THE BOOK OF
DANIEL
Daniel 2 ©
King Nebuchadnezzar dreams a dream, which he, having forgotten, desires to know it from the wise men of the Chaldeans, v. 1, etc. They, not being able to do it, are condemned to die, 12. The dream is revealed unto Daniel in a vision, after that he and his companions had fervently prayed unto God, 17. For which they give God thanks, 23. And Daniel reveals the dream unto the king, together with the interpretation thereof, 25. For which Daniel is promoted by the king, 46.
AND 1in the second year 2of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed 3dreams, wherewith his spirit was 4troubled, and his sleep 5brake from him.
Then the king 6commanded to call 7the magicians, and the astrologers, and the 8sorcerers, and 9the Chaldeans, for 10to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled 11to know the dream.
Then spake 12the Chaldeans to the king 13in Syriack, 14O king, live 15for ever: tell 16thy servants the dream, 17and we will shew the interpretation.
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, 18The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, 19yea shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a 20dunghill.
But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me 21gifts and rewards and 22great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
The king answered and said, I know of 23certainty that ye would gain 24the time, because ye see 25the thing is gone from me.
But if ye will not make known unto me 26the dream, there is but one 27decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, 28till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
¶The Chaldeans answered 29before the king, and said, 30There is not a man 31upon the earth that can shew the king’s 32matter: therefore there is no king, 33lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
And it is a 34rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except 35the gods, whose dwelling is not 36with flesh.
37For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and 38commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
And the 39decree went forth that 40the wise men should be slain; and 41they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
¶ 42Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch 43the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
44He answered and said to Arioch 45the king’s captain, 46Why is the decree so hasty from the king? 47Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
48Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Then Daniel went to his house, and 49made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
That they would desire 50mercies 51of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
¶Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel 52in a night vision. Then Daniel 53blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel 54answered and said, 55Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are 56his:
And he 57changeth the times and the seasons: he 58removeth kings, and 59setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them 60that know understanding:
He revealethb the 61deep and secret things: 62he knoweth what is in the darkness, and 63the light dwelleth with him.
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and 64might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto 65us 66the king’s matter.
¶Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; 67Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king 68the interpretation.
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king 69in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the 70captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
The king 71answered and 72said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 73Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, 74the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, 75and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be 76in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, 77are these;
As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come 78to pass 79hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
But as for me, this secret is 80not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but 81for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, 82and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
¶Thou, O king, 83sawest, and behold 84a 85great image. This great image, 86whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and 87the form thereof was terrible.
This image's head was 88of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his 89belly and his thighs of brass,
His legs of iron, his feet 90part of iron and part of clay.
91Thou sawest till that 92a stone was 93cut out 94without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces 95together, and became like the chaff of 96the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, 97and filled the whole earth.
¶This is the dream; and 98we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Thou, O king, art 99a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee 100a kingdom, 101power, and strength, and glory.
And 102wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given 103into thine hand, and hath 104made thee ruler over them all. 105Thou art 106this head of gold.
And 107after thee shall arise 108another kingdom 109inferior to thee, and 110another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule 111over all the earth.
And the 112fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and 113as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be 114divided; 115but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
And as 116the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be 117partly strong, and partly broken.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall 118mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
And in the days of 119these kings shall the God of heaven set up 120a kingdom, whichc shall never be destroyed: and 121the kingdom 122shall not be left to other people, but it shall 123break in pieces and consume 124all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
125Forasmuch as thou sawest that 126the stone was 127cut 128out of the mountain 129without hands, 130and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass 131hereafter: and the dream 132is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
¶ 133Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and 134worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
The king 135answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a 136truth it is, 137that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
138Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
139Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 140over 141the affairs of the province of Babylon: 142but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.