Daniel 2:25-49
English Standard Version
25 Then (A)Arioch brought in Daniel before the king (B)in haste and said thus to him: “I have found (C)among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, (D)whose name was Belteshazzar, (E)“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, (F)enchanters, (G)magicians, or (H)astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but (I)there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (J)what will be in the latter days. Your dream and (K)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, (L)and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But (M)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 (N)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 (O)The head of this image was of fine gold, (P)its chest and arms of silver, its middle and (Q)thighs of bronze, 33 (R)its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out (S)by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and (T)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 (U)like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that (V)not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became (W)a great mountain (X)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, (Y)the king of kings, to whom (Z)the God of heaven (AA)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, (AB)the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are (AC)the head of gold. 39 (AD)Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom (AE)of bronze, (AF)which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (AG)there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron (AH)breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall (AI)break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw (AJ)the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the (AK)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,[a] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings (AL)the God of heaven will set up (AM)a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. (AN)It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and (AO)it shall stand forever, 45 just as (AP)you saw that (AQ)a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that (AR)it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A (AS)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 (AT)fell upon his face and (AU)paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that (AV)an offering and (AW)incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your (AX)God is God of gods and (AY)Lord of kings, and (AZ)a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great (BA)gifts, and made him ruler over the whole (BB)province of Babylon and (BC)chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he (BD)appointed (BE)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of (BF)the province of Babylon. But Daniel (BG)remained at the king's court.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Daniel 2:43 Aramaic by the seed of men
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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