² Then the king ^[a]gave orders to call in the ^(A)soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the ^[b]Chaldeans, to ^[c]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 no person on earth who could declare the matter ^[b]to the king, because no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any ^(A)soothsayer priest, sorcerer, or Chaldean.

¹¹ Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it ^[a]to the king except ^(A)gods, whose ^(B)dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”

⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(A)sorcerers, the ^[a]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone 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 ^(D)third ruler in the kingdom.”

⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(A)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.