| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. His mind was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia. | 1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. |
| 2The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the king's instructions. | 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, |
| 3The king told them, "I have had a dream, and I am anxious to understand the dream." | 3he said to them, "I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it." |
| 4The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic] "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its interpretation." | 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." |
| 5The king replied to the wise men, "My decision is firm. If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered and your homes reduced to 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 can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and its interpretation!" | 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 again replied, "Let the king inform us of the dream; then we will disclose its interpretation." | 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 for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. | 8The king replied, "I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. |
| 9If you don't inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence that you can disclose its interpretation." | 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 wise men replied to the king, "There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king's secret, for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. | 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. |
| 11What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods--but they don't live among mortals!" | 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." |
| 12Because of this the king got furiously angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. | 12Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. |
| 13So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed. | 13The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them. |
| 14Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the king's executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. | 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 inquired of Arioch the king's deputy, "Why is the decree from the king so urgent?" Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. | 15He asked Arioch, the king's officer, "Why is the decree from the king so harsh?" Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. |
| 16So Daniel went in and requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. | 16So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation. |
| 17Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. | 17Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, |
| 18He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the 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. |
| 19Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So 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 |
| 20saying, "Let the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him. | 20and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. |
| 21He changes times and seasons, deposing some kings and establishing others. He gives wisdom to the wise; he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; | 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 hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and light resides with him. | 22He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. |
| 23O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you, for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me. Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested from you. For you have enabled me to understand the king's dilemma." | 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 appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came and said to him, "Don't destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!" | 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." |
| 25So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king's presence, saying to him, "I have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king." | 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 then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), "Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?" | 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 to the king, "The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king. | 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. |
| 28However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows. | 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"As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. | 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. |
| 30As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom than any other living person, but so that the king may understand the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. | 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"You, O king, were watching as a great statue--one of impressive size and extraordinary brightness--was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm. | 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. |
| 32As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze. | 32The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, |
| 33Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. | 33its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. |
| 34You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces. | 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. |
| 35Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire 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." |
| 36This was the dream. Now we will set forth before the king its interpretation. | 36This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. |
| 37"You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted 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. |
| 38Wherever human beings, wild animals, and birds of the sky live--he has given them into your power. He has given you authority over them all. 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." |
| 39Now after you another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. | 39After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. |
| 40Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces all of these metals, so it will break in pieces and crush the others. | 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. |
| 41In that you were seeing feet and toes partly of wet clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay. | 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, |
| 42In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. | 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. |
| 43And in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed with one another without adhering to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. | 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." |
| 44In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But 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. |
| 45You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable." | 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 bowed down with his face to the ground and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him. | 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him. |
| 47The king replied to Daniel, "Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!" | 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 elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. | 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. |
| 49And at Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served 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. |
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