Daniel 2
Legacy Standard Bible
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
2 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar [a](A)had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his (B)sleep [b]left him. 2 Then the king said to call in the [c](C)magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the [d]Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 Then the king said to them, “I [e](D)had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in [f](E)Aramaic: “(F)O king, live forever! (G)Say the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be [g](H)torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me (I)gifts and a reward and great glory; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king (J)say the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you are buying time, inasmuch as you have seen that the word from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only (K)one law for you. Indeed, you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [h]words before me until the time is changed; therefore say the dream to me, that I may (L)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [i]the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to declare the matter [j]for the king, inasmuch as no great king or powerful ruler has ever asked about a matter like this of any [k](M)magician, conjurer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the matter which the king asks is [l]difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it [m]to the king except (N)gods, whose (O)dwelling place is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king became (P)indignant and very furious and said for them to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the law went forth that the wise men were to be killed; and they sought out (Q)Daniel and his friends to [n]kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to (R)Arioch, the captain of the king’s [o]bodyguard, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch, a powerful [p]official for the king, “For what reason is the law from the king so [q]urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and sought from the king that he would [r]give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, to (S)Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 so that they might (T)seek compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (U)destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night (V)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel answered and said,
“Let the name of God be (W)blessed forever and ever,
For (X)wisdom and might belong to Him.
21 And He (Y)changes the times and the seasons;
He (Z)removes kings and [s]establishes kings;
He gives (AA)wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to [t]men of understanding.
22 He (AB)reveals the deep and hidden things;
(AC)He knows what is in the darkness,
And the (AD)light dwells with Him.
23 To You, O (AE)God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me (AF)wisdom and might;
Even now You have made known to me what we (AG)sought from You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: “(AH)Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch hurriedly (AI)brought Daniel before the king and said thus to him: “I have found a man among the [u](AJ)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was (AK)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither (AL)wise men, conjurers, [v]magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a (AM)God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [w](AN)last days. This was your dream and the (AO)visions of your head while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [x]turned to what would happen [y]in the future; and (AP)He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will happen. 30 But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me by any (AQ)wisdom which is in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may know the (AR)thoughts of your heart.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31 “You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great [z]image; that image, which was large and [aa]of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was [ab](AS)awesome. 32 The (AT)head of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You [ac]continued looking until a (AU)stone was cut out (AV)without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and (AW)crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed [ad]all at the same time and became (AX)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that (AY)not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great (AZ)mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will say (BA)its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are the (BB)king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the [ae]kingdom, the (BC)power, the strength, and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men inhabit, or the (BD)beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has made you rule with power over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 But after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule with power over all the earth. 40 Then there will be a (BE)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. 41 Now in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron; it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with [af]common clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with [ag]common clay; they will combine with one another [ah]in the seed of men; but they will not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the (BF)God of heaven will (BG)cause a (BH)kingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [ai]left for another people; it will (BI)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that a (BJ)stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the (BK)great God has made known to the king what (BL)will happen [aj]in the future; so the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel and Friends Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did (BM)homage to Daniel and said for them to present to him an offering and [ak](BN)fragrant incense. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly (BO)your God is a (BP)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a (BQ)revealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king [al](BR)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule with power over the whole (BS)province of Babylon and chief [am]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel sought of the king, and he (BT)appointed (BU)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s [an](BV)court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:1 Lit dreamed dreams
- Daniel 2:1 Lit was gone upon him
- Daniel 2:2 Or soothsayer priests
- Daniel 2:2 Or master astrologers, so in ch
- Daniel 2:3 Lit dreamed
- Daniel 2:4 The text is in Aramaic from here through 7:28
- Daniel 2:5 Lit made into limbs
- Daniel 2:9 Lit word
- Daniel 2:10 Lit before the
- Daniel 2:10 Lit of
- Daniel 2:10 Or soothsayer priest
- Daniel 2:11 Or rare
- Daniel 2:11 Lit before
- Daniel 2:13 Lit be killed
- Daniel 2:14 Or executioners
- Daniel 2:15 Or ruler
- Daniel 2:15 Or harsh
- Daniel 2:16 Or appoint a time for him
- Daniel 2:21 Or sets up
- Daniel 2:21 Lit knowers
- Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
- Daniel 2:27 Or soothsayer priests
- Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
- Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
- Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
- Daniel 2:31 Or statue, so in ch
- Daniel 2:31 Lit its splendor was surpassing
- Daniel 2:31 Or fearsome
- Daniel 2:34 Lit were
- Daniel 2:35 Lit like one
- Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
- Daniel 2:41 Lit clay of mud
- Daniel 2:43 Lit clay of mud
- Daniel 2:43 Or with
- Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
- Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
- Daniel 2:46 Lit sweet odors
- Daniel 2:48 Lit made great
- Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
- Daniel 2:49 Lit gate
Daniel 2
Evangelical Heritage Version
Nebuchadnezzar Challenges the Wise Men to Explain His Dream
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. His spirit was troubled, but he fell back to sleep again. 2 The king gave orders to summon the magicians, the spell casters, the sorcerers, and the astrologers[a] to relate the king’s dream to him. So they came and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit was troubled because I did not understand the dream.”
4 The astrologers said to the king in Aramaic,[b] “Your Majesty,[c] may you live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will explain its meaning.”
5 The king answered the astrologers, “My decision is final. If you do not tell me the dream and what it means, your body shall be cut to pieces, and your houses will be made into a pile of rubble. 6 However, if you explain the dream and its meaning, you will receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So, explain to me the dream and its meaning!”
7 They responded a second time and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will explain its meaning.”
8 The king answered, “Now I know for sure that you are buying time because you see that my decision is final. 9 If you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to give me a lying and cheating response until the situation changes. So, tell me the dream, and I will know that you are also able to explain its meaning to me.”
10 The astrologers responded to the king, “There is no person on earth who is able to reveal what the king wants. No great and powerful king has ever asked for a thing like this from any magician, spell caster, or astrologer. 11 The thing that the king is asking is difficult. There is no one who can reveal it to the king except the gods, who do not dwell with mortal flesh.”
12 Because of this the king became very angry. He was enraged and gave orders to put the wise men of Babylon to death. 13 The decree was issued that all the wise men were to be executed. So executioners looked for Daniel and his companions to execute them.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream to Daniel
14 Then Daniel responded with good judgment and tact to Ariok, the chief of the king’s executioners, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 15 He said to Ariok, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” So Ariok explained the situation to Daniel. 16 Daniel then entered the court and asked the king to give him time so that he could reveal the interpretation to the king.
17 Next, Daniel went to his house and explained the situation to Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, his companions. 18 They were to seek mercy from the God of Heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions would not be put to death with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel blessed the God of Heaven.[d] 20 Daniel said,
May the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
because wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and eras.
He removes kings,
and he brings kings to power.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have good judgment.
22 He reveals deep things and hidden things.
He knows what is in the dark,
and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, because you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have made known to me what we requested from you, because you have made known to us the thing the king asked about.
Daniel Explains Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
24 As a result of this, Daniel went to Ariok, whom the king had assigned to put the wise men of Babylon to death. Daniel went and said this to him: “Do not put the wise men of Babylon to death. Bring me before the king, and I will explain the meaning to the king.”
25 Then Ariok immediately brought Daniel before the king. This is what Ariok said to the king: “I have found a man from among the Judean exiles who will make the interpretation known to the king.”
26 The king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw and its meaning?”
27 Daniel answered the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about, no wise men, spell casters, magicians, or diviners are able to explain it to the king. 28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. This is your dream; the visions in your head while you were on your bed were this:
29 For you, Your Majesty, while you were on your bed, thoughts arose about things that will come after this, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. 30 But the reason that this mystery was revealed to me was not because I have more wisdom in me than any other living being. Rather, it was revealed to me so that the meaning could be made known to Your Majesty and so that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
31 You, Your Majesty, were looking, and there was a very great statue. That statue, which was large and extremely bright, was standing in front of you. Its appearance was frightening. 32 The statue looked like this: Its head was fine gold, its chest and its arms were silver, its abdomen and its thighs were bronze, 33 its shins were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. 34 You continued to watch until a stone was cut, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet that were iron and clay, and it smashed them. 35 Then all at once the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed and became like the chaff on the threshing floors of summer. The wind carried them away, and no trace of them could be found. However, the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the entire earth. 36 This is the dream.
So now we will interpret its meaning for Your Majesty. 37 You, Your Majesty, are the king of kings to whom the God of Heaven has given a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. 38 Wherever there are people, wild animals, and birds of the air, God has given them into your hand, and he has made you ruler over all of them. You are the head of gold.
39 After you another kingdom will arise that will be inferior to yours. Then another kingdom, a third kingdom of bronze will arise. This kingdom will rule the entire earth. 40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron, since iron crushes and shatters everything. So, like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all of these other kingdoms. 41 Because you saw feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the hardness of iron, because you saw iron mixed with common clay.[e] 42 What is more, the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay. This means that part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 You saw iron mixed with common clay. This means that the different parts of the kingdom will be a mixture of different races of people,[f] and they will not remain united to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 In the days of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another race of people. It will crush and put an end to all of these kingdoms, but it will stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain, but not by human hands, and it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to Your Majesty what will happen after this. The dream is sure, and its interpretation is certain.
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown and paid homage to[g] Daniel. He commanded that a sacrificial gift and incense be offered to him. 47 The king said, “Truly your God is the God of Gods, the Lord of Kings, and the Revealer of Mysteries, because you were able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 When Daniel requested it, the king appointed Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel remained in the royal court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:2 In the book of Daniel there are two homonyms, both pronounced kasdim. One word refers to a type of astronomer/astrologer. The other word refers to the Chaldeans, the ethnic group that ruled Babylon. In most cases the context indicates the correct meaning.
- Daniel 2:4 The text of Daniel is written in Aramaic from this point through the end of chapter 7.
- Daniel 2:4 Literally O King
- Daniel 2:19 The God of Heaven is the common title for the Lord in Daniel.
- Daniel 2:41 Common clay is literally clay of clay, with two different Aramaic words for clay.
- Daniel 2:43 Literally will be mixed among the seed of man
- Daniel 2:46 Or worshipped
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