Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream

1And in the second year to the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and his spirit will be moved, and his sleep was broken upon him. 2And the king will say to call to the sacred scribes, and to the enchanters, and to the sorcerers, and to the Chaldeans, to announce to the king his dreams. And they will come and stand before the king. 3And the king will say to them, I dreamed a dream, and my spirit will be moved to know the dream.

4And the Chaldeans will speak to the king Syriac: O king, live forever: say to thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation. 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word went out from me: if ye will not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, ye shall be made pieces, and your houses shall be set dung-hills. 6And if ye shall show the dream and its interpretation, ye shall receive from before me a gift and present, and great honor: therefore shove me the dream and its interpretation. 7They answered a second time, and said, The king will say to his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation. 8And the king answered and said, Certainly I know that ye buy the time, for which cause that ye saw that the word went out from me. 9Enough if ye will not make known to me the dream, this one edict for you; and ye divided out the word of falsehood and this corruption to say before me, till that the time shall change: therefore say to me the dream and I shall know that ye will show me its interpretation. 10The Chaldean answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the dry land that shall be able to show the king's word: for which cause that every king, leader, and ruler, asked not a word like this to any sacred scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean. 11And the word the king asked will be made rare, and there is not another that will show it before the king except the gods that their dwelling is not with flesh.

12For this cause the king was indignant and greatly angry, and he spake to destroy to all the wise of Babel. 13And the edict went forth and the wise men being killed; and they sought Daniel and his associates to be killed.

The Dream Revealed to Daniel

14At that time Daniel turned back counsel and reason to Arioch, leader of the king's executioners, that went forth to kill to the wise of Babel: 15He answered and said to Arioch the king's ruler, For what the severe edict from before the king? Then Arioch made known the word to Daniel. 16And Daniel went up and sought from the king that he will give time for it, and to show to the king the interpretation.

17Then Daniel departed to his house, and made known the word to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah his companions: 18And for seeking companions from before the God of the heavens concerning this secret: that Daniel and his companions shall not be destroyed with the rest of the wise of Babel.

19Then to Daniel in a vision of the night was the secret uncovered. Then Daniel praised to the God of the heavens.

20Daniel answered and said, For this the name of God being praised from forever and even to forever: for wisdom and strength are to him:

21And he changes the times and the seasons; removing kings and setting up kings; giving wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those knowing understanding.

22He uncovered deep and hidden things: he knew what in darkness, and light lodged with him.

23For thee, O God of my fathers, I praise and laud that thou gavest me wisdom and strength, and now didst make known to me what we sought from thee: for thou didst make known to us the king's word.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

24For this cause Daniel went up to Arioch whom the king allotted to destroy the wise of Babel: he went and said thus to him: For the wise of Babel thou shalt not destroy: bring me up before the king, and I will show the interpretation to the king.

25Then with haste Arioch brought up for Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, That I found a man from the sons of the captivity of Judah that will make known to the king the interpretation. 26The king answered and said to Daniel, his name Belteshazzar, Is it to thee to be able to make known to me the dream that I saw, and its interpretation? 27Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret that the, king asked, not the wise men, the enchanters, the sacred scribes, the diviners, shall be able to show to the king; 28But there is a God in the heavens revealing secrets, and he made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what to be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, it is thus: 29Thou, O king, thy thoughts upon thy bed went up what to be after this: and he revealing secrets made known to thee what to be. 30And I not for wisdom that is in me more than all living is this secret revealed to me, but for the reason that they shall make known the interpretation to the king, and thou shalt know the thoughts of thy heart.

31Thou, O king, wert seeing, and behold, one great image. This image vast, and its brightness excellent; it stood before thee, and its aspect terrible. 32This image, its head of good gold, the breasts and arms of silver, and the bowels and thighs of brass: 33The legs of iron, the feet part of iron, and part of burnt clay. 34Thou wert seeing even till a stone was cut out not with hands, and striking against the image upon the feet of iron and burnt clay, and breaking them in pieces. 35At that time were beaten small at once, the iron, the burnt clay, the brass, the silver and the gold, and they were as the chaff of the threshing-floor of summer; and the wind lifted them up and all place was not found for them: and the stone striking against the image was for a great rock, and filled all the earth.

36This the dream, and we will tell its interpretation before the king. 37Thou, O king, a king of kings: for the God of the heavens gave to thee a kingdom strong and powerful, and splendid. 38And in all that the sons of men dwelt, the beasts of the open field and the birds of the heavens he gave into thine hand, and gave thee power over them all Thou this head of gold.

39And after thee shall arise another kingdom lower than thee, and another third kingdom of brass, that shall have power over all the earth.

40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because that iron beats small, and makes thin all: and as iron breaks all these, it shall beat small and break. 41And that thou sawest the feet and toes, part of burnt clay of the potter, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; and from the firmness of iron to be in it, for which cause that thou sawest iron mingled with earthen-ware. 42And the toes of the feet, part of iron, and part of burnt clay, from the end of the kingdom shall be strong, and part shall be cut asunder. 43That thou sawest the iron mingled with the earthen-ware, mingling for themselves with the seed of men: and not cleaving to them this with this, so as iron not mingling with burnt clay.

44And in their days that they are kings, the God of the heavens shall set up a kingdom that shall not be destroyed forever: and its kingdom shall be left to another people; it shall beat small and destroy all these kingdoms, and this shall stand forever. 45Because that thou sawest that the stone being cut from the rock not with hands, and it beat small the iron, the brass, the burnt clay, the silver and the gold: the great God made known to the king what to be after this: and the dream certain, and its interpretation faithful.

Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel

46At that time king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and prostrated himself to Daniel, and said to pour out a gift and sweet odors to him. 47And the king answered to Daniel, and said, of a truth that your God he is God of gods, and Lord of kings, and revealing secrets, that thou wert able to reveal this secret. 48Then the king multiplied to Daniel, and gave to him many a great gift, and gave him power over all the province of Babel, and chief of the prefects over all the wise of Babel. 49And Daniel sought from the king, and he appointed out over the business of the province of Babel to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego: and Daniel in the gate of the king.