Daniel 2
Young's Literal Translation
2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed hath Nebuchadnezzar dreams, and his spirit doth move itself, and his sleep hath been against him;
2 and the king saith to call for scribes, and for enchanters, and for sorcerers, and for Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they come in and stand before the king;
3 and the king saith to them, `A dream I have dreamed, and moved is my spirit to know the dream.'
4 And the Chaldeans speak to the king [in] Aramaean, `O king, to the ages live, tell the dream to thy servants, and the interpretation we do shew.'
5 The king hath answered and said to the Chaldeans, `The thing from me is gone; if ye do not cause me to know the dream and its interpretation, pieces ye are made, and your houses are made dunghills;
6 and if the dream and its interpretation ye do shew, gifts, and fee, and great glory ye receive from before me, therefore the dream and its interpretation shew ye me.'
7 They have answered a second time, and are saying, `Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and the interpretation we do shew.
8 The king hath answered and said, `Of a truth I know that time ye are gaining, because that ye have seen that the thing is gone from me,
9 [so] that, if the dream ye do not cause me to know -- one is your sentence, seeing a word lying and corrupt ye have prepared to speak before me, till that the time is changed, therefore the dream tell ye to me, then do I know that its interpretation ye do shew me.'
10 The Chaldeans have answered before the king, and are saying, `There is not a man on the earth who is able to shew the king's matter; therefore, no king, chief, and ruler, hath asked such a thing as this of any scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean;
11 and the thing that the king is asking [is] precious, and others are there not that do shew it before the king, save the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'
12 Therefore the king hath been angry and very wroth, and hath said to destroy all the wise men of Babylon;
13 And the sentence hath gone forth, and the wise men are being slain, and they have sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14 Then Daniel hath replied [with] counsel and discretion to Arioch chief of the executioners of the king, who hath gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.
15 He hath answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, `Wherefore [is] the sentence so urgent from before the king?' Then Arioch hath made the thing known to Daniel,
16 and Daniel hath gone up, and sought of the king that he would give him time to shew the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel to his house hath gone, and to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, he hath made the thing known,
18 and to seek mercies from before the God of the heavens concerning this secret, that they destroy not Daniel and his companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then to Daniel, in a vision of the night, the secret hath been revealed. Then hath Daniel blessed the God of the heavens.
20 Daniel hath answered and said, `Let the name of God be blessed from age even unto age, for wisdom and might -- for they are His.
21 And He is changing times and seasons, He is causing kings to pass away, and He is raising up kings; He is giving wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those possessing understanding.
22 He is revealing deep and hidden things; He hath known what [is] in darkness, and light with Him hath dwelt.
23 Thee, O God of my fathers, I am thanking and praising, for wisdom and might Thou hast given to me; and now, Thou hast caused me to know that which we have sought from Thee, for the king's matter Thou hast caused us to know.'
24 Therefore Daniel hath gone up unto Arioch, whom the king hath appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he hath gone, and thus hath said to him, `The wise men of Babylon thou dost not destroy, bring me up before the king, and the interpretation to the king I do shew.'
25 Then Arioch in haste hath brought up Daniel before the king, and thus hath said to him -- `I have found a man of the sons of the Removed of Judah, who the interpretation to the king doth make known.'
26 The king hath answered and said to Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, `Art thou able to cause me to know the dream that I have seen, and its interpretation?'
27 Daniel hath answered before the king and said, `The secret that the king is asking, the wise men, the enchanters, the scribes, the soothsayers, are not able to shew to the king;
28 but there is a God in the heavens, a revealer of secrets, and He hath made known to king Nebuchadnezzar that which [is] to be in the latter end of the days. `Thy dream and the visions of thy head on thy bed are these:
29 Thou, O king, thy thoughts on thy bed have come up [concerning] that which [is] to be after this, and the Revealer of secrets hath caused thee to know that which [is] to be.
30 As to me -- not for [any] wisdom that is in me above any living hath this secret been revealed to me; but for the intent that the interpretation to the king they make known, and the thoughts of thy heart thou dost know.
31 `Thou, O king, wast looking, and lo, a certain great image. This image [is] mighty, and its brightness excellent; it is standing over-against thee, and its appearance [is] terrible.
32 This image! its head [is] of good gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass;
33 its legs of iron, its feet, part of them of iron, and part of them of clay.
34 Thou wast looking till that a stone hath been cut out without hands, and it hath smitten the image on its feet, that [are] of iron and of clay, and it hath broken them small;
35 then broken small together have been the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, and they have been as chaff from the summer threshing-floor, and carried them away hath the wind, and no place hath been found for them: and the stone that smote the image hath become a great mountain, and hath filled all the land.
36 This [is] the dream, and its interpretation we do tell before the king.
37 `Thou, O king, art a king of kings, for the God of the heavens a kingdom, strength, and might, and glory, hath given to thee;
38 and whithersoever sons of men are dwelling, the beast of the field, and the fowl of the heavens, He hath given into thy hand, and hath caused thee to rule over them all; thou [art] this head of gold.
39 And after thee doth rise up another kingdom lower than those, and another third kingdom of brass, that doth rule overall the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom is strong as iron, because that iron is breaking small, and making feeble, all [things], even as iron that is breaking all these, it beateth small and breaketh.
41 As to that which thou hast seen: the feet and toes, part of them potter's clay, and part of them iron, the kingdom is divided: and some of the standing of the iron [is] to be in it, because that thou hast seen the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 As to the toes of the feet, part of them iron, and part of them clay: some part of the kingdom is strong, and some part of it is brittle.
43 Because thou hast seen iron mixed with miry clay, they are mixing themselves with the seed of men: and they are not adhering one with another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 `And in the days of these kings raise up doth the God of the heavens a kingdom that is not destroyed -- to the age, and its kingdom to another people is not left: it beateth small and endeth all these kingdoms, and it standeth to the age.
45 Because that thou hast seen that out of the mountain cut hath been a stone without hands, and it hath beaten small the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king that which [is] to be after this; and the dream [is] true, and its interpretation stedfast.
46 Then hath king Nebuchadnezzar fallen on his face, and to Daniel he hath done obeisance, and present, and sweet things, he hath said to pour out to him.
47 The king hath answered Daniel and said, `Of a truth [it is] that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since thou hast been able to reveal this secret.'
48 Then the king hath made Daniel great, and many great gifts he hath given to him, and hath caused him to rule over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the perfects over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 And Daniel hath sought from the king, and he hath appointed over the work of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and Daniel [is] in the gate of the king.
Daniel 2
English Standard Version
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; (A)his spirit was troubled, and (B)his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that (C)the magicians, (D)the enchanters, the (E)sorcerers, and (F)the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and (G)stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and (H)my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then (I)the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,[a] (J)“O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to (K)the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be (L)torn limb from limb, (M)and your (N)houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, (O)you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. (P)Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to (Q)gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 9 if you do not make the dream known to me, (R)there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till (S)the times change. (T)Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 (U)The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or (V)Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except (W)the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and (X)very furious, and (Y)commanded that all (Z)the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought (AA)Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to (AB)Arioch, the (AC)captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared[b] to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king (AD)so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to (AE)Hananiah, (AF)Mishael, and (AG)Azariah, his companions, 18 (AH)and told them to seek mercy from the (AI)God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not (AJ)be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in (AK)a vision of the night. Then Daniel (AL)blessed the (AM)God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:
(AN)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
(AO)to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 (AP)He changes times and seasons;
(AQ)he removes kings and sets up kings;
(AR)he gives wisdom to the wise
(AS)and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 (AT)he reveals deep and hidden things;
(AU)he knows what is in the darkness,
(AV)and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O (AW)God of my fathers,
(AX)I give thanks and praise,
for (AY)you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what (AZ)we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king's matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to (BA)Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then (BB)Arioch brought in Daniel before the king (BC)in haste and said thus to him: “I have found (BD)among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, (BE)whose name was Belteshazzar, (BF)“Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, (BG)enchanters, (BH)magicians, or (BI)astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but (BJ)there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (BK)what will be in the latter days. Your dream and (BL)the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, (BM)and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But (BN)as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that (BO)you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 (BP)The head of this image was of fine gold, (BQ)its chest and arms of silver, its middle and (BR)thighs of bronze, 33 (BS)its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out (BT)by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and (BU)broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became (BV)like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that (BW)not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became (BX)a great mountain (BY)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, (BZ)the king of kings, to whom (CA)the God of heaven (CB)has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, (CC)the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are (CD)the head of gold. 39 (CE)Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom (CF)of bronze, (CG)which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (CH)there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron (CI)breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall (CJ)break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw (CK)the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the (CL)firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings (CM)the God of heaven will set up (CN)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. (CO)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and (CP)it shall stand forever, 45 just as (CQ)you saw that (CR)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that (CS)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A (CT)great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Daniel Is Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar (CU)fell upon his face and (CV)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that (CW)an offering and (CX)incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your (CY)God is God of gods and (CZ)Lord of kings, and (DA)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great (DB)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole (DC)province of Babylon and (DD)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he (DE)appointed (DF)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of (DG)the province of Babylon. But Daniel (DH)remained at the king's court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:4 The text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic
- Daniel 2:15 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 26
- Daniel 2:43 Aramaic by the seed of men
Daniel 2
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnez′zar, Nebuchadnez′zar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chalde′ans be summoned, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chalde′ans said to the king,[a] “O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered the Chalde′ans, “The word from me is sure: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is sure 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 The Chalde′ans answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand; for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chalde′an. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and none can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went forth that the wise men were to be slain, and they sought Daniel and his companions, to slay them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Ar′i-och, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon; 15 he said to Ar′i-och, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so severe?” Then Ar′i-och made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and besought the king to appoint him a time, that he might show to the king the interpretation.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hanani′ah, Mish′a-el, and Azari′ah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy of the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel said:
“Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and mysterious things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 To thee, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for thou hast given me wisdom and strength,
and hast now made known to me what we asked of thee,
for thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.”
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Ar′i-och, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Ar′i-och brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshaz′zar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnez′zar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living has this mystery been revealed to me, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; 35 then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 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 into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[b] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Daniel and His Friends Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnez′zar fell upon his face, and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained at the king’s court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:4 Heb adds in Aramaic, indicating that the text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic
- Daniel 2:43 Aramaic by the seed of men
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
