Daniel:2

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* Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar 's reign , Nebuchadnezzar had dreams ; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him . * 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 . * And the king said to them , "I have had a dream , and my spirit is anxious to know the dream ." * Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic , "O king , live forever ! Tell your servants the dream , and we will give the interpretation ." * 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 houses shall be made an ash heap . * However , if you tell the dream and its interpretation , you shall receive from me gifts , rewards , and great honor . Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation ." * They answered again and said , "Let the king tell his servants the dream , and we will give its interpretation ." * The king answered and said , "I know for certain that you would gain time , because you see that my decision is firm : * 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 ." * 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 any magician , astrologer , or Chaldean . * It is a difficult 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 ." * For this reason the king was angry and very furious , and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon . * So the decree went out , and they began killing the wise men ; and they sought Daniel and his companions , to kill them . * 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 Babylon ; * 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 . * So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time , that he might tell the king the interpretation . * Then Daniel went to his house , and made the decision known to Hananiah , Mishael , and Azariah , his companions , * that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret , so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon . * Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision . So Daniel blessed the God of heaven . * Daniel answered and said : "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever , For wisdom and might are His . * And He changes the times and the seasons ; He removes kings and raises up kings ; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding . * He reveals deep and secret things ; He knows what is in the darkness , And light dwells with Him . * "I thank You and praise You , O God of my fathers ; You have given me wisdom and might , And have now made known to me what we asked of You , For You have made known to us the king 's demand ." * Therefore Daniel went to 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 ; take me before the king , and I will tell the king the interpretation ." * Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king , and said thus to him , "I have found a man of the captives of Judah , who will make known to the king the interpretation ." * The king answered and said to Daniel , whose name was Belteshazzar , "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen , and its interpretation ?" * Daniel answered in the presence of the king , and said , "The secret which the king has demanded , the wise men , the astrologers , the magicians , and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king . * But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets , and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days . Your dream , and the visions of your head upon your bed , were these : * As for you , O king , thoughts came to your mind while on your bed , about what would come to pass after this ; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be . * 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 heart . * "You , O king , were watching ; and behold , a great image ! This great image , whose splendor was excellent , stood before you ; and its form was awesome . * This image 's head was of fine gold , its chest and arms of silver , its belly and thighs of bronze , * its legs of iron , its feet partly of iron and partly of clay . * You watched while a stone was cut out without hands , which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay , and broke them in pieces . * Then the iron , the clay , the bronze , the silver , and the gold were crushed together , and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors ; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found . And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth . * "This is the dream . Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king . * You , O king , are a king of kings . For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom , power , strength , and glory ; * and wherever the children of men dwell , or the beasts of the 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 . * But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours ; then another , a third kingdom of bronze , which shall rule over all the earth . * And the fourth 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 others . * Whereas you saw the feet and toes , partly of potter '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 . * And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay , so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile . * As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay , they will mingle with the seed of men ; but they will not adhere to one another , just as iron does not mix with clay . * 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 . * Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands , and that it broke in pieces the iron , the bronze , the clay , the silver , and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this . The dream is certain , and its interpretation is sure ." * Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face , prostrate before Daniel , and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him . * The king answered Daniel , and said , "Truly your God is the God of gods , the Lord of kings , and a revealer of secrets , since you could reveal this secret ." * Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts ; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon , and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon . * Also Daniel petitioned the king , and he set Shadrach , Meshach , and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon ; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king .

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