Daniel 2
World English Bible
2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him. 2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in the Syrian language, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “The thing has gone from me. If you don’t make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered the second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
8 The king answered, “I know of a certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the thing has gone from me. 9 But if you don’t make known to me the dream, there is but one law for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, until the situation changes. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler, has asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean. 11 It is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before 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 out, and the wise men were to be slain. They sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14 Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He answered Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered,
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever;
for wisdom and might are his.
21 He changes the times and the seasons.
He removes kings and sets up kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise,
and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals the deep and secret things.
He knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 I thank you and praise you,
O God of my fathers,
who have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we desired 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 said this to him: “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said this to him: “I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered Daniel, whose name was 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, “The secret which the king has demanded can’t be shown to the king by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers; 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these:
29 “As for you, O king, your thoughts came on your bed, what should happen hereafter; and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will happen. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
31 “You, O king, saw, and behold,[a] a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its appearance was terrifying. 32 As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. 34 You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. The stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory. 38 Wherever the children of men dwell, he has given the animals of the field and the birds of the sky into your hand, and has made you rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you; and another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. 40 The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, it will break in pieces and crush. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45 Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him. 47 The king answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.”
48 Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s gate.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:31 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
Daniel 2
International Standard Version
King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him.[a] As a result, he couldn’t sleep.[b] 2 So the king gave orders to summon diviners, enchanters,[c] sorcerers, and Chaldeans to reveal to the king what he had dreamed. When they came and stood before him,[d] 3 the king told them, “I have dreamed a dream and I[e] will remain troubled until I can understand it.”[f]
4 The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic:[g] “May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we’ll reveal its meaning.”
5 In reply the king told the Chaldeans, “Here is what I have commanded: If you don’t tell me both the dream and its meaning, you’ll be destroyed and your houses will be reduced to rubble. 6 But if you do relate the dream to me as well as its meaning, you’ll receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. Therefore reveal the dream to me, along with its meaning.”
7 They replied again, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we’ll disclose its meaning.”
8 The king responded,[h] “I’m convinced that you’re stalling for time because you’re aware of what I’ve commanded. 9 So if you don’t disclose the dream to me, there will be only one sentence for all of you. You have conspired together to present lies and corrupt interpretations until the situation changes. Now tell me the dream and I’ll know that you can reveal its true[i] meaning.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king directly, “There’s not a single man on earth who can do[j] what the king has commanded. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing from any diviner, enchanter,[k] or Chaldean. 11 Furthermore, what the king is asking is so difficult that no one can reveal it except the gods—and they don’t live with human beings.”
12 At this point, the king flew into a rage[l] and issued an order to destroy all the advisors[m] of Babylon. 13 When the order went out to kill the advisors,[n] they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.[o]
Daniel Requests Time to Answer the King
14 Daniel responded with wisdom and discretion to Arioch, the king’s executioner, who had gone out to execute the advisors[p] of Babylon. 15 He asked[q] him,[r] “Why such a harsh decree from the king?” Then Arioch informed Daniel, 16 so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar[s] for an appointment to see him[t], and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. 17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the king’s[u] command. 18 Daniel[v] was seeking mercy, in order to ask about this mystery in the presence of the God of heaven, so that Daniel and his friends might not be executed along with the rest of the advisors[w] of Babylon.
The King’s Dream is Revealed to Daniel
19 When the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision later that night, Daniel blessed the God of heaven 20 and said,
“May the name of God be blessed forever and ever;
wisdom and power are his for evermore.
21 It is God[x] who alters the times and seasons,
and he removes kings and promotes kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals what is profoundly mysterious
and knows what is in the darkness;
with him dwells light.
23 To you, God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise,
because you have given me wisdom and power;
you have now revealed to me what we asked of you
by making known to us what the king commanded.”
24 After this,[y] Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the advisors[z] of Babylon. He told him, “Don’t destroy the advisors[aa] of Babylon. Bring me before the king and I’ll explain the meaning to him.”[ab]
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and informed him: “I’ve found a man from the Judean captives who will make known the meaning to the king.”
Daniel Reveals the Meaning of the Dream
26 King Nebuchadnezzar[ac] replied by saying to Daniel (whose Babylonian[ad] name is Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me about the dream[ae] and its meaning?”
27 By way of answer, Daniel addressed the king:[af]
“None of the advisors,[ag] enchanters,[ah] diviners, or astrologers[ai] can explain the secret that the king has requested to be made known.[aj] 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he is making known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.
“While you were in bed, the dream and the visions that came to your head were as follows: 29 Your majesty,[ak] when you were in bed, thoughts came to your mind[al] about what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30 As for me, this secret was made known to me, not because my own wisdom is greater than anyone else alive, but in order that the meaning may be made known to the king, and that you might understand the thoughts of your heart.
31 “Your majesty, while you were watching, you observed an enormous statue. This magnificent statue stood before you with extraordinary brilliance. Its appearance was terrifying. 32 That statue had a head made[am] of pure gold, with its chest and arms made[an] of silver, its abdomen and thighs made[ao] of bronze, 33 its legs made[ap] of iron, and its feet made[aq] partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together and became like chaff from a summer threshing floor that the breeze carries away without leaving a trace.[ar] Then the rock that struck the statue grew into[as] a huge mountain and filled the entire earth.
36 “This was the dream, and we’ll now relate its meaning to the king. 37 You, your majesty, king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory, 38 so that wherever people,[at] wild animals, or birds of the sky live, he has placed them under your control, giving you dominion over them all—you’re that head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to[au] yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth. 40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as all things are broken to pieces and shattered by iron, so it will shatter and crush everything.
41 “The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, represent[av] a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle. 43 Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, so they will mix themselves with human offspring.[aw] Furthermore,[ax] they won’t remain together, just as iron doesn’t mix with clay.
44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty[ay] left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45 Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”
Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel and His Friends
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel, paid honor to him, and commanded that an offering and incense be presented on his behalf. 47 The king told Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Secrets, because you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished many great gifts on him, including making him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over the advisors[az] of Babylon. 49 Moreover, Daniel requested that the king appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained in the royal court.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 2:1 Lit. troubled his spirit
- Daniel 2:1 Lit. result, sleep departed from him
- Daniel 2:2 Or conjurers and so throughout the book
- Daniel 2:2 Lit. before the king
- Daniel 2:3 Lit. and my spirit
- Daniel 2:3 Lit. understand the dream
- Daniel 2:4 At this point the text changes from Heb. to Aram. until the end of ch. 7.
- Daniel 2:8 Lit. responded and said
- Daniel 2:9 The Aram. lacks true
- Daniel 2:10 Lit. reveal
- Daniel 2:10 Or occult practitioner
- Daniel 2:12 Lit. king was furious and very angry
- Daniel 2:12 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:13 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:13 The Aram. lacks too
- Daniel 2:14 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:15 Lit. answered and said
- Daniel 2:15 Lit. asked Arioch, the king’s executioner
- Daniel 2:16 Lit. the king
- Daniel 2:16 Lit. for time
- Daniel 2:17 The Aram. lacks king’s
- Daniel 2:18 Lit. He
- Daniel 2:18 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:21 Lit. he
- Daniel 2:24 Lit. All on account of that
- Daniel 2:24 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:24 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:24 Lit. the king
- Daniel 2:26 Lit. The king
- Daniel 2:26 The Aram. lacks Babylonian
- Daniel 2:26 Lit. dream I saw
- Daniel 2:27 Lit. answered and said before the king
- Daniel 2:27 Lit. the wise men
- Daniel 2:27 Or occult practitioners
- Daniel 2:27 Or those who gaze at entrails
- Daniel 2:27 The Aram. lacks to be made known
- Daniel 2:29 Lit. O King, and so throughout the book
- Daniel 2:29 The Aram. lacks to your mind
- Daniel 2:32 The Aram. lacks made
- Daniel 2:32 The Aram. lacks made
- Daniel 2:32 The Aram. lacks made
- Daniel 2:33 The Aram. lacks made
- Daniel 2:33 The Aram. lacks made
- Daniel 2:35 Lit. trace of them
- Daniel 2:35 Lit. became
- Daniel 2:38 Lit. sons of mankind
- Daniel 2:39 Or lower than
- Daniel 2:41 The Aram. lacks represent
- Daniel 2:43 Lit. seed
- Daniel 2:43 Or will develop alliances through intermarriages, and
- Daniel 2:44 Or kingdom
- Daniel 2:48 Lit. the wise men
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