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Daniel 1:8-2:49
English Standard Version
Daniel 1:8-2:49
English Standard Version
Daniel's Faithfulness
8 But Daniel (A)resolved that he would not (B)defile himself with (C)the king's food, or with (D)the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to (E)defile himself. 9 (F)And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for (G)ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat (H)the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate (I)the king's food. 16 (J)So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them (K)vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, (L)God gave them learning and (M)skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had (N)understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of (O)the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore (P)they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all (Q)the magicians and (R)enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel (S)was there until the first year of (T)King Cyrus.
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; (U)his spirit was troubled, and (V)his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that (W)the magicians, (X)the enchanters, the (Y)sorcerers, and (Z)the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and (AA)stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and (AB)my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then (AC)the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,[a] (AD)“O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to (AE)the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be (AF)torn limb from limb, (AG)and your (AH)houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, (AI)you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. (AJ)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 (AK)gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 9 if you do not make the dream known to me, (AL)there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till (AM)the times change. (AN)Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 (AO)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 (AP)Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except (AQ)the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and (AR)very furious, and (AS)commanded that all (AT)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 (AU)Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to (AV)Arioch, the (AW)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 (AX)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 (AY)Hananiah, (AZ)Mishael, and (BA)Azariah, his companions, 18 (BB)and told them to seek mercy from the (BC)God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not (BD)be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in (BE)a vision of the night. Then Daniel (BF)blessed the (BG)God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:
(BH)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
(BI)to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 (BJ)He changes times and seasons;
(BK)he removes kings and sets up kings;
(BL)he gives wisdom to the wise
(BM)and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 (BN)he reveals deep and hidden things;
(BO)he knows what is in the darkness,
(BP)and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O (BQ)God of my fathers,
(BR)I give thanks and praise,
for (BS)you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what (BT)we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king's matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to (BU)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 (BV)Arioch brought in Daniel before the king (BW)in haste and said thus to him: “I have found (BX)among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, (BY)whose name was Belteshazzar, (BZ)“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, (CA)enchanters, (CB)magicians, or (CC)astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but (CD)there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (CE)what will be in the latter days. Your dream and (CF)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, (CG)and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But (CH)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 (CI)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 (CJ)The head of this image was of fine gold, (CK)its chest and arms of silver, its middle and (CL)thighs of bronze, 33 (CM)its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out (CN)by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and (CO)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 (CP)like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that (CQ)not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became (CR)a great mountain (CS)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, (CT)the king of kings, to whom (CU)the God of heaven (CV)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, (CW)the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are (CX)the head of gold. 39 (CY)Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom (CZ)of bronze, (DA)which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (DB)there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron (DC)breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall (DD)break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw (DE)the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the (DF)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 (DG)the God of heaven will set up (DH)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. (DI)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and (DJ)it shall stand forever, 45 just as (DK)you saw that (DL)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that (DM)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A (DN)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 (DO)fell upon his face and (DP)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that (DQ)an offering and (DR)incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your (DS)God is God of gods and (DT)Lord of kings, and (DU)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great (DV)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole (DW)province of Babylon and (DX)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he (DY)appointed (DZ)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of (EA)the province of Babylon. But Daniel (EB)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 1:8-2:49
New International Version
Daniel 1:8-2:49
New International Version
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile(A) himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor(B) and compassion(C) to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[a] food and drink.(D) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test(E) your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”(F) 14 So he agreed to this and tested(G) them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.(H) 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.(I)
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding(J) of all kinds of literature and learning.(K) And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.(L)
18 At the end of the time(M) set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.(N) 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians(O) and enchanters in his whole kingdom.(P)
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.(Q)
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;(R) his mind was troubled(S) and he could not sleep.(T) 2 So the king summoned the magicians,(U) enchanters, sorcerers(V) and astrologers[b](W) to tell him what he had dreamed.(X) When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles(Y) me and I want to know what it means.[c]”
4 Then the astrologers answered the king,[d](Z) “May the king live forever!(AA) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:(AB) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces(AC) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.(AD) 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.(AE) 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(AF) 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.”(AG)
10 The astrologers(AH) 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.(AI) 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,(AJ) and they do not live among humans.”
12 This made the king so angry and furious(AK) that he ordered the execution(AL) 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.(AM)
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.(AN) 18 He urged them to plead for mercy(AO) from the God of heaven(AP) concerning this mystery,(AQ) 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(AR) was revealed to Daniel in a vision.(AS) Then Daniel praised the God of heaven(AT) 20 and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;(AU)
wisdom and power(AV) are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;(AW)
he deposes(AX) kings and raises up others.(AY)
He gives wisdom(AZ) to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.(BA)
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;(BB)
he knows what lies in darkness,(BC)
and light(BD) dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:(BE)
You have given me wisdom(BF) and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.(BG)”
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch,(BH) 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(BI) from Judah(BJ) who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),(BK) “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,(BL) 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.(BM) He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.(BN) Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind(BO) as you were lying in bed(BP) are these:(BQ)
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.(BR) 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed(BS) 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,(BT) awesome(BU) 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.(BV) It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed(BW) them.(BX) 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(BY) without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain(BZ) and filled the whole earth.(CA)
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.(CB) 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings.(CC) The God of heaven has given you dominion(CD) 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.(CE) 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.(CF) 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.(CG) 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(CH) all those kingdoms(CI) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.(CJ) 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock(CK) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands(CL)—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.(CM) The dream is true(CN) and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate(CO) before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering(CP) and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods(CQ) and the Lord of kings(CR) and a revealer of mysteries,(CS) for you were able to reveal this mystery.(CT)”
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high(CU) 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.(CV) 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon,(CW) while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.(CX)
Footnotes
- Daniel 1:10 The Hebrew for your and you in this verse is plural.
- 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.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.