Daniel 2

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, whereat his spirit was troubled, and his sleep that was upon him was gone.

In the second year of [his] reign Nabuchodonosor dreamt a dream, and his spirit was amazed, and his sleep departed from him.

2 Then said the king to call the magicians, and the astrologers and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to solve for the king his dreams: and they came and placed themselves 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 dreamt, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramic, O king, live for ever: recite the dream to thy servants, and we will tell 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 decree is firmly resolved on by me: If ye do not make known unto me the dream with its interpretation, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be changed into 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 tell the dream and its interpretation, then shall ye receive gifts and rewards and great honor from me. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.

But if you make known to me the dream, and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and presents and much honour: only tell me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7 They answered the second time and said, Let the king recite the dream to his servants, and we will tell its 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 certainty that ye wish to gain time, because ye see the decree is firmly resolved on by 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 do not make known unto me the dream, there is but one sentence for you; for ye have prepared lying and deceptive words to speak before me, till the time be changed. Therefore relate to me the dream, and I shall know that ye can tell me its interpretation.

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 habitable earth that can tell the king's matter: wherefore no mighty and powerful king ever hath asked such a thing of any magician, or astrologer, 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 the matter which the king requireth is difficult, and there is no other that can tell 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 all this cause the king became angry, and very furious; and he 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 And the law went forth and [some of] the wise men were slain: and they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them.

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 made Daniel representations with intelligence and prudence to Aryoch 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 commenced and said to Aryoch the king's commander, Wherefore is the law so hasty from the king? Then made Aryoch the matter 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 But Daniel went in, and requested of the king that he would give him time, that he might tell the interpretation to the king.

And Daniel entreated the king to give him time, and that he might [thus] declare to the king the interpretation of it.

17 Then went Daniel to his house, and made the matter known to Chananyah, Mishael, and 'Azaryah, his companions.

So Daniel went into his house, and made known the matter to Ananias, and Misael, and Azarias, his friends.

18 In order that they might pray for mercy of the God of heaven concerning this secret: so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed 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 Thereupon was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then did Daniel bless 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 commenced and said, May the name of God be blessed from eternity and to all eternity; 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 times and seasons; he removeth kings, and raiseth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to those that possess 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 it is that revealeth what is deep and secret; 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 To thee, O God of my father, do I give thanks, and I praise thee, who hast given me wisdom and might, and because thou hast made known unto me what we prayed for 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 did Daniel go in unto Aryoch, whom the king had ordered to destroy the wise men of Babylon, He went and said thus unto him, the wise men of Babylon must thou not destroy: bring me before the king, and I will tell 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 did Aryoch bring Daniel before the king in haste, and thus he said unto him, Here have I found a man out of the children of the exiles of Judah, who 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 answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?

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 in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or soothsayers, can tell 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 king Nebuchadnezzar what is to be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy couch, were 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, when thou wast on thy couch, rose [within thee] concerning what is to come to pass hereafter; and the Revealer of secrets hath made known to thee what is to 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 hath not been revealed to me because of any wisdom that is in me more than in all other living; but for the sake that men might make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest understand 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 there was a large image; this image was mighty, and its brightness was excellent; it stood opposite to thee; and its form was fear-inspiring.

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 regardeth this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its belly and its thighs of copper,

[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 them of iron and part of them of clay.

its legs of iron, its feet, part of iron and part of earthenware.

34 Thou didst look on till the moment that a stone tore itself loose, not through [human] hands, and it struck the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and ground 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 were the iron, the clay, the copper, the silver, and the gold ground up together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no trace was found of them; and the stone that had stricken the image became a mighty 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 its interpretation will we relate before the king.

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

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven hath given kingdom, power, and strength, and honor:

You, O king, are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a powerful and strong and honourable kingdom,

38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, hath he given the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler 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 there will arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of copper, which will 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 will be as strong as iron; forasmuch as iron grindeth up and beateth down all things, and as iron that breaketh [every thing], will it grind up and break all these.

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 that thou sawest the feet and toes, and part of them of potter's clay, and part of them of iron, [signifieth] that it will be a divided kingdom, although there will be in it of the strength of the iron; forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mingled 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 them of iron, and part of them of clay: so will the kingdom be partly strong and partly brittle.

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 iron mingled with miry clay: so will they mingle themselves among the seed of men; but they will not cleave firmly one to another, even as iron cannot be mingled 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 But in the days of these kings will the God of heaven set up a kingdom: which shall to eternity not be destroyed, and its rule shall not be transferred to any other people; [but] it will grind up and make an end of all these kingdoms, while it will itself endure 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 Whereas thou sawest that out of the mountain a stone tore itself loose, not through [human] hands, and that it ground up the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver, and the gold: the great God hath made known to the king what is to come to pass after this. And the dream is reliable, and its interpretation certain.

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 did king Nebuchadnezzar fall upon his face, and he bowed down to Daniel, and ordered that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors 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 answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets; because 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 did the king elevate Daniel, and gave him many great presents, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the superintendents 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 Then requested Daniel of the king, that he might appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and 'Abed-nego, over the public service of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained 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.