² Then the king ^[a]gave orders to call in the ^[b](A)magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the ^[c]Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered ^[a]the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter ^[b]for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any ^[c](A)magician, conjurer or Chaldean. ¹¹ Moreover, the thing which the king demands is ^[d]difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it ^[e]to the king except ^(B)gods, whose ^(C)dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”

⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(A)conjurers, the ^[a]Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^(B)clothed with purple and have a ^(C)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^[b](D)third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(E)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.