1In the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit and kept him from sleeping.
2So the king ordered his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to be called to tell him his dreams. They came in and stood before the king.
3The king said to them, "I have had a dream, and my spirit is troubled because I want to understand it."
4The Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will explain what it means."
5The king answered the Chaldeans, "I have forgotten the dream. If you don't tell me the dream and its meaning, you will be cut into pieces, and your houses will be turned into piles of rubble."
6But if you show me the dream and its meaning, you will receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. So show me the dream and its meaning."
7They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will explain what it means."
8The king replied, "I know for certain that you are trying to buy time because you realize I have forgotten the dream."
9But if you don't tell me the dream, there is only one punishment for you. You have conspired to tell me lies and false stories until the situation changes. So tell me the dream, and then I will know that you can tell me its meaning."
10The Chaldeans answered the king, "There is no one on earth who can tell the king what he wants to know. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.
11What the king is asking is very unusual, and no one else can show it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among people."
12Because of this, the king became very angry and furious, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed.
13So the decree was issued, and the wise men were to be killed. They also looked for Daniel and his companions to kill them.
14Then Daniel responded with good judgment and wisdom to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15He asked Arioch, the king's captain, "Why is the king's decree so harsh?" Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.
16Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
17Then Daniel went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter.
18He urged them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy regarding this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision during the night. So Daniel praised the God of heaven.
20Daniel said, "May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him.
21He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him."
23I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, because you have given me wisdom and strength. You have now told me what we asked of you, because you have revealed the king's secret to us.
24So Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had ordered to destroy the wise men of Babylon. Daniel went and said to him, "Don't destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will explain the interpretation to him."
25Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, "I have found a man among the Jewish captives who will tell the king the interpretation."
26The king asked Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream I saw and its meaning?"
27Daniel answered the king, "The secret the king has asked about cannot be revealed by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers.
28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Your dream and the visions you saw while lying in your bed are these:
29As you, O king, were lying on your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what would happen in the future. The one who reveals secrets has shown you what will happen.
30As for me, this secret was not revealed to me because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive. It was revealed so that the king might know the interpretation and understand the thoughts in your heart.
31You, O king, looked, and there before you was a huge statue. This statue was enormous and extremely bright, standing before you, and its appearance was terrifying.
32The head of this statue was made of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its stomach and thighs were of bronze,
33its legs were of iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay.
34You watched until a stone, cut out without human hands, struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and shattered them.
35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were all broken into pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a summer threshing floor. The wind carried them away, leaving no trace. But the stone that struck the statue grew into a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36This is the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.
37You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.
38Wherever people live, he has given you control over the wild animals and the birds of the sky, making you ruler over all of them. You are the head of gold.
39After your kingdom, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will arise. Then a third kingdom, of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
40The fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron, because iron breaks and crushes everything. Just as iron shatters things, it will break into pieces and crush all the others.
41You saw the feet and toes, partly potter's clay and partly iron, which means it will be a divided kingdom. However, it will have some of the strength of iron, because you saw iron mixed with brittle clay.
42Just as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile.
43The fact that you saw iron mixed with muddy clay means that they will try to mix with other people, but they won't stick together, just as iron doesn't mix with clay.
44During the time of those kings, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and its power will not be given to another group of people. Instead, it will crush and put an end to all those other kingdoms, and it will last forever.
45Because you saw a stone cut from a mountain without human hands, and it broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces, the great God has shown the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its explanation is trustworthy.
46Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground and worshiped Daniel. He also ordered that offerings and sweet-smelling incense be given to Daniel.
47The king responded to Daniel, saying, "It is true that your God is the God of all gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, because you were able to reveal this secret."
48Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many valuable gifts, made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and appointed him as the chief official over all the wise men of Babylon.
49Daniel asked the king, and the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained at the king's court.