¹³ Then the king said to ^(A)the wise men ^(B)who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment,

³² Of Issachar, men who ^(A)had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.

² Then the king commanded that ^(A)the magicians, ^(B)the enchanters, the ^(C)sorcerers, and ^(D)the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and ^(E)stood before the king.

³ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^(A)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^(B)the signs of the times.

^7 (A)The king called loudly to bring in ^(B)the enchanters, the ^(C)Chaldeans, and ^(D)the astrologers. The king declared^[a] to the wise men of Babylon, ^(E)“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and ^(F)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹² Because of this the king was angry and ^(A)very furious, and ^(B)commanded that all ^(C)the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now ^(A)after Jesus was born in ^(B)Bethlehem of Judea ^(C)in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[a] from ^(D)the east came to Jerusalem,

⁶ So ^(A)I made a decree that ^(B)all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷ Then ^(C)the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^(D)they could not make known to me its interpretation.