Daniel 2
New King James Version
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; (A)and his spirit was so troubled that (B)his sleep left him. 2 (C)Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to [a]know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, (D)“O[b] king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My [c]decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be (E)cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 (F)However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.”
8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the [d]time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can [e]give me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a [f]difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king (G)except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought (H)Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so [g]urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 (I)that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel (J)in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said:
(K)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
(L)For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes (M)the times and the seasons;
(N)He removes kings and raises up kings;
(O)He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 (P)He reveals deep and secret things;
(Q)He knows what is in the darkness,
And (R)light dwells with Him.
23 “I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we (S)asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s [h]demand.”
Daniel Explains the Dream
24 Therefore Daniel went 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; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the [i]captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 (T)But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (U)what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; (V)and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 (W)But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, (X)and that you may [j]know the thoughts of your heart.
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 (Y)This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and [k]thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of [l]clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out (Z)without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 (AA)Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became (AB)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that (AC)no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image (AD)became a great mountain (AE)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 (AF)You, O king, are a king of kings. (AG)For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 (AH)and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—(AI)you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise (AJ)another kingdom (AK)inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (AL)the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, (AM)so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly [m]fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings (AN)the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (AO)which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; (AP)it shall [n]break in pieces and [o]consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 (AQ)Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
Daniel and His Friends Promoted
46 (AR)Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering (AS)and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly (AT)your God is the God of (AU)gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 (AV)Then the king promoted Daniel (AW)and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and (AX)chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, (AY)and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel (AZ)sat in [p]the gate of the king.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:3 Or understand
- Daniel 2:4 The original language of Daniel 2:4b through 7:28 is Aramaic.
- Daniel 2:5 The command
- Daniel 2:9 Situation
- Daniel 2:9 Or declare to me
- Daniel 2:11 Or rare
- Daniel 2:15 Or harsh
- Daniel 2:23 Lit. word
- Daniel 2:25 Lit. sons of the captivity
- Daniel 2:30 Understand
- Daniel 2:32 Or sides
- Daniel 2:33 Or baked clay, also vv. 34, 35, 42
- Daniel 2:42 Or brittle
- Daniel 2:44 Or crush
- Daniel 2:44 Lit. put an end to
- Daniel 2:49 The king’s court
Daniel 2
New Century Version
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 During Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king, he had dreams that bothered him and kept him awake at night. 2 So the king called for his fortune-tellers, magicians, wizards, and wise men, because he wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood in front of the king.
3 Then the king said to them, “I had a dream that bothers me, and I want to know what it means.”
4 The wise men answered the king in the Aramaic language, “O king, live forever! Please tell us, your servants, your dream. Then we will tell you what it means.”
5 King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “I meant what I said. You must tell me the dream and what it means. If you don’t, I will have you torn apart, and I will turn your houses into piles of stones. 6 But if you tell me my dream and its meaning, I will reward you with gifts and great honor. So tell me the dream and what it means.”
7 Again the wise men said to the king, “Tell us, your servants, the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”
8 King Nebuchadnezzar answered, “I know you are trying to get more time, because you know that I meant what I said. 9 If you don’t tell me my dream, you will be punished. You have all agreed to tell me lies and wicked things, hoping things will change. Now, tell me the dream so that I will know you can tell me what it really means!”
10 The wise men answered the king, saying, “No one on earth can do what the king asks! No great and powerful king has ever asked the fortune-tellers, magicians, or wise men to do this; 11 the king is asking something that is too hard. Only the gods could tell the king this, but the gods do not live among people.”
12 When the king heard their answer, he became very angry. He ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be killed. 13 So King Nebuchadnezzar’s order to kill the wise men was announced, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
14 Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, was going to kill the wise men of Babylon. But Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and skill, 15 saying, “Why did the king order such a terrible punishment?” Then Arioch explained everything to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went to King Nebuchadnezzar and asked for an appointment so that he could tell the king what his dream meant.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and explained the whole story to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 18 Daniel asked his friends to pray that the God of heaven would show them mercy and help them understand this secret so he and his friends would not be killed with the other wise men of Babylon.
19 During the night God explained the secret to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 Daniel said:
“Praise God forever and ever,
because he has wisdom and power.
21 He changes the times and seasons of the year.
He takes away the power of kings
and gives their power to new kings.
He gives wisdom to those who are wise
and knowledge to those who understand.
22 He makes known secrets that are deep and hidden;
he knows what is hidden in darkness,
and light is all around him.
23 I thank you and praise you, God of my ancestors,
because you have given me wisdom and power.
You told me what we asked of you;
you told us about the king’s dream.”
The Meaning of the Dream
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man King Nebuchadnezzar had chosen to kill the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t put the wise men of Babylon to death. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what his dream means.”
25 Very quickly Arioch took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found a man among the captives from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26 The king asked Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”
27 Daniel answered, “No wise man, magician, or fortune-teller can explain to the king the secret he has asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who explains secret things, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at a later time. This is your dream, the vision you saw while lying on your bed: 29 O king, as you were lying there, you thought about things to come. God, who can tell people about secret things, showed you what is going to happen. 30 God also told this secret to me, not because I have greater wisdom than any other living person, but so that you may know what it means. In that way you will understand what went through your mind.
31 “O king, in your dream you saw a huge, shiny, and frightening statue in front of you. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. Its stomach and the upper part of its legs were made of bronze. 33 The lower part of the legs were made of iron, while its feet were made partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were looking at the statue, you saw a rock cut free, but no human being touched the rock. It hit the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold broke to pieces at the same time. They became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summertime; the wind blew them away, and there was nothing left. Then the rock that hit the statue became a very large mountain that filled the whole earth.
36 “That was your dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. 37 O king, you are the greatest king. God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. 38 Wherever people, wild animals, and birds live, God made you ruler over them. King Nebuchadnezzar, you are the head of gold on that statue.
39 “Another kingdom will come after you, but it will not be as great as yours. Next a third kingdom, the bronze part, will rule over the earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron. In the same way that iron crushes and smashes things to pieces, the fourth kingdom will smash and crush all the other kingdoms.
41 “You saw that the statue’s feet and toes were partly baked clay and partly iron. That means the fourth kingdom will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron in it, just as you saw iron was mixed with clay. 42 The toes of the statue were partly iron and partly clay. So the fourth kingdom will be partly strong like iron and partly breakable like clay. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay, but iron and clay do not hold together. In the same way the people of the fourth kingdom will be a mixture, but they will not be united as one people.
44 “During the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up another kingdom that will never be destroyed or given to another group of people. This kingdom will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will continue forever.
45 “King Nebuchadnezzar, you saw a rock cut from a mountain, but no human being touched it. The rock broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces. In this way the great God showed you what will happen. The dream is true, and you can trust this explanation.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown on the ground in front of Daniel. The king honored him and commanded that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 Then the king said to Daniel, “Truly I know your God is the greatest of all gods, the Lord of all the kings. He tells people about things they cannot know. I know this is true, because you were able to tell these secret things to me.”
48 Then the king gave Daniel many gifts plus an important position in his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar made him ruler over the whole area of Babylon and put him in charge of all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel asked the king to make Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego leaders over the area of Babylon, so the king did as Daniel asked. Daniel himself became one of the people who stayed at the royal court.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.