Daniel 2:1-49 NIV
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his
mind was troubled and he could not sleep.
2So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and
astrologersa to tell him what he had dreamed. When they
came in and stood before the king,
4Then the astrologers answered the king,c “May the king live forever! Tell your
servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
5The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly
decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have
you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive
from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret
it for me.”
7Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the
dream, and we will interpret it.”
8Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to
gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for
you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the
situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can
interpret it for me.”
10The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who
can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked
such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the
king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”
12This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the
execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men
were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to
put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a
harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that
he might interpret the dream for him.
17Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to
his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18He urged them to plead for Mercy from The GOD of Heaven
concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with
the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Then Daniel praised The GOD of Heaven 20and said:
“Praise Be To The Name of GOD for ever and ever;
Wisdom and Power are HIS.
21HE Changes times and seasons;
HE Deposes kings and Raises Up others.
HE Gives wisdom to the wise
and Knowledge to the discerning.
22HE Reveals deep and hidden things;
HE Knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with HIM.
23I thank and praise YOU, GOD of my ancestors:
YOU Have Given me wisdom and power,
YOU Have Made Known to me what we asked of YOU,
YOU Have Made Known to us the dream of the king.”
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to
execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men
of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”
25Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a
man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able
to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
27Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can
explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28but There Is A GOD in Heaven Who Reveals mysteries. HE Has Shown
King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the
visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
29“As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to
come, and the Revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I
have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that your majesty may know
the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
31“Your majesty looked, and there before you stood a large
statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
32The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms
of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked
clay.
34While you were watching, A Rock Was Cut Out, but not by human
hands. It Struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold
were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the
summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But The Rock That Struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
36“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your majesty,
you are the king of kings. The GOD of Heaven Has Given you dominion
and power and might and glory; 38in your hands HE Has Placed all mankind and the beasts of the
field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, HE Has Made you ruler over
them all. You are that head of gold.
39“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next,
a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.40Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron
breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will
crush and break all the others. 41Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay
and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of
the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom
will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the
people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes
with clay.
44“In the time of those kings, The GOD of Heaven Will Set Up a KINGDOM that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It Will Crush all those kingdoms and Bring them to an end, but It Will Itself Endure
forever. 45This is the meaning of the vision of The ROCK Cut Out of a mountain,
but not by human hands—A ROCK That Broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the
silver and the gold to pieces.
“The Great GOD Has Shown the
king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its
interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him
honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
47The king said to Daniel, “Surely your GOD Is The GOD of gods and
The LORD of kings and a Revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this
mystery.”
48Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many
gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed
him in charge of all its wise men. 49Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself
remained at the royal court.
(Compiled from commentaries)
Nebuchadnezzar, in the
second year of his reign, 604 B.C., had a dream which greatly troubled him; but
of which nothing remained in the morning but the uneasy impression. Hence the
diviners, when brought in before the king, could give no interpretation, as
they were not in possession of the dream, Daniel 2:1-13.
Daniel then, having
obtained favor from GOD, is made acquainted with the dream, and its
interpretation, Daniel 2:14-19; for which he praises GOD in a lofty and
beautiful ode, Daniel 2:20-23; and reveals both unto the king, telling him
first the particulars of the dream, Daniel 2:24-35, and then interpreting it of the four great
monarchies. The then existing Chaldean empire, represented by the head of gold,
is the first; the next is the Medo-Persian; the third, the Macedonian or
Grecian; the fourth, the Roman, which should break every other kingdom in
pieces, but which in its last stage, should be divided into ten kingdoms,
represented by the ten toes of the image, as they are in another vision (Daniel 7) by the ten horns of the fourth beast.
He likewise informs
the king that in the time of this last monarchy, i.e. the Roman Empire, GOD Would Set Up The KINGDOM of The
MESSIAH; Which, though small in its commencement, Should ultimately Be Extended
over the whole earth, Daniel 2:36-45.
Daniel and his three
friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (named by the prince of the eunuchs,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego), are then promoted by the king to great
honor, Daniel
2:46-49.
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