Dany'AL (Daniel) — 2

Nabuchadnazzar’s Dream

1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nabuchadnazzar had such disturbing dreams that he could not sleep. 

2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed, as they stood before the king, 

3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”

4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

5 But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you do not tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! 

6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!”

7 They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

8 The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You are stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, 

9 ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I will know that you can tell me what it means.”

10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on Arath can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 

11 The king’s demand is impossible, no one except the deities can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”

12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylun be executed. 

13 And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Danyal and his three friends.

14 When Ariuch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Danyal handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. 

15 He asked Ariuch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Ariuch told him all that had happened. 

16 Danyal went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.

17 Then Danyal went home and told his friends Hananyahu, Misha'al, and Azaryahu what had happened. 

18 He urged them to ask the  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Shamaym to show them His mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylun. 

19 That night the secret was revealed to Danyal in a vision, then Danyal Yadah the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Shamaym. 

20 Danyal said, “Barak be 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  forever and ever, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has all wisdom and power.

21 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH controls the course of world events; 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH removes kings and sets up other kings, He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.

22 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is surrounded by light.

23 I Tudah Rabah and sing Yadah to You 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of my ancestors, for You have given me wisdom and strength, You have told me what we asked of You and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

Danyal Interprets the Dream

24 Then Danyal went in to see Ariuch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylun, Danyal said to him, “Do not kill the wise men, take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

25 Ariuch quickly took Danyal to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Yahudah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

26 The king said to Danyal (also known as Baltashazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

27 Danyal replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 

28 But there is an 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH in Shamaym who reveals secrets, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has shown King Nabuchadnazzar what will happen in the future, now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events,  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 

30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH wants you to understand what was in your heart.

31 “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man, It was a frightening sight. 

32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold, Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 

33 its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. 

34 As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by man's hands, It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. 

35 The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor, But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole Arath.

36 “That was the dream, now we will tell the king what it means. 

37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings, The 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Shamaym has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 

38 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control, you are the head of gold.

39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place, after that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. 

40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron, that kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. 

41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided, like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 

42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 

43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.

44 “During the reigns of those kings, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Shamaym will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered, It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 

45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by man's hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of the Arath, was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

Nabuchadnazzar Rewards Daniel

46 Then King Nabuchadnazzar threw himself down before Danyal and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before Danyal. 

47 The king said to Danyal, “Truly, your 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH is the most high 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, the RULER over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”

48 Then the king appointed Danyal to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts, he made Danyal ruler over the whole province of Babylun, as well as chief over all his wise men. 

49 At Danyal’s request, the king appointed Hananyahu (Shadrach), Misha'al (Mashach), and Azaryahu (Abadnagu) to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylun, while Danyal remained in the king’s court.