Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar ahad dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his bsleep left him. 2 Then the king said to call in the amagicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 Then the king said to them, “I ahad a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in aAramaic: “bO king, live forever! cSay the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be atorn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me agifts and a reward and great glory; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king asay the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you are buying time, inasmuch as you have seen that the word from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only aone law for you. Indeed, you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the time is changed; therefore say the dream to me, that I may bknow that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or powerful ruler has ever asked about a matter like this of any amagician, conjurer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the matter which the king asks is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except agods, whose bdwelling place is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king became aindignant and very furious and said for them to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the law went forth that the wise men were to be killed; and they sought out aDaniel and his friends to kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to aArioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch, a powerful official for the king, “For what reason is the law from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and sought from the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, to aHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 so that they might aseek compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be bdestroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night avision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel answered and said,
“Let the name of God be ablessed forever and ever,
For bwisdom and might belong to Him.
21 And He achanges the times and the seasons;
He bremoves kings and establishes kings;
He gives cwisdom to wise men
And knowledge to men of understanding.