NOW in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.

2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3 And the king said to them, "I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servant the dream, and we will give the interpretation. "

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your house shall be made an ash heap.

6 "However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall recieve from me gifts, reward, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation."

7 They answered again and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream and we will give its interpretation. 

8 The king answered and said, "I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision firm:

9 "If you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation."

10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, "There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of magicians, astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 "It is a diffcult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh."

12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.

14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babyoln;

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, "Why is the decree from the king so urgent?" Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.

16 So Daniel went in asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the dicision known to Hananiah, Misheal, and Azariah, his companions,

18 That they might seek mecies from the God of heaven concening this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of wise men of Babylon.

19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in the night. So 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 changed the times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He give wisdom to the wise. And knowledge to those who have understasnding.

22 He reveals deep and secret things; He know what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.

23 "I thank You  and praise You, O God of my fathers; you have given me wisdom and might, and made known to me what was asked of You, for You have made known to us the king's demand."

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said to him: "Do not dertroy the wise men of Babyoln; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation."

25 Then Arioch quickely brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, "I have found a man of captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation."

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Beltshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretations?"

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologer, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.

28 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in latter days. Your dream, and the vision of your head upon you bed, were  these:

29 "As for you, O king, thought came to your mind while on your bed, about what would came to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.

30 "But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your hearts.

31 "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image whose splendor was excellnce, stood before you; and its form was awesome.

32 "This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arm of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,

33 Its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly clay.

34 "You watched while a stone was cast out without hands, which struck image on its  feet of iron and clay, and broke them in peices.

35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, ans gold were crushed togather, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of then was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.

37 "You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;

38 "And wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of ther field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all - you are this head of gold.

39 "But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

40 "And the forth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the otheres.

41 "Wheras you saw the feet and toes, partly of poter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.

42 "And you saw the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

43 "As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, thay will mingled with seed of men; but they will adhere to ane another, just as iron does mix with clay.

44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountains without hands, and that it broke in the pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold - the great God had made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. "

46 The king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prestrate before Daniel, and commanded that they shuold present an offering and incense to him.

47 The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truely your God is the God of gods, the Lords of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret."

48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gift; and he made him ruler over the whole provinance of Babylon, and chief admiistrators over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Also Daniel petitoned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed - Nego over the affiars of  the provinance of Babylon; but Daniel sat on the gate of the king. DANIEL 2