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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

  1. Daniel 2:1 Lit dreamed dreams
  2. Daniel 2:1 Lit was gone upon him
  3. Daniel 2:2 Or soothsayer priests
  4. Daniel 2:2 Or master astrologers, so in ch
  5. Daniel 2:3 Lit dreamed
  6. Daniel 2:4 The text is in Aramaic from here through 7:28
  7. Daniel 2:5 Lit made into limbs
  8. Daniel 2:9 Lit word
  9. Daniel 2:10 Lit before the
  10. Daniel 2:10 Lit of
  11. Daniel 2:10 Or soothsayer priest
  12. Daniel 2:11 Or rare
  13. Daniel 2:11 Lit before
  14. Daniel 2:13 Lit be killed
  15. Daniel 2:14 Or executioners
  16. Daniel 2:15 Or ruler
  17. Daniel 2:15 Or harsh
  18. Daniel 2:16 Or appoint a time for him
  19. Daniel 2:21 Or sets up
  20. Daniel 2:21 Lit knowers
  21. Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
  22. Daniel 2:27 Or soothsayer priests
  23. Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
  24. Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
  25. Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
  26. Daniel 2:31 Or statue, so in ch
  27. Daniel 2:31 Lit its splendor was surpassing
  28. Daniel 2:31 Or fearsome
  29. Daniel 2:34 Lit were
  30. Daniel 2:35 Lit like one
  31. Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
  32. Daniel 2:41 Lit clay of mud
  33. Daniel 2:43 Lit clay of mud
  34. Daniel 2:43 Or with
  35. Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
  36. Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
  37. Daniel 2:46 Lit sweet odors
  38. Daniel 2:48 Lit made great
  39. Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
  40. Daniel 2:49 Lit gate
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Daniel 2
Lexham English Bible

The King’s Troubling Dream

2 Now[a] in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. 2 So the king said to call the magicians[b] and the conjurers[c] and the sorcerers and the astrologers[d] to tell to the king his dreams. And they came in and they stood before[e] the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream[f] and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”

4 And the astrologers[g] said to the king in Aramaic,[h] “O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants and we will reveal the explanation.” 5 The king answered and said to the astrologers,[i] “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its explanation,[j] then you will be broken into pieces and your houses will be laid in ruins. 6 But if you tell me the dream and its explanation, you will receive gifts and rewards[k] and great honor from me. Therefore, tell me the dream and its explanation.”[l] 7 They answered once more and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants and we will make the explanation known.” 8 The king answered and said, “Certainly[m] I know that you are trying to gain time[n] because[o] you have seen that this matter is firmly decreed by me,[p] 9 for if you do not make the dream known to me, your verdict is fixed,[q] and you have conspired to say a lying and deceitful word to me until the circumstances[r] will change. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can tell me its explanation.” 10 The astrologers[s] answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth that is able to reveal the word of the king; in fact,[t] no great and powerful king has ever asked a thing like this of any magician[u] or conjurer[v] or astrologer.[w] 11 And the thing that the king is asking is too difficult and there is no one who[x] can reveal it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with mortals.”[y]

12 Because of this the king became angry, and he became very much enraged, and he said that all the wise men of Babylon are to be destroyed. 13 And the decree was issued, and the wise men were on the verge of being executed,[z] and they searched for Daniel and his companions to be executed. 14 Then Daniel responded prudently and discretely to Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard of the king, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 15 He asked[aa] and said to Arioch, the royal official of the king, “Why[ab] is the decree from the king so severe?” Then Arioch explained the matter[ac] to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested from the king that he would give him time, and he would tell the king[ad] the explanation.[ae]

17 Then Daniel went to his home, and he made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven[af] concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions, along with the remainder of the wise men of Babylon, would not be killed.

19 Then in a vision of the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel; then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel said:[ag]

“Let his name, the name of God,[ah] be blessed throughout the ages,[ai]
    for the wisdom and the power are his.[aj]
21 And he changes the times and the seasons,
    and he deposes kings and he sets up kings;
he gives wisdom[ak] to wise men
    and knowledge to men who know understanding.
22 He reveals the deep and the hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my ancestors,[al]
    I give thanks and I give praises,
for the wisdom and the power you gave to me,
    and now you have made known to me
what we have asked from you,
    for you have made known to us the matter of the king.”

Daniel Praises God and Interprets the King’s Dream

24 Therefore[am] Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed[an] to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and thus he said to him: “You must not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me in before the king and I will give the explanation[ao] to the king.”

25 Then Arioch quickly[ap] brought Daniel in before the king and thus he said to him: “I have found a man among the exiles[aq] of Judah[ar] who can relate[as] the explanation[at] to the king. 26 The king then asked[au] and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its explanation?”[av] 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery that the king asks, no wise men, conjurers,[aw] magicians,[ax] or diviners are able to make known to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that will be at the end of days. This is your dream and the visions of your head on your bed.

29 “As for you, king,[ay] your thoughts on your bed turned to[az] what it was that would be in the future,[ba] and the revealer of mysteries has made known to you what that would be. 30 And as for me, it is not because of wisdom that is in me more than any other living person[bb] that this mystery is revealed to me, but in order that[bc] the explanation[bd] may be made known to the king and you will understand[be] the thoughts of your mind.[bf]

31 “You, O king, were looking and, look, there was one great statue. This statue was huge and its brilliance extraordinary, standing there before you, and its appearance was frightening.[bg] 32 The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet, part of them of iron and part of them of clay. 34 You were looking on until[bh] a stone was chiseled out[bi]—that not by hands—and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and it broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold all at once[bj] broke into pieces[bk] and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away and any trace of them could not be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and it filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream, and now we will tell its interpretation to the king. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power and the might and the glory, 38 and also human beings wherever they dwell,[bl] the animals of the field and the birds[bm] of heaven[bn]—he has given into your hand and made you ruler over all of them—you are the head of gold. 39 And after you another kingdom inferior to yours will arise, and another third kingdom of bronze that will rule over the whole earth. 40 And a fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, and just as[bo] iron crushes and smashes everything,[bp] and as iron shatters all of these other metals, so it will crush and it will shatter these nations. 41 And just as[bq] you saw the feet and the toes, partly potter’s clay[br] and partly iron,[bs] it will be a divided kingdom; and some hardness[bt] of the iron will be in it, just as[bu] you have seen the iron mixed with the wet clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so part of the kingdom will be strong and partly brittle.[bv] 43 And in that you saw the iron was mixed with wet clay, so they will mix in marriage[bw] and they will not cling to one another,[bx] just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the day of those kings,[by] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never[bz] be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left for another nation,[ca] and it will bring an end to all these kingdoms, but it will stand forever.[cb] 45 Inasmuch as[cc] you saw that a stone from the mountain was chiseled out[cd] but not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, thereby the great God made known to the king what will be in the future,[ce] and the dream is certain and its explanation trustworthy.”

The King’s Response to Daniel and His God

46 Then the king, Nebuchadnezzar, fell on his face and he paid homage to Daniel; and he commanded them to offer a grain offering and incense offering to him. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly[cf] your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and he reveals mysteries, for you are able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel made a request from the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the court of the king.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Daniel 2:2 Or “soothsayer-priests”
  3. Daniel 2:2 Or “enchanters”
  4. Daniel 2:2 Literally “Chaldeans”
  5. Daniel 2:2 Literally “to the face of”
  6. Daniel 2:3 Literally “A dream I have dreamed”
  7. Daniel 2:4 Literally “Chaldeans”
  8. Daniel 2:4 The text of Daniel is in Aramaic from this point on through Daniel chapter 7. Then the text resumes in Hebrew to the end of the book
  9. Daniel 2:5 Literally “Chaldeans”
  10. Daniel 2:5 Or “interpretation”
  11. Daniel 2:6 Aramaic “reward”
  12. Daniel 2:6 Or “interpretation”
  13. Daniel 2:8 Literally “From a certainty”
  14. Daniel 2:8 Literally “the time you are gaining”
  15. Daniel 2:8 Literally “all because of that”
  16. Daniel 2:8 Literally “that firm from me is the decree”
  17. Daniel 2:9 Literally “one is your verdict”
  18. Daniel 2:9 Literally “time”
  19. Daniel 2:10 Literally “Chaldeans”
  20. Daniel 2:10 Literally “all because that”
  21. Daniel 2:10 Or “soothsayer-priest”
  22. Daniel 2:10 Or “enchanter”
  23. Daniel 2:10 Literally “Chaldean”
  24. Daniel 2:11 Literally “there is not another”
  25. Daniel 2:11 Literally “concerning their dwelling is not with flesh”
  26. Daniel 2:13 Literally “were in the process of being killed”
  27. Daniel 2:15 Literally “he answered”
  28. Daniel 2:15 Literally “Over what”
  29. Daniel 2:15 Or “situation”
  30. Daniel 2:16 Literally “to tell/reveal to the king”
  31. Daniel 2:16 Or “interpretation”
  32. Daniel 2:18 Literally “from before the God of the heaven”
  33. Daniel 2:20 Literally “answered and he said”
  34. Daniel 2:20 Aramaic “the God”
  35. Daniel 2:20 Literally “from the age unto the age”
  36. Daniel 2:20 Literally “of to him it is”
  37. Daniel 2:21 Aramaic “the wisdom”
  38. Daniel 2:23 Or “fathers”
  39. Daniel 2:24 Literally “Now because this”
  40. Daniel 2:24 Aramaic “has appointed”
  41. Daniel 2:24 Or “interpretation”
  42. Daniel 2:25 Literally “in haste”
  43. Daniel 2:25 Literally “the children of exiles”
  44. Daniel 2:25 Aramaic “Jehud”
  45. Daniel 2:25 Literally “he will make known”
  46. Daniel 2:25 Or “interpretation”
  47. Daniel 2:26 Literally “The king answered”
  48. Daniel 2:26 Or “interpretation”
  49. Daniel 2:27 Or “enchanters”
  50. Daniel 2:27 Or “soothsayer-priests”
  51. Daniel 2:29 Aramaic “the king”
  52. Daniel 2:29 Literally “they went up”
  53. Daniel 2:29 Literally “after this”
  54. Daniel 2:30 Literally “all of living beings”
  55. Daniel 2:30 Literally “concerning the matter of”
  56. Daniel 2:30 Or “interpretation”
  57. Daniel 2:30 Literally “know”
  58. Daniel 2:30 Literally “heart”
  59. Daniel 2:31 Or “dreadful”
  60. Daniel 2:34 Literally “until that”
  61. Daniel 2:34 Or “became loose”
  62. Daniel 2:35 Literally “like one”
  63. Daniel 2:35 Or “were crushed”
  64. Daniel 2:38 Literally “and into all that dwell sons of humankind”
  65. Daniel 2:38 Aramaic “bird”
  66. Daniel 2:38 Or “the sky”
  67. Daniel 2:40 Literally “all of because”
  68. Daniel 2:40 Literally “the whole thing”
  69. Daniel 2:41 Literally “And that”
  70. Daniel 2:41 Literally “from them clay of the potter”
  71. Daniel 2:41 Literally “from them iron”
  72. Daniel 2:41 Literally “from the hardness”
  73. Daniel 2:41 Literally “all of because that”
  74. Daniel 2:42 Literally “and from it, it will be brittle”
  75. Daniel 2:43 Literally “mixing they will in the seed of man”
  76. Daniel 2:43 Literally “this one with that one”
  77. Daniel 2:44 Literally “in their days of those kings”
  78. Daniel 2:44 Literally “to forever not”
  79. Daniel 2:44 Or “people”
  80. Daniel 2:44 Literally “to eternity”
  81. Daniel 2:45 Literally “All of because that”
  82. Daniel 2:45 Or “became loose”
  83. Daniel 2:45 Literally “after this”
  84. Daniel 2:47 Literally “From truth that”
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