| New Living Translation | English Standard Version |
| 1One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. | 1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; 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 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. |
| 3he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.” | 3And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know 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 said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show 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 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. |
| 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!” | 6But 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.” |
| 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 his servants the dream, and we will show its 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 answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word 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.” | 9if 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.” |
| 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 can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter 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.” | 11The 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.” |
| 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 was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. |
| 13And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. | 13So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, 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 prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill 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 declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. |
| 16Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. | 16And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show 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 made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, |
| 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. | 18and 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. |
| 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 vision of the night. 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 answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. |
| 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. | 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 mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. | 22he reveals deep 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 | 23To 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.” |
| 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 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.” |
| 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 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.” |
| 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 declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that 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 the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, |
| 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. | 28but 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: |
| 29“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. | 29To 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. |
| 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. | 30But 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. |
| 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 saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. |
| 32The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, | 32The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and 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. | 34As 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. |
| 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. | 35Then 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. |
| 36“That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. | 36“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. |
| 37Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. | 37You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, 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 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. |
| 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. | 39Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall 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. | 40And 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. |
| 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. | 41And 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. |
| 42But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. | 42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly 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. | 43As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. |
| 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. | 44And 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, |
| 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 | 45just 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.” |
| 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 upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. |
| 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 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.” |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 49Daniel 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. |
| 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. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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