¹³ He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.

³² From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

² He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers,^[a] and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,

³ red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!^[a]

⁷ The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers,^[a] and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”

¹² The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed.

Visitors from the East

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men^[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,

²⁷ Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.