Daniel 2
New American Standard Bible
The King’s 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 [c]gave orders to call in the (C)soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the [d]Chaldeans, to [e]tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I [f](D)had a dream, and my spirit [g]is anxious to [h]understand the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in [i](E)Aramaic: “(F)O king, live forever! (G)Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command [j]from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be [k](H)torn limb from limb and your houses will be turned into 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 honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king (J)tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king replied, “I know for certain that you are trying to buy time, because you have perceived that the command [l]from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only (K)one [m]decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [n]words before me until the [o]situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, so that I may (L)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [p]the king and said, “There is no person on earth who could declare the matter [q]to the king, because no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any (M)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 [r]to the king except (N)gods, whose (O)dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”
12 Because of this, the king became (P)angry and extremely furious, and he gave orders to kill all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the [s]decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for (Q)Daniel and his friends, to [t]kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to (R)Arioch, the captain of the king’s [u]bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he said to Arioch, the king’s officer, “For what reason is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. 16 So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him a grace period, so that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, (S)Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, 18 so that they might (T)request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (U)killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
The Secret Is Revealed to Daniel
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night (V)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said,
“May the name of God be (W)blessed forever and ever,
For (X)wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 It is He who (Y)changes the times and the periods;
He (Z)removes kings and appoints kings;
He gives (AA)wisdom to wise men,
And knowledge to [v]people of understanding.
22 It is He who (AB)reveals the profound and hidden things;
(AC)He knows what is in the darkness,
And the (AD)light dwells with Him.
23 To You, (AE)God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me (AF)wisdom and power;
Even now You have made known to me what we (AG)requested of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Thereupon, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to kill the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “(AH)Do not kill the wise men of Babylon! Take me [w]into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch hurriedly (AI)brought Daniel [x]into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the [y](AJ)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king 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 secret about which the king has inquired, neither (AL)wise men, sorcerers, soothsayer priests, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a (AM)God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [z](AN)latter days. This was your dream and the (AO)visions [aa]in your mind while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [ab]turned to what would take place [ac]in the future; and (AP)He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me [ad]for any (AQ)wisdom [ae]residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the (AR)thoughts of your [af]mind.
The King’s Dream
31 “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and [ag]of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was [ah](AS)awesome. 32 The (AT)head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You [ai]continued watching until a (AU)stone was broken off (AV)without hands, and it struck the statue 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 to pieces [aj]all at the same time, and they were (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 statue became a great (AZ)mountain and filled the entire earth.
The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom
36 “This was the dream; and now we will tell (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 [ak]kingdom, the (BC)power, the strength, and the honor; 38 and wherever the sons of mankind live, or the (BD)animals of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has handed them over to you and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
Medo-Persia and Greece
39 And after you another kingdom will arise inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
Rome
40 Then there will be a (BE)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron smashes and crushes everything, so, like iron that crushes, it will smash and crush all these things. 41 And 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 within it some of the toughness of iron, since you saw the iron mixed with [al]common clay. 42 And just as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be fragile. 43 In that you saw the iron mixed with [am]common clay, they will combine with one another [an]in [ao]their descendants; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not combine with pottery.
The Divine Kingdom
44 And in the days of those kings the (BF)God of heaven will (BG)set up a (BH)kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [ap]left for another people; it will (BI)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 45 Just as you saw that a (BJ)stone was broken off from 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 take place [aq]in the future; so the dream is certain and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid (BM)humble respect to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and (BN)incense. 47 The king responded to Daniel and said, “(BO)Your God truly is a (BP)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a (BQ)revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king [ar](BR)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire (BS)province of Babylon, and chief [as]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel made a request 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 [at](BV)court.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:1 Lit dreamed dreams
- Daniel 2:1 Lit was gone upon him
- Daniel 2:2 Lit said to call
- Daniel 2:2 Probably master astrologers, diviners, etc., and so throughout the ch
- Daniel 2:2 Lit explain to
- Daniel 2:3 Lit dreamed
- Daniel 2:3 Lit was troubled
- Daniel 2:3 Lit know
- Daniel 2:4 The text is in Aramaic from here through 7:28
- Daniel 2:5 Another reading is is issued by me
- Daniel 2:5 Lit turned into limbs
- Daniel 2:8 See note 1 v 5
- Daniel 2:9 Or verdict
- Daniel 2:9 Lit word
- Daniel 2:9 Lit time
- Daniel 2:10 Lit before the
- Daniel 2:10 Lit of
- Daniel 2:11 Lit before
- Daniel 2:13 Or law
- Daniel 2:13 Lit be killed
- Daniel 2:14 Or executioners
- Daniel 2:21 Lit knowers of
- Daniel 2:24 Lit in before the king
- Daniel 2:25 Lit in before the king
- Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
- Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
- Daniel 2:28 Lit of your head
- Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
- Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
- Daniel 2:30 Or through
- Daniel 2:30 Lit which is
- Daniel 2:30 Lit heart
- Daniel 2:31 Lit its radiance was extraordinary
- Daniel 2:31 Or dreadful
- Daniel 2:34 Lit were
- Daniel 2:35 Lit as one
- Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
- Daniel 2:41 Lit wet clay
- Daniel 2:43 Lit wet clay
- Daniel 2:43 Or with
- Daniel 2:43 Lit the seed of men
- Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
- Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
- Daniel 2:48 Lit made Daniel great
- Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
- Daniel 2:49 Lit gate
Danyeri 2
Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya
Ekirooto kya Nebukadduneeza
2 (A)Mu mwaka ogwokubiri ogw’obufuzi bwa kabaka Nebukadduneeza, Nebukadduneeza n’aloota ekirooto; ne yeeraliikirira nnyo, n’otulo ne tumubula. 2 (B)Awo kabaka n’atumya abasawo, n’abafumu, n’abalaguzi n’Abakaludaaya okumutegeeza ekirooto kye yaloota. Ne bajja ne bayimirira mu maaso ga kabaka. 3 (C)N’abagamba nti, “Naloota ekirooto ekimbuzizza otulo, njagala mukintegeeze n’amakulu gaakyo.”
4 (D)Awo Abakaludaaya ne baddamu kabaka mu lulimi Olusuuli nti, “Ayi kabaka, owangaale emirembe gyonna! Buulira abaddu bo ekirooto, nabo banaakunnyonnyola amakulu gaakyo.”
5 (E)Kabaka n’addamu Abakaludaaya nti, “Kino kye nsazeewo; bwe mutantegeeze kirooto ekyo, n’amakulu gaakyo, nzija kulagira mutemebwetemebwe, era n’amayumba gammwe gamenyebwemenyebwe. 6 (F)Kyokka bwe munaantegeeza ekirooto n’amakulu gaakyo, nnaabawa ebirabo, n’empeera, n’ekitiibwa kinene. Noolwekyo mumbuulire ekirooto n’amakulu gaakyo.”
7 Ne bamuddamu nate nti, “Tubuulire ekirooto kyo, tusobole okukubuulira amakulu gaakyo.”
8 Awo kabaka n’addamu nti, “Ntegeeredde ddala nga mwagala kufuna bbanga ddene, kubanga mutegedde nga kye nsazeewo mmaliridde okukikola, 9 (G)era bwe mutantegeeze kirooto, ekibonerezo kiri kimu kyokka. Mwekobaanye okunnimba n’okumbuulira ebigambo ebikyamu, nga munsuubira okukyusa ku ndowooza yange. Kale nno, muntegeeze ekirooto, munnyinnyonnyole n’amakulu gaakyo.”
10 (H)Abakaludaaya ne baddamu kabaka nti, “Tewali muntu n’omu ku nsi ayinza okukola kabaka ky’asaba. Ate era tewabangawo kabaka ne bw’aba w’amaanyi atya oba wa buyinza atya, eyali asabye omulaguzi yenna newaakubadde omufumu yenna newaakubadde Omukaludaaya yenna ekintu ng’ekyo. 11 (I)Kabaka ky’asaba kizibu nnyo. Tewali n’omu ayinza kukibikkulira kabaka, wabula bakatonda abatalina mubiri ogwa bulijjo.”
12 (J)Ekigambo ekyo ne kisunguwaza nnyo kabaka, kyeyava alagira abagezigezi bonna mu Babulooni okuttibwa. 13 (K)Ekiragiro ne kiyita okutta abagezigezi bonna, era ne wabaawo abasajja abaatumibwa okunoonya Danyeri ne mikwano gye okubatta.
14 Awo Danyeri n’asisinkana Aliyooki omuduumizi w’abakuumi ba kabaka, bwe yali ng’agenda okutta abagezigezi ab’e Babulooni; n’ayogera naye mu magezi n’obukalabakalaba, 15 n’amubuuza nti, “Kyavudde ku ki kabaka okuwa ekiragiro eky’obukambwe bwe kityo?” Aliyooki n’annyonnyola Danyeri ensonga eyavaako ekyo. 16 Awo Danyeri n’alaga eri kabaka, n’asaba aweebwe ekiseera okwogera ne kabaka, alyoke amutegeeze amakulu g’ekirooto.
17 (L)Awo Danyeri n’addayo ewuwe, n’ategeeza mikwano gye Kananiya, ne Misayeri ne Azaliya, 18 (M)n’abagamba basabe Katonda ow’eggulu abalage ekisa ababikkulire amakulu ag’ekyama ekyo, ye ne banne baleme kuzikirizibwa wamu n’abagezigezi abalala ab’e Babulooni. 19 (N)Mu kiro ekyo Danyeri n’afuna okwolesebwa ku kigambo ekyo, n’atendereza Katonda ow’eggulu. 20 (O)N’ayogera nti,
“Erinnya lya Katonda litenderezebwenga emirembe n’emirembe,
kubanga amagezi n’obuyinza bibye.
21 (P)Ategeera ebiseera n’ebiro;
assaawo bakabaka era aggyawo bakabaka;
awa amagezi abagezigezi,
era n’okumanyisa abo abategeevu.
22 (Q)Abikkula ebyama ebyakisibwa edda;
amanyi ebifa mu nzikiza,
n’ekitangaala kibeera naye.
23 (R)Nkwebaza era nkutendereza, Ayi Katonda wa bajjajjange
ompadde amagezi n’amaanyi,
ombikkulidde ekyo kye twakusabye,
otutegeezezza ekirooto kya kabaka.”
Danyeri Ategeeza Amakulu ag’Ekirooto
24 (S)Awo Danyeri n’alaga eri Aliyooki, kabaka gwe yali alonze okuzikiriza abasajja abagezigezi aba Babulooni, n’amugamba nti, “Tozikiriza basajja bagezigezi ba Babulooni. Ntwala eri kabaka mmutegeeze amakulu g’ekirooto kye.”
25 (T)Amangwago, Aliyooki n’atwala Danyeri eri kabaka, n’ategeeza kabaka nti, “Nsanze omusajja, omu ku baawaŋŋangusibwa okuva mu Yuda, asobola okutegeeza kabaka amakulu g’ekirooto kye.”
26 (U)Kabaka n’abuuza Danyeri eyayitibwanga Berutesazza nti, “Oyinza okuntegeeza ekirooto kye nalabye, n’amakulu gaakyo?”
27 (V)Danyeri n’addamu kabaka nti, “Tewali muntu mugezigezi, newaakubadde omufumu, newaakubadde omulaguzi, newaakubadde omulogo asobola okutegeeza kabaka ekigambo kye yasabye. 28 (W)Waliwo Katonda ow’omu ggulu annyonnyola abantu ebitategeerekeka. Abikkulidde Kabaka Nebukadduneeza ebigenda okubaawo mu nnaku ez’enkomerero. Ekirooto n’okwolesebwa bye wafuna nga weebase bye bino.
29 “Bwe wali ng’ogalamidde mu kitanda kyo, ayi kabaka omutima gwo ne gutandika okulowooza ku bintu ebiribaawo, era oyo abikkula ebigambo ebitategeerekeka bantu abaabulijjo, yakulaze ebigenda okubaawo. 30 (X)Naye ekigambo kino ekitategeerekeka bantu abaabulijjo kimbikkuliddwa, si lwa kuba nga ndi mugezi okusinga abantu abalala bonna, naye nkifunye bwe ntyo, kabaka ategeere amakulu gaakyo, era otegeere ebirowoozo bye wafuna mu mutima gwo.
31 (Y)“Watunula, ayi kabaka, era laba, mu maaso go nga wayimiriddewo ekifaananyi ekinene. Ekifaananyi ekyo kyali kinene nnyo, nga kimasamasa nnyo nnyini era nga kya ntiisa. 32 Omutwe gwakyo gwali gwa zaabu ennongoose, ekifuba kyakyo n’emikono gyakyo nga bya ffeeza, n’olubuto lwakyo n’ebisambi byakyo nga bya kikomo, 33 n’amagulu gaakyo nga ga kyuma. N’ebigere byakyo ekitundu ekimu kyali kya kyuma, n’ekitundu ekirala nga kya bbumba. 34 (Z)Awo bwe wali ng’okyakitunuulira, olwazi ne lutemebwa, naye si na ngalo, ejjinja ne livaako ne likuba ekifaananyi ku bigere byakyo eby’ekyuma n’ebbumba, ne libyasaayasa. 35 (AA)Ekyuma n’ebbumba, n’ekikomo, ne zaabu, byonna ne biyasibwayasibwa wamu, ne bifuuka ng’ebisusunku eby’omu gguuliro mu biro eby’omusana omungi; kibuyaga n’abifuuwa obutalekaawo na kimu. Naye ejjinja eryakuba ekifaananyi ne lifuuka olusozi olunene, ne lujjula ensi yonna.
36 “Ekyo kye kyali ekirooto; kaakano tunaategeeza kabaka amakulu gaakyo. 37 (AB)Ggwe, ayi kabaka, ggwe kabaka wa bakabaka, Katonda ow’eggulu gwe yawa obwakabaka, n’obuyinza, n’amaanyi, n’ekitiibwa; 38 (AC)era akukwasizza abantu n’ensolo ez’omu nsiko, n’ennyonyi ez’omu bbanga. Buli we bibeera, akuwadde okubifuga, era ggwe mutwe ogwa zaabu.
39 “Bw’olivaawo, obwakabaka obulala buliddawo, obutenkanankana bubwo. N’oluvannyuma waliddawo obwakabaka obwokusatu nga bwa kikomo obulifuga ensi yonna. 40 (AD)Oluvannyuma lw’ebyo byonna waliddawo obwakabaka obwokuna obuliba obw’amaanyi ng’ekyuma; era ng’ekyuma ekimenyaamenya ne kibetentabetenta buli kintu, era ng’ekyuma bwe kimenyaamenya obutundutundu, bwe kityo bwe kiribetentabetenta ne kimenyaamenya obwakabaka obulala bwonna. 41 Nga bwe walaba ebigere n’obugere ekitundu nga kya bbumba ery’omubumbi, n’ekitundu nga kya kyuma, bwe butyo obwakabaka bwe buligabanyizibwamu; ate nga bulisigala n’amaanyi ag’ekyuma, nga bwe walaba ekyuma nga kitabuddwamu ebbumba. 42 Ng’obugere bwe bwali, ekitundu nga kya kyuma n’ekitundu ekirala nga kya bbumba, n’obwakabaka buno buliba bwe butyo, ekitundu ekimu nga ky’amaanyi n’ekitundu ekirala nga kinafu. 43 Era nga bwe walaba ekyuma nga kitabuddwamu ebbumba bwe batyo n’abantu bwe baliba so tebalisigala bumu, ng’ekyuma bwe kitasobola kwetabula bulungi na bbumba.
44 (AE)“Mu biro ebya bakabaka abo, Katonda w’eggulu alissaawo obwakabaka obutalizikirizibwa, so tebuliweebwa bantu balala. Bulizikiriza obwakabaka obwo bwonna, ne bubumalawo, naye bwo bulibeerera emirembe gyonna. 45 (AF)Gano ge makulu ag’okwolesebwa okukwata ku jjinja eryatemebwa mu lusozi, eritatemebwa na ngalo za muntu; eryabetentabetenta ekyuma, n’ekikomo, n’ebbumba, ne ffeeza, ne zaabu.
“Katonda omukulu abikkulidde kabaka ebigenda okubaawo mu biro eby’omu maaso. Ekirooto kituufu n’amakulu gaakyo tegabuusibwabuusibwa.”
46 (AG)Awo Kabaka Nebukadduneeza ne yeeyaliira ku lubuto lwe mu maaso ga Danyeri n’amuwa ekitiibwa, n’alagira okuwaayo obubaane n’ebiweebwayo eri Danyeri. 47 (AH)Kabaka n’agamba Danyeri nti, “Mazima Katonda wo ye Katonda wa bakatonda era ye Mukama wa bakabaka, era omubikkuzi w’ebyama ebyakisibwa, kubanga osobozebbwa okututegeeza ekyama ekyakisibwa.”
48 (AI)Awo kabaka n’akuza Danyeri n’amufuula omuntu omukulu ennyo, n’amuwa n’ebirabo bingi. N’amufuula mufuzi w’essaza lyonna erya Babulooni, n’amuwa n’obuvunaanyizibwa obw’okukulira abasajja abagezigezi bonna ab’e Babulooni. 49 (AJ)Awo Danyeri n’asaba kabaka akuze ne Saddulaaki, ne Mesaki, ne Abeduneego; kabaka n’abafuula abakulembeze n’abawa ebifo eby’obuvunaanyizibwa mu ssaza ery’e Babulooni, Danyeri ye n’asigala awali kabaka.
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