| New Living Translation | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. | 1Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. |
| 2He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, | 2Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. |
| 3he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.” | 3The king said to them, "I had a dream and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream." |
| 4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” | 4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: "O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation." |
| 5But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! | 5The king replied to the Chaldeans, "The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. |
| 6But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!” | 6"But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation." |
| 7They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” | 7They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation." |
| 8The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, | 8The king replied, "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, inasmuch as you have seen that the command from me is firm, |
| 9‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.” | 9that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, that I may know that you can declare to me its interpretation." |
| 10The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! | 10The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer or Chaldean. |
| 11The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.” | 11"Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh." |
| 12The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. | 12Because of this the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. |
| 13And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. | 13So the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them. |
| 14When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. | 14Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king's bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; |
| 15He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. | 15he said to Arioch, the king's commander, "For what reason is the decree from the king so urgent?" Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. |
| 16Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. | 16So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king. |
| 17Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. | 17Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, |
| 18He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. | 18so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. |
| 19That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. | 19Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; |
| 20He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. | 20Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. |
| 21He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. | 21"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. |
| 22He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. | 22"It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. |
| 23I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.” Daniel Interprets the Dream | 23"To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king's matter." |
| 24Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.” | 24Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king." |
| 25Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!” | 25Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows: "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!" |
| 26The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?” | 26The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?" |
| 27Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. | 27Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. |
| 28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed. | 28"However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed. |
| 29“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. | 29"As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. |
| 30And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart. | 30"But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind. |
| 31“In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. | 31"You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. |
| 32The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, | 32"The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, |
| 33its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. | 33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. |
| 34As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. | 34"You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. |
| 35The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. | 35"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. |
| 36“That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. | 36"This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. |
| 37Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. | 37"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; |
| 38He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold. | 38and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. |
| 39“But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. | 39"After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. |
| 40Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. | 40"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. |
| 41The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. | 41"In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. |
| 42But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. | 42"As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. |
| 43This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. | 43"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. |
| 44“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. | 44"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. |
| 45That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.” Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel | 45"Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy." |
| 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. | 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. |
| 47The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” | 47The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery." |
| 48Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. | 48Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. |
| 49At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court. | 49And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's court. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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