Daniel 2

All 49 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

Read Daniel 2 in the Bible reader, with audio →

1. 1During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that deeply troubled his spirit and kept him from sleeping.
2. 2Then the king summoned the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to show him his dreams. They came and stood before the king.
3. 3The king told them, "I've had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."
4. 4The Chaldeans answered the king in Aramaic, "Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will give you the interpretation."
5. 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The matter has left me. If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill."
6. 6But if you reveal the dream and its meaning, you will receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. So tell me the dream and its meaning.
7. 7They answered a 2nd time, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will provide the interpretation."
8. 8The king replied, "I know for certain that you're stalling for time, because you see the matter has left me."
9. 9But if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you: for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me until the time changes. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation.
10. 10The Chaldeans answered the king, "There isn't a person alive on earth who can do what the king asks. No king, lord, or ruler has ever demanded such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean."
11. 11What the king demands is unusual, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12. 12For this reason, the king became angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13. 13The decree went out that all the wise men were to be killed, and they sought Daniel and his companions to execute them as well.
14. 14Daniel responded with wisdom and tact to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had been sent out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15. 15He answered and said to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree so hasty from the king?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.
16. 16Daniel went to the king and asked for more time, promising that he would give the king the interpretation.
17. 17Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions.
18. 18He asked them to seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his friends would not perish with the rest of Babylon's wise men.
19. 19That night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Daniel praised the God of heaven,
20. 20saying, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him.
21. 21He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22. 22He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what lies in the darkness, and light dwells with him.
23. 23I thank you and praise you, God of my fathers, because you have given me wisdom and strength. You have now revealed to me what we asked of you — you have shown us the king's mystery."
24. 24Daniel immediately went to Arioch, the man the king had appointed to destroy Babylon's wise men, and told him, "Don't execute the wise men of Babylon! Take me to the king, and I will give him the interpretation."
25. 25Arioch rushed Daniel before the king and announced, "I've found a man among the Judean captives who can give the king the interpretation."
26. 26The king said to Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar, "Are you really able to tell me the dream I had and explain what it means?"
27. 27Daniel answered the king, "No wise man, astrologer, magician, or fortune-teller can reveal the mystery the king has asked about."
28. 28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed are these:
29. 29"As you were lying in bed, O king, your thoughts turned to what the future holds, and the one who reveals mysteries showed you what is going to happen.
30. 30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than anyone living, but for the sake of those who will make the interpretation known to the king, and so that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
31. 31"In your vision, O king, you saw a massive statue standing before you. It was enormous, dazzlingly bright, and terrifying to look at.
32. 32The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, and its belly and thighs were bronze.
33. 33Its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay.
34. 34As you watched, a stone was cut out — but not by human hands — and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smashing them to pieces.
35. 35Then the entire statue — the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold — shattered all at once and became like chaff blown from a threshing floor in summer. The wind swept it all away without a trace. But the stone that struck the statue grew into a great mountain that filled the whole earth.
36. 36"That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means.
37. 37"You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion, power, strength, and glory.
38. 38Wherever people live — and even the wild animals and the birds of the sky — he has placed them under your authority and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
39. 39"After you, another kingdom will rise, but it will be inferior to yours. Then a 3rd kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
40. 40"A 4th kingdom will be as strong as iron. Just as iron shatters and crushes everything, this kingdom will crush and break all the others.
41. 41"You saw that the feet and toes were partly potter's clay and partly iron. This means the kingdom will be divided. It will have some of the strength of iron in it, since you saw iron mixed with soft clay.
42. 42Just as the toes were partly iron and partly clay, this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43. 43You saw iron mixed with muddy clay. They will mix with human descendants, but they will not cling to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44. 44"During the reign of those kings, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed. It will never be handed over to another people. Instead, it will crush all those other kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it will stand forever.
45. 45This is the meaning of the stone you saw cut from the mountain without human hands — the stone that shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has shown the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."
46. 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown and worshipped Daniel, and ordered that an offering and sweet odours be presented to him.
47. 47The king answered Daniel and said, "Truly, your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you were able to reveal this secret."
48. 48The king then made Daniel a great man, gave him many great gifts, made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and appointed him chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
49. 49At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administer the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself served in the king's court.