Daniel 2:1-23 - The King's Troubling Dream
1 And in the second year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. 2 And the king commanded to call to the horoscopists, and to the conjurers, and to the sorcerers, and to the Chaldeans, to tell to the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the meaning.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing has gone from me. If you will not make known to me the dream, with its meaning, you will be made into mere members, and your houses shall be made an outhouse. 6 But if you make known the dream and its meaning, you shall receive gifts and a present and great honor from me. Therefore reveal to me the dream and its meaning.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will reveal its meaning.
8 The king answered and said, For I know that you surely want to gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if you will not make the dream known to me, there is only one judgment for you. For you have prepared lying and deceiving words to speak before me, until the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can reveal to me its meaning.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man on the earth who can reveal the king's matter, because not any king, lord, nor ruler has asked such a thing from any horoscopist or conjurer or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king asks, and there is no other who can reveal it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this cause the king was enraged and angered, and commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed. 13 And the law went out that the wise men should be killed. And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be killed.
14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and insight to Arioch the chief of the king's executioners, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would give him time, and that he would make known the meaning to the king.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might pray for the mercies of God in Heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. And Daniel blessed the God of Heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. 23 I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me now what we asked of You. For You have now made known to us the king's matter.