Daniel 2:1-19

Christian Standard Bible

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams^(A) that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.^{(B) 2} So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans^[a](C) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”

⁴ The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic^[b](D) begins here): “May the king live forever.^(E) Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,^[c] and your houses will be made a garbage dump.^{(F) 6} But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me.^(G) So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”

⁷ They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”

⁸ The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. ⁹ If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you.^(H) You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests.^(I) Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. ¹¹ What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”^{(J) 12} Because of this, the king became violently angry^(K) and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

¹⁴ Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard,^[d](L) who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” ^[e](M) Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶ So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, ¹⁸ urging them to ask the God of the heavens^(N) for mercy^(O) concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.^{(P) 19} The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision^(Q) at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens