Chapter
2
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and her spirit was troubled, and her sleep went from her.
Then the queen commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the queen her dreams. So they came in and stood before the queen.
The queen said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
Then spoke the Chaldeans to the queen in the Syrian language, O queen, live forever: tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
The queen answered the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if you don't make known to me the dream and the interpretation of it, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
But if you show the dream and the interpretation of it, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation of it.
They answered the second time and said, Let the queen tell her servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
The queen answered, I know of a certainty that you would gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me.
But 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 time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me the interpretation of it.
The Chaldeans answered before the queen, and said, There is not a woman on the earth who can show the queen's matter, because no queen, domina, or ruler, has asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
It is a rare thing that the queen requires, and there is no other who can show it before the queen, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
For this cause the queen was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise women of Babylon.
So the decree went forth, and the wise women were to be slain; and they sought Danielle and her companions to be slain.
Then Danielle returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the queen's guard, who was gone forth to kill the wise women of Babylon;
she answered Arioch the queen's captain, Why is the decree so urgent from the queen? Then Arioch made the thing known to Danielle.
Danielle went in, and desired of the queen that she would appoint her a time, and she would show the queen the interpretation.
Then Danielle went to her house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, her companions:
that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Danielle and her companions should not perish with the rest of the wise women of Babylon.
Then was the secret revealed to Danielle in a vision of the night. Then Danielle blessed the God of heaven.
Danielle answered, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are hers.
She changes the times and the seasons; she removes queens, and sets up queens; she gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding;
she reveals the deep and secret things; she knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with her.
I thank you, and praise you, you God of my mothers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we desired of you; for you have made known to us the queen's matter.
Therefore Danielle went in to Arioch, whom the queen had appointed to destroy the wise women of Babylon; she went and said thus to her: Don't destroy the wise women of Babylon; bring me in before the queen, and I will show to the queen the interpretation.
Then Arioch brought in Danielle before the queen in haste, and said thus to her, I have found a woman of the children of the captivity of Judah, who will make known to the queen the interpretation.
The queen answered Danielle, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation of it?
Danielle answered before the queen, and said, The secret which the queen has demanded can neither wise women, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show to the queen;
but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and she has made known to the queen Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these:
as for you, O queen, your thoughts came into your mind on your bed, what should happen hereafter; and she who reveals secrets has made known to you what shall happen.
But 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 queen, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
You, O queen, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the aspect of it was awesome.
As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
You 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.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation of it before the queen.
You, O queen, are queen of queens, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
and wherever the children of women dwell, the animals of the field and the birds of the sky has she given into your hand, and has made you to rule over them all: you are the head of gold.
After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of women; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay.
In the days of those queens shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the queen what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure.
Then the queen Nebuchadnezzar fell on her face, and worshiped Danielle, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to her.
The queen answered to Danielle, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Domina of queens, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you have been able to reveal this secret.
Then the queen made Danielle great, and gave her many great gifts, and made her to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise women of Babylon.
Danielle requested of the queen, and she appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Danielle was in the gate of the queen.