May Your Majesty the king live forever! Tell us your dream and we your servants will interpret it for you.”

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me. If ye do not make the dream and the interpretation of it known to me, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

“I can't recall it,” the king told the astrologers. “If you can't reveal the dream to me, and its meaning, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be totally destroyed!

6 But if ye show the dream and the interpretation of it, ye shall receive gifts and rewards and great honor from me. Therefore show the dream and the interpretation of it to me.

But if you can tell me the dream and its meaning you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me the dream and what it means!”

7 They answered the second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

Again they said the same thing: “If Your Majesty the king would tell us his servants the dream, we will explain what it means.”

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

“It's obvious to me that you're just trying to buy time!” said the king. “You can see that I can't remember the dream.

9 But if ye do not make known to me the dream, there is but one law for you, for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me till the time is changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation of it.

If you can't reveal the dream to me, you will all receive the same punishment! You have conspired against me, telling me lies, hoping things will change. So tell me what my dream was and then I'll know that you can explain what it means.”

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth who can show the king's matter. Inasmuch as no king, lord, or ruler, has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth could tell the king what he dreamed! Never before has a king, however great and powerful, demanded this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

What Your Majesty is asking is impossible! No one can tell Your Majesty what you dreamed, except the gods, and they do not live among us mortals.”

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

This made the king extremely angry, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed.

13 So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain. And they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

The decree was issued. The wise men were about to be executed, and the king's men went looking for Daniel and his friends.

14 Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who went forth to kill the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel approached Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard, whom the king had put in charge of the order to execute all the wise men of Babylon. Wisely and tactfully

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

Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.

16 And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.

Daniel immediately went to see the king and asked for more time to explain the dream and its meaning to him.

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

Then Daniel went home and shared with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on.

18 that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should nor perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

He told them to pray to the God of heaven, asking for help regarding this mystery, so that he and his friends would not be killed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then the secret was shown to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven:

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

“Praise the wonderful nature of God forever and ever, for he is wise and powerful.

21 And he changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.

He is in charge of time and history. He removes kings, and he sets kings in place. He gives wisdom to make people wise; he gives knowledge to people so they can understand.

22 He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.

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

I give thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, for you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have revealed to me what we asked you; you have revealed to us the king's dream.”

24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.

So Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon and told him, “Don't execute the wise men of Babylon! Take me to see the king and I will explain to him his dream.”

25 Then Arioch brought Daniel in before the king in haste, and said thus to him: I have found a man of the sons of the captivity of Judah, who will make known the interpretation to the king.

Arioch immediately took Daniel to the king and told him, “I've found one of the captives from Judah who can tell Your Majesty what your dream means.”

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

The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”

27 Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded, neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, can show to the king,

“No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.

28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And he has made 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:

“But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came to your mind as you were lying in bed were these.

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter. And he who reveals secrets has made known to thee what shall come to pass.

As Your Majesty lay there, your thoughts turned to the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what would take place.

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living man, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou may know the thoughts of thy heart.

It's not because I have any more wisdom than anyone else that this mystery has been revealed to me, but to explain to Your Majesty what you were thinking about so you could understand.

31 Thou, O king, saw, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the appearance of it was fearful.

Your Majesty, as you looked, there before you stood a great statue. The statue standing in front of you was huge, and blazingly bright. It looked terrifying!

32 As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,

The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze,

33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.

its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and baked clay.

34 Thou looked until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

While you were watching, a stone was quarried, but not by human hands. It struck the iron and clay feet of the statue and smashed them to pieces.

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

Then the rest of the statue—the bronze, the silver, and the gold—broke into pieces like the iron and clay. The wind blew them all away like chaff from the summer threshing floor, so that no trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.

This was the dream, and now we will explain what it means to the king.

37 Thou, O king, are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory.

Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, and power, strength, and glory.

38 And wherever the sons of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, he has given into thy hand, and has made thee to rule over them all. Thou are the head of gold.

He gave you control over all peoples, as well as the wild animals and birds. He made you ruler of all of them. You are the 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.

But after you another kingdom will rise that is inferior to your kingdom and will replace yours. After that a third kingdom that is bronze will rise and rule over the whole world.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things. And as iron that crushes all these, it shall break in pieces and crush.

The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron and in the same way that iron crushes and smashes everything; it will crush and smash all others.

41 And whereas thou saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom. But there shall be of the strength of the iron in it, inasmuch as thou saw the iron mixed with miry clay.

You saw the feet and toes made from iron and baked clay, and this indicates it will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron but mixed with 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.

As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

43 And whereas thou saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cling one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay.

In the same way that you saw the iron mixed with ordinary clay, so the people will mix but they will not stick together just as iron and clay do not mix.

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

During the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed or taken over by others. It will crush all these kingdoms, bringing them to an end, and it will last forever,

45 Inasmuch as thou saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

in the same way that you saw the stone quarried from the mountain, but not by human hands, crush the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to Your Majesty what is to come. The dream is true, and the explanation is trustworthy.”

46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors to him.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and worshiped him, and ordered offerings of grain and incense to be made to him.

47 The king answered to Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since thou have been able to reveal this secret.

The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, the revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

48 Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.

Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and gave him many expensive gifts, making him governor over the whole province of Babylon and head of all the wise men of Babylon.

49 And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon, but Daniel was in the gate of the king.

At Daniel's request, the king placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of Babylon, and Daniel remained at the king's court.