2:1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream fled from him. 2:2Then the king ordered that the soothsayers, and the magi, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called together, so that they might make known to the king his dreams. 2:2And when they had come, they stood before the king. 2:3And the king said to them: "I have seen a dream, and, confused in mind, I do not know what I saw." 2:4And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac: "King, live for ever! 2:4Tell the dream to your servants, and we will make known its interpretation."
2:5And answering, the king said to the Chaldeans: "The word has gone away from me: unless you make known to me the dream, and its meaning, you will perish, and your houses will be confiscated. 2:6But if you relate the dream, and its meaning, you will receive from me rewards, and gifts, and much honour. 2:6Therefore make known to me the dream, and its interpretation." 2:7They answered a second time, and said: "Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known its interpretation." 2:8The king answered, and said: "Certainly I know that you are buying time, knowing that the word has gone away from me.
2:9If therefore you do not make known to me the dream, there is one sentence about you, that you have also composed a false interpretation, full of deceit, in order to speak to me until the time passes by. 2:9Therefore tell me the dream, so that I may know that you are also speaking its true interpretation." 2:10The Chaldeans therefore, answering before the king, said: "There is no man upon the earth who can fulfil your word, king: but neither does any of the kings, great and powerful, ask a word of this kind from any soothsayer, or magus, or Chaldean. 2:11For the word which you seek, king, is heavy: nor will anyone be found who may make it known in the sight of the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with men."
2:12Which having been heard, the king, in fury and in great anger, ordered that all the wise men of Babylon should perish. 2:13And the sentence having gone out, the wise men were being killed: and Daniel and his companions were being sought, so that they might perish. 2:14Then Daniel inquired about the law and the sentence from Arioch, the chief of the king's soldiery, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 2:15And he asked him, who had received power from the king, for what reason so cruel a sentence had gone out from the face of the king. 2:15When therefore Arioch had made the matter known to Daniel, Daniel, having gone in, asked the king that he give him time for making known the solution to the king.
2:17And he went into his house, and to Ananias and Misael and Azarias, his companions, he made known the business, so that they might seek mercy from the face of the God of heaven concerning this secret, and that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the other wise men of Babylon. 2:19Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel through a vision at night: and Daniel blessed the God of heaven, and speaking said: "May the name of the Lord be blessed from age and right up to age: because wisdom and strength are his. 2:21And he himself changes times, and ages: he transfers kingdoms, and establishes them: he gives wisdom to the wise, and learning to those who understand knowledge.
2:22He himself reveals deep and hidden things, and knows things set in darkness: and light is with him. 2:23To you, God of our fathers, I give thanks, and you I praise, because you have given me wisdom and strength, and now you have shown me what we asked of you, because you have opened to us the word of the king." 2:24After these things Daniel, having gone in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, spoke thus to him: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon: bring me in, into the sight of the king, and I will relate the solution to the king."
2:25Then Arioch in haste brought Daniel in to the king, and said to him: "I have found a man of the sons of the exile of Judah, who will announce the solution to the king." 2:26The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: "Do you think you truly can make known to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?" 2:27And answering before the king, Daniel said: "The mystery about which the king asks, wise men, magi, soothsayers, and diviners cannot make known to the king: but there is a God in heaven revealing mysteries, who has made known to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, the things which are to come in the last times.
2:28Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are of this kind. 2:29You, king, began to think on your couch what was going to be after these things: and he who reveals mysteries showed you the things which are to come. 2:30To me also, not through wisdom which is in me more than in all the living, has this secret been revealed: but so that the interpretation might be made plain to the king, and you might know the thoughts of your mind. 2:31You, king, were looking, and behold, as it were one great statue: that statue, great and lofty in stature, was standing opposite you, and its look was terrible.
2:32The head of this statue was of finest gold, but the chest and the arms of silver, then the belly and the thighs of bronze, but the shins of iron: of the feet one part was of iron, but another part of clay. 2:34You were looking thus, until a stone was cut off from a mountain without hands: and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 2:35Then were crushed together the iron, the earthenware, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, and reduced as it were to the ash of a summer threshing-floor, which were snatched away by the wind, and no place was found for them: but the stone which had struck the statue became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
2:36This is the dream: its interpretation also we will tell before you, king. 2:37You are king of kings: and the God of heaven has given you kingdom, and strength, and command, and glory: and all things in which the sons of men dwell, and the beasts of the field: the birds of heaven too he has given into your hand, and all things he has set under your dominion: you therefore are the head of gold. 2:39And after you there will rise another kingdom, less than you, of silver: and another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule over the whole earth. 2:40And the fourth kingdom will be like iron: in the way that iron breaks in pieces, and subdues all things, so it will break in pieces, and crush all these.
2:41Further, because you saw part of the feet and of the toes of potter's earthenware, and part of iron, the kingdom will be divided: which however will arise from the planting of iron, according as you saw the iron mixed with earthenware of clay. 2:42And the toes of the feet, partly of iron, and partly of clay: partly the kingdom will be solid, and partly broken. 2:43But as you saw the iron mixed with earthenware of clay, they will indeed be mingled with human seed, but they will not cling to one another, just as iron cannot be mixed with earthenware. 2:44But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will raise up a kingdom which will never be scattered, and its kingdom will not be handed over to another people: but it will break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand for ever.
2:45According as you saw that a stone was cut off from the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces the earthenware, and the iron, and the bronze, and the silver, and the gold, the great God has shown the king the things which are to come afterwards: and the dream is true, and its interpretation faithful." 2:46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and victims and incense he ordered that they should sacrifice to him. 2:47Speaking therefore, the king said to Daniel: "Truly your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and revealing mysteries: since you have been able to open this secret." 2:48Then the king raised Daniel on high, and gave him many and great gifts: and he appointed him chief over all the provinces of Babylon, and prefect of the magistrates over all the wise men of Babylon.
2:49But Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed over the works of the province of Babylon Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago: but Daniel himself was in the doors of the king.