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English Standard Version

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.

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Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.

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So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologersa to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,

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Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

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he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.b”

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And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”

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Then the astrologers answered the king,c “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

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Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,a “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”

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The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.

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The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.

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But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

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But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”

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Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

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They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.”

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Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:

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The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm —

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If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

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if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.”

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The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.

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The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

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What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

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The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

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This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.

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Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

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So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

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So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

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When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.

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Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

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He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.

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He declaredb to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.

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At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

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And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

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Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

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God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,

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He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

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and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

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During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven

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Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

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and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.

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Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.

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He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

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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;

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He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

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he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.

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I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

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To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

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Daniel Interprets the Dream

Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

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Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

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Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

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Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”

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The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

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The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”

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Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,

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Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,

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but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

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but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

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“As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.

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To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.

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As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

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But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

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“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue — an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.

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Daniel Interprets the Dream

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.

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

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The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,

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its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.

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its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

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While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.

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As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

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Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

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Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

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“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.

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“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.

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Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;

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You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,

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in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

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and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all — you are the head of gold.

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“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.

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Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

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Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.

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And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.

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Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.

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And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.

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As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

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And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

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And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

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As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,c but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

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“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

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And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

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This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

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just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

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Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.

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Daniel Is Promoted

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.

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The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

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The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

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Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.

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Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

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Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

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Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

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English Standard Version

Daniel 2

Daniel 2