The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Portions 02
1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and
his sleep went from him.
2 Then the king commanded that the magicians,
the enchanters, the sorcerers, and
the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his
dreams. So they came in and stood before
the king.
3 The king said to them, “I have dreamed
a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know
the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in
the Syrian language, “O king, live forever!
Tell your servants the dream, and we will
show the interpretation.”
5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “The
thing has gone from me. If you don’t make
known to me the dream and its interpretation,
you will be cut in pieces, and your
houses will be made a dunghill.
6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation,
you will receive from me gifts,
rewards, and great honor. Therefore show
me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered the second time and
said, “Let the king tell his servants the
dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
8 The king answered, “I know of a certainty
that you are trying to gain time,
because you see the thing has gone from
me.
9 But if you don’t make known to me
the dream, there is but one law for you;
for you have prepared lying and corrupt
words to speak before me, until the situation
changes. Therefore tell me the dream,
and I will know that you can show me its
interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered before the
king, and said, “There is not a man on
the earth who can show the king’s matter,
because no king, lord, or ruler, has asked
such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or
Chaldean.
11 It is a rare thing that the king requires,
and there is no other who can show it
before the king, except the gods, whose
dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this, the king was angry
and very furious, and commanded that all
the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
13 So the decree went out, and the wise
men were to be slain. They sought Daniel
and his companions to be slain.
14 Then Daniel returned answer with
counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain
of the king’s guard, who had gone out
to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15 He answered Arioch the king’s captain,
“Why is the decree so urgent from the
king?” Then Arioch made the thing known
to Daniel.
16 Daniel went in, and desired ofthe king
that he would appoint him a time, and he
would show the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and
made the thing known to Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18 that they would desire mercies of the
God of heaven concerning this secret, and
that Daniel and his companions would not
perish with the rest of the wise men of
Babylon.
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel
in a vision of the night. Then Daniel
blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered, “Blessed be the
name of God forever and ever;
for wisdom and might are his.
21 He changes the times and the seasons.
He removes kings and sets up kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise,
and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals the deep and secret things.
He knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 I thank you and praise you,
O God of my fathers, who have given
me wisdom and might, and have now
made known to me what we desired of you;
for you have made known to us the
king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch,
whom the king had appointed to destroy
the wise men of Babylon. He went and said
this to him: “Don’t destroy the wise men of
Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and
I will show to the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before
the king in haste, and said this to him:
“I have found a man of the children of the
captivity ofJudah who will make known to
the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered Daniel, whose
name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to
make knownto me the dream whichIhave
seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered before the king, and
said, “The secret which the king has demanded
can’t be shown to the king by wise
men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers;
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals
secrets, and he has made known to
King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the
latter days. Your dream, and the visions of
your head on your bed, are these:
29 “As for you, O king, your thoughts
came on your bed, what should happen
hereafter; and he who reveals secrets has
made known to you what will happen.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed
to me for any wisdom that I have
more than any living, but to the intent that
the interpretation may be made known
to the king, and that you may know the
thoughts of your heart.
31 “You, O king, saw, and behold,† a great
image. This image, which was mighty,
and whose brightness was excellent, stood
before you; and its appearance was terrifying.
32 As for this image, its head was of fine
gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its
belly and its thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and
part of clay.
34 You saw until a stone was cut out without
hands, which struck the image on its
feet that were of iron and clay, and broke
them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze,
the silver, and the gold were broken in
pieces together, and became like the chaff
of the summer threshing floors. The wind
carried them away, so that no place was
found for them. The stone that struck the
image became a great mountain, and filled
the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream; and we will tell its
interpretation before the king.
37You, O king, are king of kings, to whom
the God of heaven has given the kingdom,
the power, the strength, and the glory.
38 Wherever the children of men dwell,
he has given the animals of the field and
the birds ofthe sky into your hand, and has
made you rule over them all. You are the
head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise
that is inferior to you; and a third kingdom
of bronze, which will rule over all the
earth.
40 The fourth kingdom will be strong as
iron, because iron breaks in pieces and
subdues allthings; and as ironthat crushes
all these, it will break in pieces and crush.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes,
part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it will
be a divided kingdom; but there will be in
it of the strength of the iron, because you
saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 As the toes ofthe feet were part ofiron,
and part of clay, so the kingdom will be
partly strong, and partly brittle.
43 Whereas you saw the iron mixed with
miry clay, they will mingle themselves
with the seed of men; but they won’t cling
to one another, even as iron does not mix
with clay.
44 “In the days of those kings the God
of heaven will set up a kingdom which
will never be destroyed, nor will its
sovereignty be leftto another people; butit
will break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it will stand forever.
45 Because you saw that a stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands, and
that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze,
the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great
God has made known to the king what will
happen hereafter. The dream is certain,
and its interpretation sure.”
46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his
face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded
that they should offer an offering and
sweet odors to him. 47The king answered to Daniel, and said,
“Of a truth your God is the God of gods,
and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of
secrets, since you have been able to reveal
this secret.”
48 Then the king made Daniel great, and
gave him many great gifts, and made him
rule over the whole province of Babylon,
and to be chief governor over all the wise
men of Babylon.
49 Daniel requested of the king, and he
appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
over the affairs of the province of
Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s gate.