Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; ^(A)and his spirit was so troubled that ^(B)his sleep left him. ^2 (C)Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. ³ And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to ^[a]know the dream.”

⁴ Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, ^(D)“O^[b] king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁵ The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My ^[c]decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be ^(E)cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. ^6 (F)However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. ¹¹ It is a ^[a]difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king ^(A)except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

¹² For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought ^(B)Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

¹⁴ Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; ¹⁵ he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so ^[b]urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.

¹⁶ So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. ¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ^18 (C)that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ Then the secret was revealed to Daniel ^(D)in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

²⁰ Daniel answered and said:

Daniel Explains the Dream

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went to 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; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”

²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the ^[d]captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”

²⁶ The king answered and said to 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 in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. ^28 (N)But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar ^(O)what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:

⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly ^(A)your God is the God of ^(B)gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” ^48 (C)Then the king promoted Daniel ^(D)and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and ^(E)chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ Also Daniel petitioned the king, ^(F)and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel ^(G)sat in ^[a]the gate of the king.

Men and Women in the Church

⁸ I desire therefore that the men pray ^(A)everywhere, ^(B)lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;