The King’s Forgotten Dream

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. Then the king [c]gave orders to call in the [d](C)magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the [e]Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. The king said to them, “I [f](D)had a dream and my spirit [g]is anxious to [h]understand the dream.”

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.” The king replied to the Chaldeans, “[j]The command 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 made a rubbish heap. 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.” They answered a second time and said, “Let the king (J)tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” The king replied, “I know for certain that you are [l]bargaining for time, inasmuch as you have seen that [m]the command from me is firm, that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only (K)one [n]decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [o]words before me until the [p]situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, that I may (L)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [q]the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter [r]for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any [s](M)magician, conjurer or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the thing which the king demands is [t]difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it [u]to the king except (N)gods, whose (O)dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.”

12 Because of this the king became (P)indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the [v]decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for (Q)Daniel and his friends to [w]kill them.

14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to (R)Arioch, the captain of the king’s [x]bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; 15 he said to Arioch, the king’s commander, “For what reason is the [y]decree from the king so [z]urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. 16 So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would [aa]give him time, in order 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 mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (U)destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

The Secret Is Revealed to Daniel

19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night (V)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said,

“Let 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 epochs;
He (Z)removes kings and [ab]establishes kings;
He gives (AA)wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to [ac]men 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, O (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 Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: “(AH)Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me [ad]into the king’s presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”

25 Then Arioch hurriedly (AI)brought Daniel [ae]into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the [af](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 mystery about which the king has inquired, neither (AL)wise men, conjurers, [ag]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 [ah](AN)latter days. This was your dream and the (AO)visions [ai]in your mind while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [aj]turned to what would take place [ak]in the future; and (AP)He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. 30 But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any (AQ)wisdom [al]residing 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 [am]understand the (AR)thoughts of your [an]mind.

The King’s Dream

31 “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and [ao]of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was (AS)awesome. 32 The (AT)head of that statue 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 [ap]continued looking until a (AU)stone was cut out (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 [aq]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 statue became a great (AZ)mountain and filled the whole earth.

The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom

36 “This was the dream; 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 [ar]kingdom, the (BC)power, the strength and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the (BD)beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

Medo-Persia and Greece

39 After you there will arise another kingdom 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; 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 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 [as]common clay. 42 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 brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with [at]common clay, they will combine with one another [au]in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Divine Kingdom

44 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 [av]left for another people; it will (BI)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure 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 take place [aw]in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did (BM)homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and [ax](BN)fragrant incense. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely (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 [ay](BR)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole (BS)province of Babylon and chief [az]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel made 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 [ba](BV)court.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:1 Lit dreamed dreams
  2. Daniel 2:1 Lit was gone upon him
  3. Daniel 2:2 Lit said to call
  4. Daniel 2:2 Or soothsayer priests
  5. Daniel 2:2 Or master astrologers, and so throughout the ch
  6. Daniel 2:3 Lit dreamed
  7. Daniel 2:3 Lit was troubled
  8. Daniel 2:3 Lit know
  9. Daniel 2:4 The text is in Aramaic from here through 7:28
  10. Daniel 2:5 Another reading is The word has gone from me
  11. Daniel 2:5 Lit made into limbs
  12. Daniel 2:8 Lit buying
  13. Daniel 2:8 V 5, note 1
  14. Daniel 2:9 Or law
  15. Daniel 2:9 Lit word
  16. Daniel 2:9 Lit time
  17. Daniel 2:10 Lit before the
  18. Daniel 2:10 Lit of
  19. Daniel 2:10 Or soothsayer priest
  20. Daniel 2:11 Or rare
  21. Daniel 2:11 Lit before
  22. Daniel 2:13 Or law
  23. Daniel 2:13 Lit be killed
  24. Daniel 2:14 Or executioners
  25. Daniel 2:15 Or law
  26. Daniel 2:15 Or harsh
  27. Daniel 2:16 Or appoint a time for him
  28. Daniel 2:21 Or sets up
  29. Daniel 2:21 Lit knowers
  30. Daniel 2:24 Lit in before the king
  31. Daniel 2:25 Lit in before the king
  32. Daniel 2:25 Lit sons of the exile of
  33. Daniel 2:27 Or soothsayer priests
  34. Daniel 2:28 Lit end of the days
  35. Daniel 2:28 Lit of your head
  36. Daniel 2:29 Lit came up
  37. Daniel 2:29 Lit after this
  38. Daniel 2:30 Lit which is
  39. Daniel 2:30 Lit know
  40. Daniel 2:30 Lit heart
  41. Daniel 2:31 Lit its splendor was surpassing
  42. Daniel 2:34 Lit were
  43. Daniel 2:35 Lit like one
  44. Daniel 2:37 Or sovereignty
  45. Daniel 2:41 Lit clay of mud
  46. Daniel 2:43 Lit clay of mud
  47. Daniel 2:43 Or with
  48. Daniel 2:44 Or passed on to
  49. Daniel 2:45 Lit after this
  50. Daniel 2:46 Lit sweet odors
  51. Daniel 2:48 Lit made great
  52. Daniel 2:48 Lit of the prefects
  53. Daniel 2:49 Lit gate

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;

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;

and the king saith to them, `A dream I have dreamed, and moved is my spirit to know the dream.'

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.'

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;

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.'

They have answered a second time, and are saying, `Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and the interpretation we do shew.

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,

[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.