In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had an ominous dream. It left him so disturbed that he could not sleep. So the king called for his magicians, enchanters, wizards, and wise men to tell him what he had dreamed. And they all came and stood before the unsettled king. He told them, “I’ve had a dream, and my heart is troubled. I want to know what my dream means.”
The wise men answered him in Aramaic: “May you live forever, O king! Tell your servants the dream you had, and we will gladly reveal its meaning for you.”
“My decision is final,” the king answered. “If you cannot tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will have you torn limb from limb and turn your homes into garbage dumps. But if you can tell me what I dreamed and its interpretation, I will reward you with wonderful gifts and high honor in my kingdom. So now, tell me my dream and what it means.”
They again replied, “Let the king tell his dream to us his servants, and we will gladly reveal its meaning.”
But the king retorted, “I know what you’re doing; you’re just stalling for time! My decision is firm. If you do not interpret my dream for me, you will all receive the same punishment. You have conspired to continue deceiving me with your lies, hoping something will change. So, tell me now what I dreamed so that I can be assured that you are able to interpret it for me.”
The wise men answered the king, “There is no one on earth who could do what Your Majesty commands. Furthermore, no king great or small has ever requested such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer. Your Majesty, what you ask is difficult, and it is impossible for anyone to reveal it except the gods, and they do not live with mortals.”
At this the king flew into a violent rage and ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be executed. When the king’s decree was issued to have all the wise men killed, a search was also made for Daniel and his companions to have them put to death.
As Arioch, captain of the royal bodyguard, set out to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel cautiously and tactfully approached this royal official and asked him, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” When Arioch explained all that had transpired, Daniel immediately went off to plead with the king for more time so that he could seek the interpretation of the king’s dream.
Daniel then went home and explained everything to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. He urged them to beg the God of heaven for mercy to help them unravel the mysterious secret of the king’s dream so that Daniel and his friends would not be executed with the other Babylonian wise men. That night, God clearly revealed to Daniel in a night vision the mystery of the dream. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven, saying,
“May the blessed name of God
be praised forever and ever,
for wisdom and might are his alone.
He alone controls the changes of times and seasons.
He enthrones and dethrones kings,
he imparts wisdom to the wise,
and he pours out revelation-knowledge to those with understanding.
He alone reveals deep secrets and mysteries
and knows what lies in darkness,
for he radiates glory-light all around him.
You are the God worshiped by all my ancestors;
I give you thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and power!
You have revealed to us the king’s dream
and unraveled to me its meaning.”
Then Daniel went back to see Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not kill the wise men. Take me into the king’s presence, and I will reveal the dream’s meaning to the king.”
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