Daniel 2

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had dreams. His mind was troubled, and he could not sleep.

In the second year of the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep went from him.

2 Then the king summoned the magicians and those who claimed to speak with the dead. He also called the sorcerers and wise men. He wanted them to tell him about his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

Then the king gave orders that the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and those who made use of evil powers, and the Chaldaeans, were to be sent for to make clear to the king his dreams. So they came and took their places before the king.

3 The king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my mind is anxious to know what the dream means.”

And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is troubled by the desire to have the dream made clear to me.

4 Then the wise men spoke to the king in Aramaic, “King, live forever! Tell the dream to us, your servants, and we will reveal the meaning.”

Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in the Aramaean language, O King, have life for ever: give your servants an account of your dream, and we will make clear to you the sense of it.

5 The king replied to the wise men, “This matter has been settled. If you do not reveal the dream to me and interpret it, your bodies will be torn apart and your houses made into rubbish heaps.

The king made answer and said to the Chaldaeans, This is my decision: if you do not make clear to me the dream and the sense of it, you will be cut in bits and your houses made waste.

6 But if you will tell me the dream and its meaning, you will receive gifts from me, a reward, and great honor. So tell to me the dream and its meaning.”

But if you make clear the dream and the sense of it, you will have from me offerings and rewards and great honour: so make clear to me the dream and the sense of it.

7 They replied again and said, “Let the king tell us, his servants, the dream and we will tell you its meaning.”

A second time they said in answer, Let the king give his servants an account of his dream, and we will make clear the sense.

8 The king answered, “I know for certain that you want more time because you see how firm my decision is about this.

The king made answer and said, I am certain that you are attempting to get more time, because you see that my decision is fixed;

9 But if you do not tell me the dream, there is only one sentence for you. You have decided to prepare false and deceptive words that you agreed together to say to me until I change my mind. So then, tell me the dream, and then I will know you can interpret it for me.”

That if you do not make my dream clear to me there is only one fate for you: for you have made ready false and evil words to say before me till the times are changed: so give me an account of the dream, and I will be certain that you are able to make the sense of it clear.

10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is not a man on earth able to meet the king's demand. There is no great and powerful king who has demanded such a thing from any magician, or from anyone who claims to speak with the dead, or from a wise man.

Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in answer, There is not a man on earth able to make clear the king's business; for no king, however great his power, has ever made such a request to any wonder-worker or user of secret arts or Chaldaean.

11 What the king demands is difficult, and there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

The king's request is a very hard one, and there is no other who is able to make it clear to the king, but the gods, whose living-place is not with flesh.

12 This made the king angry and very furious, and he gave an order to destroy all those in Babylon who were known for their wisdom.

Because of this the king was angry and full of wrath, and gave orders for the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon.

13 So the decree went out that all those who were known for their wisdom were to be put to death. Because of this decree, they searched for Daniel and his friends so they could be put to death.

So the order went out that the wise men were to be put to death; and they were looking for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch the commander of the king's bodyguard, who had come to kill all those in Babylon who were known for their wisdom.

Then Daniel gave an answer with wisdom and good sense to Arioch, the captain of the king's armed men, who had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon;

15 Daniel asked the king's commander, “Why is the king's decree so urgent?” So Arioch told Daniel what had happened.

He made answer and said to Arioch, O captain of the king, why is the king's order so cruel? Then Arioch gave Daniel an account of the business.

16 Then Daniel went in and requested an appointment with the king so that he could present the interpretation to the king.

And Daniel went in and made a request to the king to give him time and he would make clear the sense of his dream to the king.

17 Then Daniel went to his house and explained to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened.

And Daniel went to his house and gave his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah the news:

18 He urged them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and they might not be killed with the rest of the men of Babylon who were known for their wisdom.

So that they might make a request for the mercy of the God of heaven in the question of this secret; so that Daniel and his friends might not come to destruction with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

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

Then the secret was made clear to Daniel in a vision of the night. And Daniel gave blessing to the God of heaven.

20 and said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and power belong to him.

And Daniel said in answer, May the name of God be praised for ever and ever: for wisdom and strength are his:

21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and places kings on their thrones. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

By him times and years are changed: by him kings are taken away and kings are lifted up: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those whose minds are awake:

22 He reveals the deep and hidden things because he knows what is in the darkness, and the light lives with him.

He is the unveiler of deep and secret things: he has knowledge of what is in the dark, and the light has its living-place with him.

23 God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you for the wisdom and power you gave to me. Now you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king.”

I give you praise and worship, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and strength, and have now made clear to me what we were requesting from you: for you have given us knowledge of the king's business.

24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (the one the king appointed to kill everyone who was wise in Babylon). He went and said to him, “Do not kill the wise men in Babylon. Take me to the king and I will show the king the interpretation of his dream.”

For this reason Daniel went to Arioch, to whom the king had given orders for the destruction of the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, Do not put to death the wise men of Babylon: take me in before the king and I will make clear to him the sense of the dream.

25 Then Arioch quickly brought in Daniel before the king and said, “I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who will reveal the meaning of the king's dream.”

Then Arioch quickly took Daniel in before the king, and said to him, Here is a man from among the prisoners of Judah, who will make clear to the king the sense of the dream.

26 The king said to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me the dream that I saw and its meaning?”

The king made answer and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make clear to me the dream which I saw and its sense?

27 Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery that the king has asked about cannot be revealed by those who have wisdom, nor by those who claim to speak with the dead, nor by magicians, and not by astrologers.

Then Daniel said in answer to the king, No wise men, or users of secret arts, or wonder-workers, or readers of signs, are able to make clear to the king the secret he is searching for;

28 Nevertheless, there is a God who lives in the heavens, who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, what will happen in the days to come. These were your dream and the visions of your mind as you lay on your bed.

But there is a God in heaven, the unveiler of secrets, and he has given to King Nebuchadnezzar knowledge of what will take place in the last days. Your dreams and the visions of your head on your bed are these:

29 As for you, king, your thoughts on your bed were about things to come, and the one who reveals mysteries has made known to you what is about to happen.

As for you, O King, the thoughts which came to you on your bed were of what will come about after this: and the unveiler of secrets has made clear to you what is to come.

30 As for me, this mystery was not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living person. This mystery was revealed to me so that you, king, may understand the meaning, and so that you may know the thoughts deep within you.

As for me, this secret is not made clear to me because of any wisdom which I have more than any living man, but in order that the sense of the dream may be made clear to the king, and that you may have knowledge of the thoughts of your heart.

31 King, you looked up and you saw a large statue. This statue, which was very powerful and bright, stood before you. Its brightness was terrifying.

You, O King, were looking, and a great image was there. This image, which was very great, and whose glory was very bright, was placed before you: its form sent fear into the heart.

32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its breast and arms were of silver. Its middle and its thighs were made of bronze,

As for this image, its head was made of the best gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its middle and its sides were of brass,

33 and its legs were made of iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay.

Its legs of iron, its feet were in part of iron and in part of potter's earth.

34 You looked up, and a stone was cut out, although not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and it shattered them.

While you were looking at it, a stone was cut out, but not by hands, and it gave the image a blow on its feet, which were of iron and earth, and they were broken in bits.

35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold at the same time were broken into pieces and became like the chaff of the threshing floors in the summer. The wind carried them away and there was no trace of them left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Then the iron and the earth, the brass and the silver and the gold, were smashed together, and became like the dust on the floors where grain is crushed in summer; and the wind took them away so that no sign of them was to be seen: and the stone which gave the image a blow became a great mountain, covering all the earth.

36 This was your dream. Now we will tell the king the meaning.

This is the dream; and we will make clear to the king the sense of it.

37 You, king, are king of the kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the honor.

You, O King, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory,

38 He has given into your hand the place where the human beings live. He has given over the animals of the fields and the birds of the heavens into your hand, and he has made you rule over them all. You are the statue's head of gold.

Wherever the children of men are living; into whose hands he has given the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven, and has made you ruler over them all, you are the head of gold.

39 After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze will rule over all the earth.

And after you another kingdom, lower than you, will come to power; and a third kingdom, of brass, ruling over all the earth.

40 There will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks other things into pieces and shatters everything. It will shatter all these things and crush them.

And the fourth kingdom will be strong as iron: because, as all things are broken and overcome by iron, so it will have the power of crushing and smashing down all the earth.

41 Just as you saw, the feet and toes were partly made of baked clay and partly made of iron, so it will be a divided kingdom; some of the strength of iron will be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.

And as you saw the feet and toes, part of potter's work and part of iron, there will be a division in the kingdom; but there will be some of the strength of iron in it, because you saw the iron mixed with the potter's earth.

42 As the toes of the feet were partly made of iron and partly made of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

And as the toes of the feet were in part of iron and in part of earth, so part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will readily be broken.

43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so the people will be a mixture; they will not stay together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

And as you saw the iron mixed with earth, they will give their daughters to one another as wives: but they will not be united one with another, even as iron is not mixed with earth.

44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be conquered by another people. It will break the other kingdoms into pieces and put an end to all of them, and it will remain forever.

And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will put up a kingdom which will never come to destruction, and its power will never be given into the hands of another people, and all these kingdoms will be broken and overcome by it, but it will keep its place for ever.

45 Just as you saw, a stone was cut out of the mountain, but not by human hands. It broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to you, king, what will happen after this. The dream is true and this interpretation is reliable.”

Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that by it the iron and the brass and the earth and the silver and the gold were broken to bits, a great God has given the king knowledge of what is to take place in the future: the dream is fixed, and its sense is certain.

46 King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel and honored him; he commanded that an offering be made and that incense be offered up to him.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar, falling down on his face, gave worship to Daniel, and gave orders for an offering and spices to be given to him;

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

And the king made answer to Daniel and said, Truly, your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and an unveiler of secrets, for you have been able to make this secret clear.

48 Then the king made Daniel highly honored and gave him many wonderful gifts. He made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon. Daniel became chief governor over the wisest men of Babylon.

Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him offerings in great number, and made him ruler over all the land of Babylon, and chief over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Daniel made a request of the king, and the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be administrators over the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

And at Daniel's request, the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego authority over the business of the land of Babylon: but Daniel was kept near the king's person.