| New Living Translation | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. | 1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted 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, | 2So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, |
| 3he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.” | 3he said to them, "I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it." |
| 4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” | 4The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): "May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give 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 replied to the Chaldeans, "My word is final: If you don't tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump. |
| 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 make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you'll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me." |
| 7They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” | 7They answered a second time, "May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the 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 replied, "I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. |
| 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 don't tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give 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, "No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any diviner-priest, medium, 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.” | 11What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals." |
| 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 became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. |
| 13And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. | 13The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them. |
| 14When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. | 14Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, who had gone out to execute 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 asked Arioch, the king's officer, "Why is the decree from the king so harsh?" Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. |
| 16Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. | 16So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation. |
| 17Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. | 17Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, |
| 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. | 18urging them to ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon's wise men. |
| 19That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. | 19The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven |
| 20He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. | 20and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. |
| 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 the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes 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 the 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, 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 | 23I offer thanks and praise to You, God of my fathers, because You have given me wisdom and power. And now You have let me know what we asked of You, for You have let us know the king's mystery. |
| 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 to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, "Don't kill the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him 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 quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, "I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know 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 said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream I had 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: "No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. |
| 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 let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: |
| 29“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. | 29Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future. The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen. |
| 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. | 30As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand 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. | 31My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. |
| 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 the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, |
| 33its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. | 33its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired 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 were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. |
| 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 fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." |
| 36“That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. | 36This 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. | 37Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and 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. | 38Wherever people live--or wild animals, or birds of the air--He has handed them over to you and made you ruler 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. | 39After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole 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. | 40A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others. |
| 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. | 41You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter's fired clay and partly of iron--it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, |
| 42But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. | 42and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay--part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be 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. | 43You saw the iron mixed with clay--the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired 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. | 44In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure 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 | 45You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain." |
| 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 down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense 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 said to Daniel, "Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were 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 promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor 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. | 49At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage 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. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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