A King Without Peace
2 1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. 2 So the king ordered the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers summoned to tell him his dreams. They came and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, "I dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."
4 Then the astrologers said to the king in Aramaic, "King, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal its interpretation."
5 The king answered the astrologers, "My decree is firm: if you don't tell me the dream and its meaning, you'll be cut to pieces and your houses reduced to rubble." 6 But if you tell the dream and its meaning, you'll receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. So tell me the dream and its meaning.
7 They answered a second time, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its meaning."
8 The king replied, "I know for certain you're trying to buy time, because you see my decree is firm: 9 If you don't tell me the dream, there is only one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying, corrupt words before me until the times change. So tell me the dream, then I'll know you can reveal its interpretation.
10 The astrologers answered the king, "No one on earth can do what the king asks. No great, powerful king ever demanded such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean. 11 "The king's request is too hard; only the gods, who don't live among mortals, can reveal it to the king."
12 At this the king grew angry and furious, and ordered all Babylon's wise men destroyed. 13 So the decree went out to kill the wise men, and they searched for Daniel and his companions to put them to death.
14 Then Daniel answered Arioch, the king's guard commander, with wisdom and discretion; Arioch had gone out to kill Babylon's wise men. 15 He asked Arioch, the king's officer, "Why such a harsh decree from the king?" Then Arioch explained it to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and asked the king for time, so that he might reveal the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, 18 urging them to plead for mercy from our Father in heaven about this mystery, so Daniel and his companions wouldn't be destroyed with Babylon's other wise men. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, and Daniel blessed our Father in heaven. 20 Daniel said: "Blessed be the name of our Father forever and ever, for wisdom and might belong to him. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 "To you, the Father of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and now you have made known to me what we asked of you; you have made known to us the king's matter."
Daniel Brings the Answer
24 So Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy Babylon's wise men, and said, "Don't destroy Babylon's wise men. Take me to the king, and I will give him the interpretation."
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said, "Among the exiles of Judah I found a man who can tell the king the interpretation."
26 The king asked Daniel, called Belteshazzar, "Can you tell me the dream I saw and what it means?"
27 Daniel answered the king, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can reveal the mystery the king asks about." 28 But our Father in heaven reveals mysteries, and has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions in your mind as you lay on your bed were these: a a v28 "The latter days" refers to the final era of history before God establishes his eternal kingdom.
29 "As you lay in bed, O king, your thoughts turned to what would come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is to be. 30 But this mystery was revealed to me not because I have more wisdom than anyone else alive, but so the king may know its interpretation, and you may understand your heart's thoughts.
31 You watched, O king, and saw a great statue—huge, dazzling in brightness—standing before you, and its appearance was terrifying. 32 The statue's head was fine gold, its chest and arms silver, its belly and thighs bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 While you watched, a stone cut without hands struck the statue's feet of iron and clay, crushing them. b b v34 The stone cut out by no human hand becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth — the kingdom our Father sets up through Jesus, which will never be destroyed and never pass to anyone else. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were all broken to pieces together, becoming like chaff on a summer threshing floor. The wind carried them off, leaving no trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain filling the whole earth.
36 "This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, king, are the king of kings, to whom our Father in heaven has given kingdom, power, might, and glory. 38 Into your hand he has placed all people, the animals, and the birds of the sky, wherever they live, making you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
39 "After you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours; then a third kingdom, of bronze, ruling over all the earth. 40 A fourth kingdom will be strong as iron — iron breaks and shatters everything — and as iron crushes all these, it will break and crush them. 41 As you saw the feet and toes—part potter's clay, part iron—it will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of iron's strength, just as you saw iron mixed with soft clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw iron mixed with soft clay, the people will mix in marriage but not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 In those kings' days our Father in heaven will set up a kingdom never to be destroyed, nor its rule left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and end them, and it will stand forever. 45 This is what the vision meant: the stone cut from a mountain, not by human hands, broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces. Our great Father has shown the king what will happen after this. The dream is certain, its interpretation trustworthy.
A King Humbled Before Our Father
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, bowed to Daniel, and ordered offering and incense given to him. 47 The king told Daniel, "Truly your God is God of gods, Lord of kings, and revealer of secrets, since you could reveal it."
48 Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler of Babylon's whole province and chief prefect over all its wise men. 49 Daniel asked the king, who put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over Babylon province's affairs; Daniel remained at the king's court.
