Daniel 2

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1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.

2So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,

3he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”

4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

5The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.

6But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

7Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

8Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:

9If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

10The astrologers answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.

11What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.”

12This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.

13So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

14When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.

15He asked the king's officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.

16At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

17Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

18He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven

20and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

21He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

22He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

23I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

24Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

25Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

26The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

27Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,

28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these:

29“As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.

30As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

31“You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue–an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.

32The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,

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

34While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.

35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

36“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.

37You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;

38in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

39“After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.

40Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron–for iron breaks and smashes everything–and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.

41Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.

42As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

43And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

44“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

45This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands–a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”

46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.

47The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

48Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.

49Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Commentary

"\nAnd in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,.... It was in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign that Daniel was carried captive, Jer 25:1, three years Daniel had been under tutors; at the end of which he was presented to the king, as is related in the preceding chapter; and yet the following dream was in the second of his reign: this creates a difficulty, which is solved by some thus: in the second year after the destruction of the temple, so the Jewish chronicle {o}, with which Jarchi agrees; others, as Aben Ezra, in the second year of his monarchy, after he had subdued all the nations round about; and so Josephus says {p}, it was in the second year after the destruction of the Egyptians. R. Moses the priest, in Aben Ezra, would have it to be the second year to his reign, to the end of it, when there were only two years wanting to it; a very unusual way of reckoning indeed! and therefore justly rejected by Aben Ezra: but all these dates are too late, since Daniel long before these times was well known, and in great fame for his wisdom; whereas, at this time, it does not appear that he was much known, or in great request: it is better either to render it, "in the second year", that is, after Daniel and his companions had been presented to the king, and promoted;\n\neven in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, as opposed to the reign of Darius or Cyrus, in which he flourished also: or rather this was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reigning alone; for he had been taken into partnership in the throne with his father before his death, as Berosus {q} observes, which is said to be two years; so that this second year was the fourth year of his reign, reckoning from the time he reigned conjunctly with his father, though the second of his reigning alone: yet it seems best of all to render the words, with Noldius {r}, but in the second year, in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; that is, in the second year of Daniel's ministry in or under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; who continued at court under different reigns, till the first of Cyrus: this was, according to Bishop Usher {s}, and Mr. Whiston {t}, in the year of the world 3401 A.M., and before Christ 603. Mr. Bedford {u} places it in 604:\n\nNebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; which, though but one, yet, relating to various things, the several parts of the human body, and the different metals the form he saw was made of, as well as the four monarchies it signified, is called "dreams". Jacchiades says, he first dreamed the dream, and then the interpretation of it; which is the reason of the plural number: wherewith his spirit was troubled; it gave his mind a great deal of trouble while he was dreaming it; and when he awaked, though he could not recover it, yet he had some confused broken ideas of it; it had left some impressions upon him, which gave him great uneasiness, and the more as he could not recollect any part of it; his mind was agitated, and tossed to and fro, and under the greatest perplexity:\n\nand his sleep brake from him; went away from him, through the strangeness of the dream, and the effect it had upon him.\n\n{o} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28. p. 80. {p} Antiqu. l. 10. c. 10. sect. 3. {q} Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 19. {r} Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 452. No. 1405. {s} Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3401. {t} Chronological Tables, cent. 9. {u} Scripture Chronology, p. 677.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n "

2:1-13 The greatest men are most open to cares and troubles of mind, which disturb their repose in the night, while the sleep of the labouring man is sweet and sound. We know not the uneasiness of many who live in great pomp, and, as others vainly think, in pleasure also. The king said that his learned men must tell him the dream itself, or they should all be put to death as deceivers. Men are more eager to ask as to future events, than to learn the way of salvation or the path of duty; yet foreknowledge of future events increases anxiety and trouble. Those who deceived, by pretending to do what they could not do, were sentenced to death, for not being able to do what they did not pretend to.

CHAPTER 2Da 2:1-49. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream: Daniel's Interpretation of It, and Advancement.1. second year of … Nebuchadnezzar—Da 1:5 shows that "three years" had elapsed since Nebuchadnezzar had taken Jerusalem. The solution of this difficulty is: Nebuchadnezzar first ruled as subordinate to his father Nabopolassar, to which time the first chapter refers (Da 1:1); whereas "the second year" in the second chapter is dated from his sole sovereignty. The very difficulty is a proof of genuineness; all was clear to the writer and the original readers from their knowledge of the circumstances, and so he adds no explanation. A forger would not introduce difficulties; the author did not then see any difficulty in the case. Nebuchadnezzar is called "king" (Da 1:1), by anticipation. Before he left Judea, he became actual king by the death of his father, and the Jews always called him "king," as commander of the invading army.dreams—It is significant that not to Daniel, but to the then world ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, the dream is vouchsafed. It was from the first of its representatives who had conquered the theocracy, that the world power was to learn its doom, as about to be in its turn subdued, and for ever by the kingdom of God. As this vision opens, so that in the seventh chapter developing the same truth more fully, closes the first part. Nebuchadnezzar, as vicegerent of God (Da 2:37; compare Jer 25:9; Eze 28:12-15; Isa 44:28; 45:1; Ro 13:1), is honored with the revelation in the form of a dream, the appropriate form to one outside the kingdom of God. So in the cases of Abimelech, Pharaoh, &c. (Ge 20:3; 41:1-7), especially as the heathen attached such importance to dreams. Still it is not he, but an Israelite, who interprets it.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ናቡከደነፆርም በነገሠ በሁለተኛው ዓመት ናቡከደነፆር ሕልም አለመ፤ መንፈሱም ታወከ፥ እንቅልፉም ከእርሱ ራቀ። አማርኛ BCV ናቡከደነፆር ምስ ነገሰ፥ ኣብ ካልአይቲ ዓመቱ ሕልሚ ሓለመ፤ መንፈሱ ድማ ተሃወኸ፤ ድቃስውን ሰኣነ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Bara mootummaa Nebukadnezaar waggaa lammaffaatti, mootichi ofii isaatii abjuu abju'ate; kana irratti yaadni isaa baay'e… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ በካልእ ዓመት ዘመንግሥቱ ሐለመ ናቡከደነጾር ሕልመ ወደንገፀት መንፈሱ ወረስዐ ሕልሞ። giz GAZGAZ Bara mootummaa Nebukadnezaar waggaa lammaffaatti, mootichi ofii isaatii abjuu abju'ate; kana irratti yaadni isaa baay'e… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ናቡከደነፆር ምስ ነገሰ፥ ኣብ ካልአይቲ ዓመቱ ሕልሚ ሓለመ፤ መንፈሱ ድማ ተሃወኸ፤ ድቃስውን ሰኣነ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV ናቡከደነፆር በነገሠ በሁለተኛው ዓመት ሕልም አለመ፤ መንፈሱ ታወከ፤ እንቅልፍም ከእርሱ ራቀ። አማርኛ SWAHSUV Hata katika mwaka wa pili wa kumiliki kwake Nebukadreza, Nebukadreza aliota ndoto; na roho yake ikafadhaika, usingizi w… Kiswahili