但以理書 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
尼布甲尼撒的夢
2 尼布甲尼撒在執政第二年做了夢,心裡煩亂,無法入睡, 2 便派人召來術士、巫師、行法術的和占星家[a],為他解夢。他們都來到王面前。 3 王對他們說:「我做了一個夢,心裡煩亂,想知道夢的意思。」 4 占星家用亞蘭話對王說:「願王萬歲!請將夢告訴僕人,僕人好解釋夢的意思。」 5 王對占星家說:「我的旨意已定,你們若不能將夢和夢的意思告訴我,必被碎屍萬段,你們的家必淪為廢墟。 6 你們若能將夢和夢的意思告訴我,我必給你們禮物、賞賜和極大的尊榮。所以你們要將夢和夢的意思告訴我。」 7 他們再次對王說:「請王將夢告訴僕人,僕人好解釋夢的意思。」 8 王說:「我敢肯定,你們是在拖延時間,因為你們知道我的旨意已定, 9 你們若不將夢告訴我,我必懲治你們。你們串通起來在我面前胡言亂語,期待情況會改變。現在將夢告訴我,我就相信你們能解夢。」 10 占星家說:「王所要求的,世上無人能做到,因為再偉大、再有權勢的君王也沒問過術士、巫師或占星家這樣的事。 11 王問的事太難,除了不在人間居住的神明外,無人能為王解答。」 12 王大怒,下令處死巴比倫所有的智者。 13 於是,處死智者的諭旨發出,但以理和他的同伴都在被殺之列。
14 王的護衛長亞略奉命要處死巴比倫的智者,但以理機智、謹慎地應對。 15 他問王的護衛長亞略:「王的命令為何這樣緊急?」亞略就把情況告訴他。 16 但以理便進宮求王寬限,以便為王解夢。 17 然後,他回到居所將這事告訴同伴哈拿尼雅、米沙利和亞撒利雅, 18 要同伴祈求天上的上帝施憐憫,顯明這奧秘,以免他們和其他巴比倫的智者一起被殺。 19 這奧秘在夜間的異象中向但以理顯明,他便頌讚天上的上帝, 20 說:
「上帝的名永永遠遠當受稱頌,
因為智慧和能力都屬於祂。
21 祂改變時令和季節,廢王立王,
賜智慧給智者,賜知識給哲士。
22 祂顯明深奧隱秘之事,
洞悉暗中的隱情,
有光與祂同住。
23 我祖先的上帝啊,我感謝你,讚美你,
因你賜我智慧和能力,
應允我們的祈求,
使我們明白王的夢。」
但以理解夢
24 於是,但以理去見王指派處死巴比倫智者的亞略,對他說:「不要處死巴比倫的智者,請帶我去見王,我要為王解夢。」 25 亞略急忙帶但以理去見王,對王說:「我在被擄的猶大人中找到一個能為王解夢的。」 26 王就問又名伯提沙撒的但以理:「你能將我做的夢和夢的意思告訴我嗎?」 27 但以理回答說:「沒有智者、術士、巫師或占星家可以解答王所問的奧秘, 28-30 但天上的上帝能揭開奧秘,祂已把將來要發生的事告訴了王。王啊,你在床上夢見了將來的事,揭開奧秘的上帝已把將來的事指示給你。上帝將王做的夢啟示給我,並非因為我的智慧勝過其他人,而是要讓王知道夢的意思和王的心事。以下是王在床上做的夢和腦中出現的異象。
31 「王啊,你夢見一個高大宏偉、極其明亮的塑像站在你面前,相貌可怕, 32 有純金的頭、銀的胸和臂、銅的肚腹和大腿、 33 鐵的小腿和半鐵半泥的腳。 34 在你觀看的時候,有一塊非人手鑿出的石頭打在塑像半鐵半泥的腳上,砸碎了腳。 35 鐵、泥、銅、銀、金隨即粉碎,猶如夏天麥場上的糠秕,被風吹得無影無蹤。但打碎這像的石頭變成一座大山,充滿整個大地。
36 「這就是夢的內容。現在我們要為王解夢。 37 王啊,你是萬王之王,天上的上帝已將國度、權柄、能力和尊榮賜給你, 38 也將居住在各地的世人、走獸和飛禽都交在你手中,讓你管理。你就是那金頭。 39 在你之後,必有另一國興起,不及你的國強大。之後是將要統治天下的第三個國,是銅的。 40 接著是堅如鐵的第四國,能擊垮、打碎列國,正如鐵能擊垮、打碎一切。 41 你看見半鐵半陶泥的腳和腳趾,表示那將是一個分裂的國。正如你看見鐵和泥混雜在一起,它必有鐵一般的力量。 42 半鐵半泥的腳趾表示那國必半強半弱。 43 你看見鐵和泥混雜在一起,這表示那國的民族彼此混雜通婚,卻不能團結,正如鐵和泥無法混合。 44 在以上列王統治的時候,天上的上帝必設立一國——永不滅亡、外族無法奪其政權。這國將擊垮、消滅列國,並且永遠長存。 45 你看見那塊非人手從山中鑿出的石頭打碎鐵、銅、泥、銀和金。偉大的上帝已把將來的事告訴了王。這夢是真實的,解釋是可靠的。」
46 尼布甲尼撒王俯伏在地,向但以理下拜,並下令給他獻供物和香。 47 王對但以理說:「你們的上帝真是萬神之神、萬王之主、奧秘的啟示者,因為你能揭開這個奧秘。」 48 王賜但以理高官及許多貴重的禮物,派他治理巴比倫全省,管理巴比倫所有的智者。 49 王又應允但以理的請求,派沙得拉、米煞和亞伯尼歌負責巴比倫省的事務。但以理仍在朝中供職。
Daniel 2
English Standard Version
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; (A)his spirit was troubled, and (B)his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that (C)the magicians, (D)the enchanters, the (E)sorcerers, and (F)the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and (G)stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and (H)my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then (I)the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,[a] (J)“O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to (K)the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be (L)torn limb from limb, (M)and your (N)houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, (O)you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. (P)Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to (Q)gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 9 if you do not make the dream known to me, (R)there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till (S)the times change. (T)Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 (U)The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or (V)Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except (W)the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and (X)very furious, and (Y)commanded that all (Z)the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought (AA)Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to (AB)Arioch, the (AC)captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared[b] to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king (AD)so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to (AE)Hananiah, (AF)Mishael, and (AG)Azariah, his companions, 18 (AH)and told them to seek mercy from the (AI)God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not (AJ)be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in (AK)a vision of the night. Then Daniel (AL)blessed the (AM)God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:
(AN)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
(AO)to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 (AP)He changes times and seasons;
(AQ)he removes kings and sets up kings;
(AR)he gives wisdom to the wise
(AS)and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 (AT)he reveals deep and hidden things;
(AU)he knows what is in the darkness,
(AV)and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O (AW)God of my fathers,
(AX)I give thanks and praise,
for (AY)you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what (AZ)we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king's matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to (BA)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 the king the interpretation.”
25 Then (BB)Arioch brought in Daniel before the king (BC)in haste and said thus to him: “I have found (BD)among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, (BE)whose name was Belteshazzar, (BF)“Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, (BG)enchanters, (BH)magicians, or (BI)astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but (BJ)there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (BK)what will be in the latter days. Your dream and (BL)the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, (BM)and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But (BN)as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that (BO)you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 (BP)The head of this image was of fine gold, (BQ)its chest and arms of silver, its middle and (BR)thighs of bronze, 33 (BS)its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out (BT)by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and (BU)broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became (BV)like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that (BW)not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became (BX)a great mountain (BY)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, (BZ)the king of kings, to whom (CA)the God of heaven (CB)has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, (CC)the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are (CD)the head of gold. 39 (CE)Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom (CF)of bronze, (CG)which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (CH)there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron (CI)breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall (CJ)break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw (CK)the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the (CL)firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings (CM)the God of heaven will set up (CN)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. (CO)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and (CP)it shall stand forever, 45 just as (CQ)you saw that (CR)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that (CS)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A (CT)great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Daniel Is Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar (CU)fell upon his face and (CV)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that (CW)an offering and (CX)incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your (CY)God is God of gods and (CZ)Lord of kings, and (DA)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great (DB)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole (DC)province of Babylon and (DD)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he (DE)appointed (DF)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of (DG)the province of Babylon. But Daniel (DH)remained at the king's court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:4 The text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic
- Daniel 2:15 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 26
- Daniel 2:43 Aramaic by the seed of men
Daniel 2
Christian Standard Bible
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams(A) that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.(B) 2 So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans[a](C) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”
4 The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic[b](D) begins here): “May the king live forever.(E) Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,[c] and your houses will be made a garbage dump.(F) 6 But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me.(G) So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”
7 They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”
8 The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. 9 If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you.(H) You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests.(I) Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. 11 What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”(J) 12 Because of this, the king became violently angry(K) and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
14 Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard,[d](L) who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 15 He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” [e](M) Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, 18 urging them to ask the God of the heavens(N) for mercy(O) concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.(P) 19 The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision(Q) at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens 20 and declared:
May the name of God
be praised forever and ever,(R)
for wisdom(S) and power belong to him.
21 He changes the times and seasons;
he removes kings and establishes kings.(T)
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those
who have understanding.(U)
22 He reveals the deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,(V)
and light dwells with him.(W)
23 I offer thanks and praise to you,
God of my ancestors,(X)
because you have given me
wisdom and power.
And now you have let me know
what we asked of you,
for you have let us know(Y)
the king’s mystery.[f]
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,(Z) whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”(AA)
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles(AB) who can let the king know the interpretation.”
26 The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,(AC) “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?” (AD)
27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner(AE) is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.(AF) Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed(AG) were these: 29 Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future.[g](AH) The revealer of mysteries(AI) has let you know what will happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me,(AJ) not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.(AK)
The Dream’s Interpretation
31 “Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. 34 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,[h](AL) struck the statue(AM) on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.(AN) 35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff(AO) from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled(AP) the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 Your Majesty, you are king of kings.(AQ) The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power,(AR) strength, and glory. 38 Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all.(AS) You are the head of gold.
39 “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.(AT) 40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.[i](AU) 41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, 42 and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another[j] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.
44 “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed,(AV) and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms(AW) and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. 45 You saw a stone(AX) break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,[k](AY) and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.(AZ) The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s Response
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.(BA) 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings,(BB) and a revealer of mysteries,(BC) since you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.(BD) 49 At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(BE) to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.(BF)
Footnotes
- 2:2 In this chap. Chaldeans are influential Babylonian wise men.
- 2:4 Dn 2:4–7:28 is written in Aramaic.
- 2:5 Lit be made into limbs
- 2:14 Or executioners
- 2:15 Or urgent
- 2:23 Lit matter
- 2:29 Lit happen after this, also in v. 45
- 2:34 Lit off not by hands
- 2:40 Lit all these
- 2:43 Lit another in the seed of men
- 2:45 Lit mountain, not by hands
Daniel 2
New International Version
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
- Daniel 2:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 4, 5 and 10
- Daniel 2:3 Or was
- 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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