Daniel 2:4-13

The wise men answered the king in the Aramaic language, “O king, live forever! Please tell us, your servants, your dream. Then we will tell you what it means.” King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “I meant what I said. You must tell me the dream and what it means. If you don’t, I will have you torn apart, and I will turn your houses into piles of stones. But if you tell me my dream and its meaning, I will reward you with gifts and great honor. So tell me the dream and what it means.” Again the wise men said to the king, “Tell us, your servants, the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” King Nebuchadnezzar answered, “I know you are trying to get more time, because you know that I meant what I said. If you don’t tell me my dream, you will be punished. You have all agreed to tell me lies and wicked things, hoping things will change. Now, tell me the dream so that I will know you can tell me what it really means!” The wise men answered the king, saying, “No one on earth can do what the king asks! No great and powerful king has ever asked the fortune-tellers, magicians, or wise men to do this; the king is asking something that is too hard. Only the gods could tell the king this, but the gods do not live among people.” When the king heard their answer, he became very angry. He ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be killed. So King Nebuchadnezzar’s order to kill the wise men was announced, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them.