Daniel 2
1NABUCHODONOSAR, in the second year of his reign, dreamed a dream and his spirit was troubled and his sleep went from him.
2And the king gave orders to call the magicians and the astrologers, and the chymists skilled in drugs and enchantments, and the Chaldeans, that they might tell the king his dream. And when they were come and stood before the king,
3the king said to them, I have dreamed and my mind is anxious to know the dream.
4Whereupon the Chaldeans said to the king in Syriac, O king, live forever. Tell thy servants the dream and we will explain the meaning.
5The king answered the Chaldeans, The subject is gone from me. If you do not tell me the dream and the interpretation you shall be put to death and your houses shall be exposed to plunder.
6But if you let me know the dream and the interpretation, you shall receive of me gifts and immunities and great honour. At all events, tell me the dream and the meaning of it.
7They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream and we will explain the meaning.
8In reply to which the king said, I know of a truth that you want to gain time, as you see the matter is gone from me.
9If therefore you do not tell me the dream, I take it for granted that you have agreed upon something false and fictitious to be said before me, until the time elapse. Tell me my dream, then I will know that you can tell me the meaning of it.
10The Chaldeans answered in the presence of the king and said, There is not a man on the earth who can make known what the king requireth; nor doth any king or ruler, however great, ask such a thing of any magician, astrologer or Chaldean.
11For the thing which the king requireth is so difficult, that there is none who can lay it before the king, but the gods only, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12Upon this the king in furious wrath gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13So the decree went forth. And the wise men began to be slain.
14Now search had been made for Daniel and his friends to slay them, and Daniel had then addressed Arioch, the king’s marshal who was going out to slay the wise men of Babylon, regarding the counsel and decree:
15Why, O chief of the king, hath this horrid sentence gone forth from the king’s presence? And when Arioch informed Daniel of the matter,
16Daniel had entreated the king to grant him time and he would tell the king the meaning of it [the dream];
17and Daniel had gone to his house and acquainted his friends Ananias, Misael and Azarias with the affair;
18and they had sought mercy of the God of heaven touching this secret, that Daniel and his friends might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19And the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night; whereupon he blessed the God of heaven,
20and said, Blessed be the name of God from everlasting to everlasting; for wisdom and knowledge are His,
21and He changeth times and seasons. He setteth up kings and removeth them. He giveth wisdom to the wise and understanding to them who have knowledge.
22He it is Who revealeth deep and hidden things. He knoweth the things which are in darkness. And with Him is the light.
23To thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise; because Thou hast given me wisdom and power and hast made known to me what we asked of Thee, and hast revealed to me the vision of the king.
24Then Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had appointed to slay the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; but introduce me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning.
25Thereupon Arioch with haste introduced Daniel to the presence of the king and said to him, I have found among the captives of Israel, a man who can tell the king the interpretation.
26And the king addressing Daniel, whose name was Baltasar, said, Canst thou tell me the dream which I saw, and the meaning of it?
27And Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The secret which the king demandeth, it is not in the power of wise men, astrologers, magicians, [or] soothsayers, to tell the king.
28There is none but God in heaven who revealeth secrets. He indeed hath made known to the king Nabuchodonosor what must come to pass in latter days. With regard to thy dream, and the visions of thy head, on thy bed, this is it.
29Thy thoughts, O king, on thy bed ascended to what might come to pass hereafter. And he who revealeth secrets made known to thee the things which must come to pass.
30And to me this secret was revealed, not indeed for any wisdom in me above all the living: but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, that thou mayst know the thoughts of thy heart.
31Thou, O king, didst behold, and lo! an image! Great was that image and its aspect lofty, as it stood before thee; and its appearance was awful.
32It was an image the head of which was of pure gold; the hands and the breast and the arms of it were of silver; the belly and the thighs of brass;
33the legs of iron; the feet partly of iron, and partly of potter’s clay.
34With wonder thou didst view it, till from a mountain there was rent without hands a stone, which smote the image on the feet, which were of iron and potter’s clay, and at last broke them to pieces.
35Then were broken to pieces at once the clay, the iron, the brass, the silver, the gold. And they became like the dust of a threshing-floor in summer; and a great wind swept them away, and there was no place found for them. And the stone which smote the image became a great mountain and filled all the earth.
36This is the dream. The meaning of it we will now explain to the king.
37Thou, O king, art a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven hath given a kingdom, strong and mighty and glorious,
38in every place where the sons of men dwell. Into thy hand He hath delivered the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, and appointed thee lord over all. Thou art the head of gold.
39And after thee there shall be raised up another kingdom inferior to thee; then a third kingdom which is the brass, which shall rule over the whole earth;
40then a fourth kingdom which shall be strong as iron. As iron breaketh to pieces and subdueth all things, so shall it break and subdue all.
41And inasmuch as thou sawest the feet and toes, partly of clay and partly of iron, it shall be a disjointed kingdom, though there shall be in it some of its iron root.
42As thou sawest the iron mixed with the clay, and the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, some part of that kingdom will be strong and some part of it will be broken.
43Inasmuch as thou sawest the iron mingled with the clay, there will be mixtures in it of the seed of men, and they will not cement one with another, as iron doth not cement with clay.
44And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and this kingdom of His shall not be left to another people. It shall break in pieces and blow away all those kingdoms, and shall itself stand forever.
45As thou sawest that without hands there was cut from a mountain a stone which broke in pieces the clay, the iron, the brass, the silver, the gold; the God who is great, hath made known to the king what must come to pass hereafter. The dream indeed is true and the interpretation thereof is faithful.
46Then king Nabuchodonosar fell on his face, and made obeisance to Daniel and ordered holy gifts, and sweet odours to be offered to him.
47And the king answered and said to Daniel, Of a truth, your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, the revealer of secrets; since thou hast been enabled to reveal this secret.
48Then the king raised Daniel to high rank and gave him many great gifts, and set him over the whole region of Babylon, and [made him] a chief satrap over all the wise men of Babylon.
49And Daniel requested of the king, and he set Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago, over the works of the region of Babylon. And Daniel was in the court of the king.