Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream

1In the second yere of the raigne of Nabuchodonozor, had Nabuchodonozor a dreame, wherthorowe his spirite was troubled & his sleepe brake from him. 2Then the king commaunded to cal the wise men, and soothsayers, & sorcerers, and the Chaldees, for to shew the king his dreame: So they came, & stoode before the king. 3And the king sayde vnto them: I haue dreamed a dreame, and my spirite was troubled to knowe the dreame.

4Upon this the Chaldees aunswered the king in the Syrians speache, O king, God saue thy life for euer: Shewe thy seruauntes the dreame, and we shal shewe the interpretation. 5The king aunswered and sayde to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone fro me: If ye will not make me vnderstand the dreame with the interpretation therof, ye shall be drawne in peeces, & your houses made a lakes. 6But if ye tell me the dreame and the interpretation therof, ye shall receaue of me giftes, rewardes, and great honour, therefore shewe me the dreame and the interpretation therof. 7They aunswered againe, and said: The king must shewe his seruauntes the dreame, and so shal we declare the interpretation therof. 8Then the king aunswered, saying: I perceaue of a trueth that ye would redeeme the time, for so much as ye see the thing is gone fro me. 9Therfore if ye wil not tel me the dreame, this is your only purpose, ye haue prepared liyng & corrupt wordes to speake before me, til the time be chaunged: therfore tell me the dreame, that I may knowe that ye can declare me the interpretation therof. 10Upon this the Chaldees gaue aunswere before the king, and sayde: There is no man vpon earth that can tell the thing which the king speaketh of, yea there is neither king, prince, nor lorde, that euer asked such thinges at a wyse man, soothsayer, or Chaldean. 11For it is a rare matter that the king requireth, neither is there any that can certifie the king therof, except the gods whose dwelling is not with fleshe.

12For the which cause the king was wroth with great indignation, & commaunded to destroy al the wise men at Babylon. 13So the decree went foorth, and the wise men were slayne: they sought also to slay Daniel, with his companions.

The Dream Revealed to Daniel

14Then Daniel stayed the counsell and decree with Arioch the captayne of the kinges garde, who was gone foorth to put to death the wise men of Babylon. 15He aunswered and sayde vnto Arioch the kinges captayne: why is the sentence so hastie from the king? Then Arioch tolde Daniel the matter. 16Upon this went Daniel, and desired the king that he woulde geue him leysure, and that he would shewe the king the interpretation.

17Then Daniel went to his house, and shewed the thing to Ananias, Misael, and Azarias, his companions: 18That they shoulde beseche the God of heauen for grace in this secrete, that Daniel and his felowes, with other such as were wyse in Babylon, perished not.

19Then was the secrete reuealed vnto Daniel in a vision by night: then Daniel praysed the God of heauen.

20Daniel also aunswered, and said: The name of God be praysed for euer & euer: for wysdome and strength are his.

21He chaungeth the times and seasons, he taketh away kinges, he setteth vp kinges: he geueth wysdome vnto the wyse, and vnderstanding to those that vnderstande.

22He reuealeth the deepe & secrete thinges, he knoweth the thing that lieth in darknesse, for the light dwelleth with him.

23I thanke thee and prayse thee O thou God of my fathers, that thou hast geuen me wisdome and strength, and hast shewed me now the thing that we desired of thee: for thou hast declared the kinges matter vnto vs.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

24Upon this went Daniel in vnto Arioch, whom the king had ordeined to destroy the wise men at Babylon: he went and sayde thus vnto him, Destroy not the wyse men of Babylon, but bring me before the king, and I shall shewe the king the interpretation.

25Then Arioch brought Daniel before the king in all the haste, and sayde thus vnto him: I haue founde a man among the children of Iuda that were brought captiues, that will declare vnto the king the interpretation. 26Then aunswered the king and sayd vnto Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: Art thou able to shewe me the dreame which I haue seene, and the interpretation therof? 27Daniel aunswered in the presence of the king, and sayd: As for this secrete for the whiche the king maketh inquisition, there can neither the men of vnderstanding, nor soothsayers, nor the wyse men, nor readers of destinies declare it vnto the king: 28But there is a God in heauen that reuealeth secretes, & sheweth the king Nabuchodonozor what is for to come in the latter dayes. Thy dreame and that whiche thou hast seene in thyne head vpon thy bed, is this. 29O king, when thou wast in thy bed, thoughtes came into thy mynde what should come hereafter: so he that is the opener of misteries, telleth thee what is for to come. 30As for me, this secrete is not shewed me for any wysdome that I haue more then any other liuing: but onely that I might shew the king the interpretation, and that thou mightest knowe the thoughtes of thyne owne heart.

31Thou king sawest, and beholde, there was a great image: this great image whose brightnesse was excellent, stoode before thee, and the fourme therof was terrible. 32This images head was of fine gold, his brest and armes of siluer, his belly and his thighes of brasse. 33His legges were of iron, his feete were part of iron and part of clay. 34Thou beheldest it till a stone was cut without handes, which smote the image vpon his feete that were of iron & clay, and brake them to peeces. 35Then was the iron, the clay, the brasse, the siluer and gold broken al together, & became like ye chaffe of sommer floores, and the winde caryed them away, that no place was found for them: & the stone that smote the image became a great mountayne, and filled the whole earth.

36This is the dreame: and now will we shew before the king what it meaneth. 37O king, thou art a king of kinges: for the God of heaue hath geuen vnto thee a kingdome, power, strength, & glorie. 38And in all places whersoeuer the children of men dwell, the beastes of the fielde, and the foules of the aire hath he geuen into thy hande, and hath made thee ruler in them all: thou art this head of golde.

39After thee shall arise another kingdome inferior to thee, & another third kingdome shalbe of brasse, whiche shall beare rule ouer all the earth.

40The fourth kingdome shalbe strong as iron: for as iron breaketh in peeces and subdueth all thinges, and as iron bruiseth all these thinges, so shall it breake in peeces and bruise all. 41Where as thou sawest the feete & toes, parte of potters clay & part of iron, the kingdome shalbe deuided, but there shalbe in it of the strength of the iron, for so much as thou sawest the iron mixt with the clay and earth. 42And as the toes of the feete were part of iron and part of clay: so shal the kingdome be part strong and part broken. 43And wheras thou sawest iron mixt with clay and earth, they shall mingle themselues with the seede of men, and yet not ioyne one with another, as iron will not be mixt with clay.

44And in the dayes of these kinges, shall the God of heauen set vp a kingdome, which shall neuer be destroyed, and this kingdome shall not be geuen ouer to another people: but it shall breake and destroy al these kingdomes, and it shal stand for euer. 45Like as thou sawest that without any handes there was cut out of the mount a stone, whiche brake the iron, the brasse, the clay, the siluer and gold in peeces: so the great God hath shewed the king what shall come to passe after this: This is a true dreame, & the interpretation of it is sure.

Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel

46Then the king Nabuchodonozor fell downe vpon his face, and bowed hym selfe vnto Daniel, and commaunded to ordeine rewardes and sweete odours for hym. 47The king aunswered Daniel, & sayde: Of a trueth your God is a God of gods, and the Lorde of kinges, and a reuealer of secretes, seing thou couldest reueale this secrete. 48So the king made Daniel a great man, and gaue him many & great giftes: he made hym ruler of all the countreys of Babylon, and the chiefe of the rulers aboue all the wyse men of Babylon. 49Then Daniel made request to the king, and he set Sidrach, Misach, and Abednego ouer the charge of the prouince of Babylon: but Daniel sate in the kinges gate.