< Daniel 2 >

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him.
In the second year of [his] reign Nabuchodonosor dreamed a dream, and his spirit was amazed, and his sleep departed from him.
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 and stood before the king.
And the king gave orders to call the enchanters, and the magicians, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them: 'I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.'
And the king said to them, I have dreamed, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic: 'O king, live for ever! tell thy servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation.'
And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in the Syrian language, [saying], O king, live for ever: do you tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans: 'The thing is certain with me; if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
The king answered the Chaldeans, The thing has departed from me: if you do not make known to me the dream and the interpretation, you shall be destroyed, and your houses shall be spoiled.
6 But if ye declare the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour; only declare unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof.'
But if you make known to me the dream, and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and presents and much honor: only tell me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered the second time and said: 'Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation.'
They answered the second time, and said, Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.
8 The king answered and said: 'I know of a truth that ye would gain time, inasmuch as ye see the thing is certain with me,
And the king answered and said, I verily know that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the thing has gone from me.
9 that, if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you; and ye have agreed together to speak before me lying and corrupt words, till the time be changed; only tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can declare unto me the interpretation thereof.'
If then you do not tell me the dream, I know that you have concerted to utter before me a false and corrupt tale, until the time shall have past: tell me my dream, and I shall know that you will also declare to me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said: 'There is not a man upon the earth that can declare the king's matter; forasmuch as no great and powerful king hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is no man upon the earth, who shall be able to make known the king's matter: forasmuch as no great king or ruler asks such a question of an enchanter, magician, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a hard thing that the king asketh, and there is none other that can declare it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'
For the question which the king asks is difficult, and there is no one else who shall answer it before the king, but the gods, whose dwelling is not with any flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Then the king in rage and anger commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
So the decree went forth, and they began to kill the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to kill [them].
14 Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and discretion to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
Then Daniel answered [with] counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the royal guard, who was gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; [saying],
15 he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain: 'Wherefore is the decree so peremptory from the king?' Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Chief magistrate of the king, therefore has the preemptory command proceeded from the king? So Arioch made known the matter to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, that he might declare unto the king the interpretation.
And Daniel entreated the king to give him time, and that he might [thus] declare to the king the interpretation of it.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions;
So Daniel went into his house, and made known the matter to Ananias, and Misael, and Azarias, his friends.
18 that they might ask mercy of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
And they sought mercies from the God of heaven concerning this mystery; that Daniel and his friends might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night; and Daniel blessed the God of heaven, and said,
20 Daniel spoke and said: Blessed be the name of God from everlasting even unto everlasting; for wisdom and might are His;
May the name of God be blessed from everlasting and to everlasting: for wisdom and understanding 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;
And he changes times and seasons: he appoints kings, and removes [them], giving wisdom to the wise, and prudence to them that have understanding:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.
he reveals deep and secret [matters]; knowing what is in darkness, and the light is with him.
23 I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hath given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.
I give thanks to you, and praise [you], O God of my fathers, for you has given me wisdom and power, and has made known to me the things which we asked of you; and you has made known to me the king's vision.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed 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 declare unto the king the interpretation.'
And Daniel came to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon, but bring me in before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him: 'I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.'
Then Arioch in haste brought in Daniel before the king, and said to him, I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judea, who will declare the interpretation to the king.
26 The king spoke 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?'
And the king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Baltasar, Canst you declare to me the dream which I saw, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered before the king, and said: 'The secret which the king hath asked can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers, declare unto the king;
And Daniel answered before the king, and said, The mystery which the king asks [the explanation of] is not [in the power] of the wise men, magicians, enchanters, [or] soothsayers to declare to the king.
28 but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and He hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the end of days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:
But there is a God in heaven revealing mysteries, and he has made known to king Nabuchodonosor what things must come to pass in the last days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, are as follows,
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 hath made known to thee what shall come to pass.
O king: your thoughts upon your bed arose [as to] what must come to pass hereafter: and he that reveals mysteries has made known to you what must 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 to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart.
Moreover, this mystery has not been revealed to me by reason of wisdom which is in me beyond all [others] living, but for the sake of making known the interpretation to the king, that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was surpassing, stood before thee; and the appearance thereof was terrible.
You, O king, saw, and behold an image: that image was great, and the appearance of it excellent, standing before your face; and the form of it was terrible.
32 As for that image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
[It was] an image, the head of which was of fine gold, its hands and breast and arms of silver, [its] belly and thighs of brass,
33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay.
its legs of iron, its feet, part of iron and part of earthenware.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
You saw until a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands, and it struck the image upon its feet of iron and earthenware, and utterly reduced them to powder.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, 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 once for all the earthenware, the iron, the brass, the silver, the gold, were ground to powder, and became as chaff from the summer threshing floor; and the violence of the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them: and the stone which had struck the image became a great mountain, and filled all the earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
You, O king, are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a powerful and strong and honorable kingdom,
38 and wheresoever the children of men, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven dwell, hath He given them into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all; thou art the head of gold.
in every place where the children of men dwell: and he has given into your hand the wild beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and he has made you lord of all.
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.
You are the head of gold. And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, an a third kingdom which is the brass, which shall have dominion over all the earth;
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and beateth down all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
and a fourth kingdom, which shall be strong as iron: as iron beats to powder and subdues all things, so shall it beat to powder and subdue.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the firmness of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
And whereas you saw the feet and the toes, part of earthenware and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet there shall be in it of the strength of iron, as you saw the iron mixed with earthenware.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so part of the kingdom shall be strong, and part thereof broken.
And [whereas] the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of earthenware, part of the kingdom shall be strong, and [part] of it shall be broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.
Whereas you saw the iron mixed with earthenware, they shall be mingled with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave together, as the iron does not mix itself with earthenware.
44 And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; nor shall the kingdom be left to another people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but it shall stand for ever.
And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and his kingdom shall not be left to another people, [but] it shall beat to pieces and grind to powder all [other] kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest 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 hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.'
Whereas you saw that a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands, and it beat to pieces the earthenware, the iron, the brass, the silver, the gold; the great God has made known to the king what must happen hereafter: and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof sure.
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odours unto him.
Then king Nabuchodonosor fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and gave orders to offer to him gifts and incense.
47 The king spoke unto Daniel, and said: 'Of a truth it is, that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.'
And the king answered and said to Daniel, Of a truth your God is a God of gods, and Lord of kings, who reveals mysteries; for you has 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 prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
And the king promoted Daniel, and gave him great and abundant gifts, and set him over the whole province of Babylon, and [made him] chief satrap over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the gate of the king.
And Daniel asked of the king, and he appointed Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the king's palace.

< Daniel 2 >