Daniel 2 - English Standard Version (ESV)

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

2 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; ^(A)his spirit was troubled, and ^(B)his sleep left him. ² Then the king commanded that ^(C)the magicians, ^(D)the enchanters, the ^(E)sorcerers, and ^(F)the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and ^(G)stood before the king. ³ And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and ^(H)my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” ⁴ Then ^(I)the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,^{[a] (J)}“O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” ⁵ The king answered and said to ^(K)the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be ^(L)torn limb from limb, ^(M)and your ^(N)houses shall be laid in ruins. ⁶ But if you show the dream and its interpretation, ^(O)you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. ^(P)Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” ⁷ They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” ⁸ The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to ^(Q)gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— ⁹ if you do not make the dream known to me, ^(R)there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till ^(S)the times change. ^(T)Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” ^{10 (U)}The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or ^(V)Chaldean. ¹¹ The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except ^(W)the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

¹² Because of this the king was angry and ^(X)very furious, and ^(Y)commanded that all ^(Z)the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. ¹³ So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought ^(AA)Daniel and his companions, to kill them. ¹⁴ Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to ^(AB)Arioch, the ^(AC)captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He declared^[b] to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king ^(AD)so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. ¹⁶ And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to ^(AE)Hananiah, ^(AF)Mishael, and ^(AG)Azariah, his companions, ^{18 (AH)}and told them to seek mercy from the ^(AI)God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not ^(AJ)be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in ^(AK)a vision of the night. Then Daniel ^(AL)blessed the ^(AM)God of heaven. ²⁰ Daniel answered and said:

^(AN)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
^(AO)to whom belong wisdom and might.
^{21 (AP)}He changes times and seasons;
^(AQ)he removes kings and sets up kings;
^(AR)he gives wisdom to the wise
^(AS)and knowledge to those who have understanding;
^{22 (AT)}he reveals deep and hidden things;
^(AU)he knows what is in the darkness,
^(AV)and the light dwells with him.
²³ To you, O ^(AW)God of my fathers,
^(AX)I give thanks and praise,
for ^(AY)you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what ^(AZ)we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king's matter.”

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went in to ^(BA)Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

²⁵ Then ^(BB)Arioch brought in Daniel before the king ^(BC)in haste and said thus to him: “I have found ^(BD)among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” ²⁶ The king declared to Daniel, ^(BE)whose name was Belteshazzar, ^(BF)“Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” ²⁷ Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, ^(BG)enchanters, ^(BH)magicians, or ^(BI)astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, ²⁸ but ^(BJ)there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar ^(BK)what will be in the latter days. Your dream and ^(BL)the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: ²⁹ To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, ^(BM)and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. ³⁰ But ^(BN)as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that ^(BO)you may know the thoughts of your mind.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

³¹ “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. ^{32 (BP)}The head of this image was of fine gold, ^(BQ)its chest and arms of silver, its middle and ^(BR)thighs of bronze, ^{33 (BS)}its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ As you looked, a stone was cut out ^(BT)by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and ^(BU)broke them in pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became ^(BV)like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that ^(BW)not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became ^(BX)a great mountain ^(BY)and filled the whole earth.

³⁶ “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. ³⁷ You, O king, ^(BZ)the king of kings, to whom ^(CA)the God of heaven ^(CB)has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, ³⁸ and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, ^(CC)the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are ^(CD)the head of gold. ^{39 (CE)}Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom ^(CF)of bronze, ^(CG)which shall rule over all the earth. ⁴⁰ And ^(CH)there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron ^(CI)breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall ^(CJ)break and crush all these. ⁴¹ And as you saw ^(CK)the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the ^(CL)firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. ⁴² And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,^[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. ⁴⁴ And in the days of those kings ^(CM)the God of heaven will set up ^(CN)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. ^(CO)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and ^(CP)it shall stand forever, ⁴⁵ just as ^(CQ)you saw that ^(CR)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that ^(CS)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A ^(CT)great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Daniel Is Promoted

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar ^(CU)fell upon his face and ^(CV)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that ^(CW)an offering and ^(CX)incense be offered up to him. ⁴⁷ The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your ^(CY)God is God of gods and ^(CZ)Lord of kings, and ^(DA)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great ^(DB)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole ^(DC)province of Babylon and ^(DD)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ Daniel made a request of the king, and he ^(DE)appointed ^(DF)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of ^(DG)the province of Babylon. But Daniel ^(DH)remained at the king's court.

Footnotes

1. Daniel 2:4 The text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic
2. Daniel 2:15 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 26
3. Daniel 2:43 Aramaic by the seed of men

Cross references

1. Daniel 2:1 : [ch. 4:5; 5:9; Gen. 41:8]
2. Daniel 2:1 : [ch. 6:18; Esth. 6:1]
3. Daniel 2:2 : [See ch. 1:20 above]; [ch. 2:27; Gen. 41:8, 24; Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11]
4. Daniel 2:2 : [See ch. 1:20 above]; ch. 2:2, 10, 27; 4:7; 5:7, 11, 15
5. Daniel 2:2 : Deut. 18:10, 11; 2 Chr. 33:6; Isa. 47:9, 12
6. Daniel 2:2 : See ch. 1:4
7. Daniel 2:2 : See ch. 1:5
8. Daniel 2:3 : [See ver. 1 above]; [ch. 4:5; 5:9; Gen. 41:8]
9. Daniel 2:4 : [See ver. 2 above]; See ch. 1:4
10. Daniel 2:4 : ch. 3:9; 5:10; 6:6, 21; See 1 Kgs. 1:31
11. Daniel 2:5 : [See ver. 2 above]; See ch. 1:4
12. Daniel 2:5 : ch. 3:29
13. Daniel 2:5 : ch. 3:29
14. Daniel 2:5 : Ezra 6:11; [2 Kgs. 10:27]
15. Daniel 2:6 : [ch. 5:7, 16]
16. Daniel 2:6 : [ver. 7, 9]
17. Daniel 2:8 : Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5
18. Daniel 2:9 : Esth. 4:11
19. Daniel 2:9 : [ver. 21; ch. 7:25]
20. Daniel 2:9 : ver. 6; [ver. 7]
21. Daniel 2:10 : See ch. 1:4
22. Daniel 2:10 : See ch. 1:4
23. Daniel 2:11 : [ch. 5:11, 14]
24. Daniel 2:12 : [ch. 3:19]
25. Daniel 2:12 : [ver. 24]
26. Daniel 2:12 : ch. 4:6
27. Daniel 2:13 : See ch. 1:4-7
28. Daniel 2:14 : ver. 24, 25
29. Daniel 2:14 : [Gen. 37:36]
30. Daniel 2:15 : ch. 3:22
31. Daniel 2:17 : ch. 1:6
32. Daniel 2:17 : ch. 1:6
33. Daniel 2:17 : ch. 1:6
34. Daniel 2:18 : [Matt. 18:19]
35. Daniel 2:18 : ver. 19, 28, 37, 44; Rev. 11:13
36. Daniel 2:18 : [ver. 12, 24]
37. Daniel 2:19 : [Num. 12:6; Job 33:15, 16]
38. Daniel 2:19 : See Josh. 22:33
39. Daniel 2:19 : [See ver. 18 above]; ver. 19, 28, 37, 44; Rev. 11:13
40. Daniel 2:20 : 1 Chr. 29:10; Ps. 72:18; 113:2; 115:18; Luke 1:68
41. Daniel 2:20 : [Isa. 28:29]
42. Daniel 2:21 : [ver. 9; ch. 7:25]
43. Daniel 2:21 : [ch. 4:17; 5:20; Job 12:18; Ps. 75:7; Rom. 13:1]
44. Daniel 2:21 : See ch. 1:17
45. Daniel 2:21 : See ch. 1:17
46. Daniel 2:22 : Job 12:22; [Ps. 25:14; 139:12; Amos 4:13; Heb. 4:13]
47. Daniel 2:22 : Job 12:22; [Ps. 25:14; 139:12; Amos 4:13; Heb. 4:13]
48. Daniel 2:22 : 1 Tim. 6:16; James 1:17; 1 John 1:5; [John 1:4, 5]
49. Daniel 2:23 : Deut. 26:7; 1 Chr. 12:17; 29:18
50. Daniel 2:23 : [ch. 6:10]
51. Daniel 2:23 : [ver. 20]; See ch. 1:17
52. Daniel 2:23 : [ver. 18]
53. Daniel 2:24 : ver. 14, 15
54. Daniel 2:25 : [See ver. 24 above]; ver. 14, 15
55. Daniel 2:25 : ch. 3:24
56. Daniel 2:25 : ch. 5:13; Ezra 4:1; 6:16, 19, 20; 10:7, 16
57. Daniel 2:26 : See ch. 1:7
58. Daniel 2:26 : [ch. 5:16]
59. Daniel 2:27 : See ch. 1:20
60. Daniel 2:27 : See ch. 1:20
61. Daniel 2:27 : ch. 4:7; 5:7
62. Daniel 2:28 : See ver. 22
63. Daniel 2:28 : ch. 10:14; Hos. 3:5
64. Daniel 2:28 : ch. 4:5; 7:15
65. Daniel 2:29 : ver. 45
66. Daniel 2:30 : [Gen. 41:16; Acts 3:12]
67. Daniel 2:30 : [Eccles. 3:18]
68. Daniel 2:32 : [ver. 38]
69. Daniel 2:32 : [ver. 39]
70. Daniel 2:32 : [ver. 39]
71. Daniel 2:33 : [ver. 40]
72. Daniel 2:34 : [ch. 8:25; Job 34:20; Lam. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:1]
73. Daniel 2:34 : ver. 35, 40, 44, 45; Isa. 8:9; [Matt. 21:44; Luke 20:18]
74. Daniel 2:35 : Ps. 1:4
75. Daniel 2:35 : [Rev. 20:11]
76. Daniel 2:35 : [Isa. 2:2]
77. Daniel 2:35 : [Ps. 80:9]
78. Daniel 2:37 : Ezra 7:12; Ezek. 26:7
79. Daniel 2:37 : ver. 19
80. Daniel 2:37 : ch. 5:18; [Ezra 1:2]; See ver. 21
81. Daniel 2:38 : ch. 4:21; Jer. 27:6
82. Daniel 2:38 : [ver. 32]
83. Daniel 2:39 : [ver. 32; ch. 5:28, 31]
84. Daniel 2:39 : [See ver. 38 above]; [ver. 32]
85. Daniel 2:39 : [ch. 7:6]
86. Daniel 2:40 : [ch. 7:7, 23]
87. Daniel 2:40 : See ver. 34
88. Daniel 2:40 : See ver. 34
89. Daniel 2:41 : [ver. 33]
90. Daniel 2:41 : [See ver. 40 above]; [ch. 7:7, 23]
91. Daniel 2:44 : ver. 19
92. Daniel 2:44 : ch. 4:3, 34; 6:26; 7:14, 27; Mic. 4:7; [Matt. 3:2; Luke 1:33; John 18:36]
93. Daniel 2:44 : [Isa. 60:12]; See ver. 34
94. Daniel 2:44 : ch. 4:3, 34; 6:26; 7:14, 27; Mic. 4:7; [Matt. 3:2; Luke 1:33; John 18:36]
95. Daniel 2:45 : [ver. 34]
96. Daniel 2:45 : [Isa. 28:16]
97. Daniel 2:45 : [See ver. 44 above]; [Isa. 60:12]; See ver. 34
98. Daniel 2:45 : ver. 28
99. Daniel 2:46 : [2 Sam. 14:22]
100. Daniel 2:46 : [Matt. 8:2; Acts 10:25]
101. Daniel 2:46 : [Acts 14:13]
102. Daniel 2:46 : [Ezra 6:10]
103. Daniel 2:47 : Deut. 10:17
104. Daniel 2:47 : [1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16]
105. Daniel 2:47 : See ver. 22
106. Daniel 2:48 : [ver. 6]
107. Daniel 2:48 : ch. 3:1, 12, 30; [Esth. 1:1]
108. Daniel 2:48 : ch. 5:11; [ch. 4:9]
109. Daniel 2:49 : ch. 3:12
110. Daniel 2:49 : [ch. 1:7]
111. Daniel 2:49 : [See ver. 48 above]; ch. 3:1, 12, 30; [Esth. 1:1]
112. Daniel 2:49 : Esth. 2:19