Daniel 2

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

1Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. In the second year he was king, he had dreams. The dreams troubled him, and he could not sleep.

2Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

2The king sent for his magicians and for men who read the stars. He also sent for men who used magic spells. He wanted them to tell him his dreams. They came and stood in front of the king.

3And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

3The king said to them, "I had a dream. I am upset, and I want to know what it means."

4Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

4The star readers answered the king in Aramaic, a language used there. "O king, may you live forever! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."

5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

5The king answered them, "My word is final. If you do not tell me the dream and what it means, you will be cut in pieces. Your houses will be knocked down into piles of trash."

NoteThe KJV says "the thing is gone from me," which sounds like the king forgot his dream. It means his decision is final and will not change.

6But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

6"But if you tell me the dream and what it means, I will give you gifts and rewards. I will honor you greatly. So tell me the dream and what it means."

7They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

7They answered a second time, "Let the king tell his servants the dream. Then we will tell what it means."

8The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

8The king said, "I am sure you are only trying to gain time. You can see that my word will not change."

9But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

9"If you do not tell me the dream, only one thing will happen to you. You have agreed together to tell me lies until things change. So tell me the dream. Then I will know you can tell me what it means."

10The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

10The wise men answered the king, "No one on earth can do what you ask. No king, however great, has ever asked such a thing. No magician or star reader was ever asked this."

11And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

11"What the king asks is too hard. Only the gods could tell it, and they do not live among people."

12For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

12This made the king very angry. He ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be killed.

13And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

13So the order went out to kill the wise men. Men went to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them too.

14Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

14Arioch was the captain of the king's guard. He went out to kill the wise men of Babylon. Daniel spoke to him wisely and carefully.

15He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

15Daniel asked Arioch, "Why did the king give such a harsh order?" Then Arioch explained the matter to Daniel.

16Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

16So Daniel went in to the king. He asked the king to give him some time. Then he would tell the king what the dream meant.

17Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

17Daniel went home. He told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened.

NoteHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are the same three friends who were given the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 1.

18That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

18He asked them to beg the God of heaven to be kind. They were to pray about this hidden thing. Then Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the other wise men.

19Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

19That night God showed Daniel the secret in a vision, like a picture in his mind. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

20Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

20Daniel said, "Praise the name of God forever and ever. Wisdom and power belong to him."

21And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

21"He changes the times and the seasons. He takes kings away, and he puts new kings in their place. He gives wisdom to the wise. He gives knowledge to those who understand."

22He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

22"He shows things that are deep and hidden. He knows what is in the dark. Light lives with him."

23I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

23"God of my fathers, I thank you and praise you. You gave me wisdom and power. You have told me what we asked you for. You have shown us what the king dreamed."

24Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

24Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man the king told to kill the wise men. Daniel said, "Do not kill the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what the dream means."

25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

25Arioch hurried and brought Daniel to the king. He said, "I have found a man among the people brought here from Judah. He can tell the king what the dream means."

26The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

26The king said to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, "Can you tell me the dream I saw? Can you tell me what it means?"

27Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

27Daniel answered the king, "No wise man can tell the king this secret. No star reader, magician, or fortune teller can tell it either."

28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

28"But there is a God in heaven who tells secrets. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Here is the dream you saw while lying in bed."

29As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

29"O king, as you lay in bed, you thought about what would happen later. God, who tells secrets, has shown you what will come."

30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

30"This secret was not shown to me because I am wiser than other people. It was shown so the king could be told what it means. It was shown so you could understand your own thoughts."

31Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

31"O king, you looked and saw a huge statue. It was tall and shining bright. It stood in front of you, and it looked frightening."

32This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

32"The statue's head was made of pure gold. Its chest and arms were silver. Its stomach and upper legs were bronze."

NoteThe KJV word "brass" means bronze, a metal made from copper and tin.

33His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

33"Its lower legs were iron. Its feet were part iron and part clay."

34Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

34"As you watched, a stone was cut out. No human hands cut it. It hit the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them."

35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

35"Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold all broke into bits. They became like dry straw blown away from a field in summer. The wind carried them off, and nothing was left. But the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

36This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

36"That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means."

37Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

37"O king, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven gave you your kingdom, your power, your strength, and your glory."

38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

38"Wherever people live, and the wild animals and the birds, he has put them in your hand. He made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold."

39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

39"After you, another kingdom will rise. It will not be as great as yours. Then a third kingdom, the bronze one, will rule the whole earth."

40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

40"Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Iron smashes and crushes everything. That kingdom will smash and crush all the others."

41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

41"You saw the feet and toes made partly of baked clay and partly of iron. So this kingdom will be split apart. But some of the strength of iron will still be in it, as you saw iron mixed with wet clay."

42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

42"The toes were part iron and part clay. So the kingdom will be partly strong and partly easy to break."

43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

43"You saw iron mixed with wet clay. In the same way, the people will mix with one another. But they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay."

44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

44"In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom. It will never be destroyed. It will never be handed over to other people. It will break all these kingdoms and end them. It will stand forever."

45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

45"You saw a stone cut from the mountain, but not by human hands. It broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has shown the king what will happen later. The dream is true, and what it means is sure."

46Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

46Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed with his face to the ground before Daniel. He gave orders that a gift and sweet-smelling smoke be offered to Daniel.

47The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

47The king said to Daniel, "Your God is truly the God above all gods. He is the Lord over kings, and he tells secrets. You were able to tell me this secret."

48Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

48Then the king gave Daniel a high place and many fine gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon. He put Daniel in charge of all the wise men there.

49Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

49Daniel asked the king for one thing. The king put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the work of the province. Daniel himself stayed at the king's court.