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Daniel 2
1In the second year of the of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
2Then the commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
3The said to them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the in the Syrian language, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5The answered the Chaldeans, “The thing has gone from me. If you don’t make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill.
6But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
7They answered the second time and said, “Let the tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
8The answered, “I know of a certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the thing has gone from me.
9But if you don’t make known to me the dream, there is but one law for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, until the situation changes. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation.”
10The Chaldeans answered the and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler has asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.
11It is a rare thing that the requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12Because of this, the was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
13So the decree went out, and the wise men were to be slain. They sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the ’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15He answered Arioch the ’s captain, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16Daniel went in, and of the that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
17Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18that they would mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20Daniel answered, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
21He changes the times and the seasons. He removes and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
23I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we of you; for you have made known to us the ’s matter.”
24Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him: “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.”
25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the in haste, and said this to him: “I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26The answered Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27Daniel answered before the , and said, “The secret which the king has demanded can’t be shown to the king by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers;
28but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed are these:
29“As for you, O , your thoughts came on your bed, what should happen hereafter; and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will happen.
30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the , and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
31“You, O , saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its appearance was terrifying.
32As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
33its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay.
34You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. The stone that struck the image became a great and filled the whole earth.
36“This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the .
37You, O , are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given , the power, the strength, and the glory.
38Wherever the children of men dwell, he has given the animals of the field and the birds of the sky into your hand, and has made you rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
39“After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you; and another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
40The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, it will break in pieces and crush.
41Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
42As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
44“In the days of those the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.
45Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
46Then Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an and sweet odors to him.
47The answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.”
48Then the made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts, and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
49Daniel requested of the , and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon, but Daniel was in the king’s gate.
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Questions this passage answers
Why is Jesus called the Son of God?
Son of God is first a royal title from Israel's Scriptures, promised to David's heir, and Scripture applies it to Jesus as the true king. In the Gospels it carries more than kingship: the angel uses it of his conception, the Father's voice uses it at his baptism, and his hearers understood him to be claiming equality with God by calling God his own Father. It does not mean that God had a wife, or that the Son began at Bethlehem, or that he is a lesser second god.
Does God hear my prayers?
Scripture says yes, and it says so without depending on how the prayer felt or how quickly it was answered. God's hearing is grounded in his character and in Christ's mediation, not in our fluency. The Bible distinguishes between being heard, being answered, and being answered yet, and confusing those three causes most of the doubt.
How do I trust God when life is difficult?
Biblical trust is not a feeling you generate. It is leaning your weight on what God has revealed about himself, especially when your circumstances suggest otherwise. Scripture builds trust the same way every time: by remembering what God has already done, telling him the truth about what you feel now, and obeying the next small thing while the outcome is still hidden.