Daniel, 2

1. In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which left his spirit no rest and robbed him of his sleep.

1. In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a series of dreams; he was perturbed by this and sleep deserted him.

2. So he ordered that the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans be summoned to interpret the dream for him. When they came and presented themselves to the king,

2. The king then had magicians and soothsayers, sorcerers and Chaldaeans summoned to tell him what his dreams meant. They arrived and stood in the king's presence.

3. he said to them, "I had a dream which will allow my spirit no rest until I know what it means."

3. The king said to them, 'I have had a dream, and my mind is troubled by a wish to understand it.'

4. The Chaldeans answered the king (Aramaic): "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream and we will give its meaning."

4. The Chaldaeans answered the king: 'May your majesty live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we shall reveal its meaning for you.'

5. The king answered the Chaldeans, "This is what I have decided: unless you tell me the dream and its meaning, you shall be cut to pieces and your houses destroyed.

5. The king answered the Chaldaeans, 'This is my firm resolve: if you cannot tell me what I dreamt and what it means, I shall have you torn limb from limb and your houses turned into dunghills.

6. But if you tell me the dream and its meaning, you shall receive from me gifts and presents and great honors. Now tell me the dream and its meaning."

6. If, on the other hand, you can tell me what I dreamt and what it means, I shall give you presents, rewards and high honour. So tell me what I dreamt and what it means.'

7. Again they answered, "Let the king tell his servants the dream and we will give its meaning."

7. A second time they said, 'Let the king tell his dream to his servants, and we shall reveal its meaning.'

8. But the king replied: "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, since you know what I have decided.

8. But the king retorted, 'It is plain to me that you are trying to gain time, knowing my proclaimed resolve.

9. If you do not tell me the dream, there can be but one decree for you. You have framed a false and deceitful interpretation to present me with till the crisis is past. Tell me the dream, therefore, that I may be sure that you can also give its correct interpretation."

9. If you do not interpret my dream for me, there will be but one sentence passed on you all; you have agreed among yourselves to make me misleading and tortuous speeches while the time goes by. So tell me what my dream was, and then I shall know whether you can interpret it.'

10. The Chaldeans answered the king: "There is not a man on earth who can do what you ask, O king; never has any king, however great and mighty, asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.

10. The Chaldaeans answered the king, 'Nobody in the world could explain the king's problem; what is more, no other king, governor or chief would think of putting such a question to any magician, soothsayer or Chaldaean.

11. What you demand, O king, is too difficult; there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods who do not dwell among men."

11. The question the king asks is difficult, and no one can find the king an answer to it, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.'

12. At this the king became violently angry and ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be put to death.

12. At this the king flew into a rage and ordered all the Babylonian sages to be put to death.

13. When the decree was issued that the wise men should be slain, Daniel and his companions were also sought out.

13. On publication of the decree to have the sages killed, search was made for Daniel and his companions to have them put to death.

14. Then Daniel prudently took counsel with Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had set out to kill the wise men of Babylon:

14. Then, with shrewd and cautious words, Daniel approached Arioch, the king's chief executioner, when he was on his way to kill the Babylonian sages.

15. "O officer of the king," he asked, "what is the reason for this harsh order from the king?" When Arioch told him,

15. To this royal official Arioch he said, 'Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?' Arioch explained matters to Daniel,

16. Daniel went and asked for time from the king, that he might give him the interpretation.

16. and Daniel went off to ask the king for a stay of execution to give him the opportunity of revealing his interpretation to the king.

17. Daniel went home and informed his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

17. Daniel then went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah what had happened,

18. that they might implore the mercy of the God of heaven in regard to this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

18. urging them to beg the God of heaven to show his mercy and explain the mysterious secret, so that Daniel and his friends might be spared the fate of the other Babylonian sages.

19. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven:

19. The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a night-vision, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20. "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power are his.

20. This is what Daniel said: May the name of God be blessed for ever and ever, since wisdom and power are his alone.

21. He causes the changes of the times and seasons, makes kings and unmakes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand.

21. It is he who controls the procession of times and seasons, who makes and unmakes kings, who confers wisdom on the wise, and knowledge on those with discernment,

22. He reveals deep and hidden things and knows what is in the darkness, for the light dwells with him.

22. who uncovers depths and mysteries, who knows what lies in darkness; and light dwells with him.

23. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, because you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have shown me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the king's dream."

23. To you, God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise for having given me wisdom and strength: to me you have explained what we asked you, to us you have explained the king's problem.

24. So Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not put the wise men of Babylon to death. Bring me before the king, and I will tell him the interpretation of the dream." Arioch quickly brought Daniel to the king and said,

24. So Daniel went to see Arioch, whom the king had made responsible for putting the Babylonian sages to death. Going in, he said, 'Do not put the Babylonian sages to death. Take me into the king's presence and I will reveal the meaning to the king.'

25. "I have found a man among the Judean captives who can give the interpretation to the king."

25. Arioch lost no time in bringing Daniel to the king. 'Among the exiles from Judah,' he said, 'I have discovered a man who can reveal the meaning to the king.'

26. The king asked Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Can you tell me the dream that I had, and its meaning?"

26. The king said to Daniel (who had been given the name Belteshazzar), 'Can you tell me what I dreamt and what it means?'

27. In the king's presence Daniel made this reply: "The mystery about which the king has inquired, the wise men, enchanters, magicians, and astrologers could not explain to the king.

27. Facing the king, Daniel replied, 'None of the sages, soothsayers, magicians or exorcists has been able to tell the king the truth of the mystery which the king has propounded;

28. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in days to come; this was the dream you saw as you lay in bed.

28. but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and who has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to take place in the final days. These, then, are the dream and the visions that passed through your head as you lay in bed:

29. To you in your bed there came thoughts about what should happen in the future, and he who reveals mysteries showed you what is to be.

29. 'Your Majesty, on your bed your thoughts turned to what would happen in the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries disclosed to you what is to take place.

30. To me also this mystery has been revealed; not that I am wiser than any other living person, but in order that its meaning may be made known to the king, that you may understand the thoughts in your own mind.

30. This mystery has been revealed to me, not that I am wiser than anyone else, but for this sole purpose: that the king should learn what it means, and that you should understand your inmost thoughts.

31. "In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.

31. 'You have had a vision, Your Majesty; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see.

32. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze,

32. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,

33. the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile.

33. its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part clay.

34. While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.

34. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and clay and shattered them.

35. The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

35. Then, iron and clay, bronze, silver and gold, all broke into pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole world.

36. "This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.

36. This was the dream; we shall now explain to the king what it means.

37. You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory;

37. 'You, Your Majesty, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and honour-

38. men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold.

38. human beings, wild animals, birds of the air, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all -- you are the golden head.

39. Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.

39. And, after you, another kingdom will rise, not as great as yours, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world.

40. There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.

40. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that pulverises and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms.

41. The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,

41. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together.

42. and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

42. The feet were part iron, part potter's clay: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

43. The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

43. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in human seed; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with clay.

44. In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.

44. In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms and itself last for ever-

45. That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."

45. just as you saw a stone, untouched by hand, break away from the mountain and reduce iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold to powder. The Great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.'

46. Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down and worshiped Daniel and ordered sacrifice and incense offered to him.

46. At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel; he gave orders for Daniel to be offered an oblation and a fragrant sacrifice.

47. To Daniel the king said, "Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries; that is why you were able to reveal this mystery."

47. The king said to Daniel, 'Your god is indeed the God of gods, the Master of kings, and the Revealer of Mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.'

48. He advanced Daniel to a high post, gave him many generous presents, made him ruler of the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

48. The king then conferred high rank on Daniel and gave him many handsome presents. He also made him governor of the whole province of Babylon and head of all the sages of Babylon.

49. At Daniel's request the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators of the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the king's court.

49. At Daniel's request, the king entrusted the affairs of the province of Babylon to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego; Daniel himself remained in attendance on the king.