2 Back in the second year of King Nevukadnetsar’s (Nebuchadnezzar’s) reign, the king had had some dreams that troubled him—leaving him unable to sleep. 2 He summoned the magicians, fortune-tellers, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain the dreams to him, so they came in and stood in front of the king. 3 “I’ve had a dream,” the king told them, “and my spirit is anxious to understand it.” 4 The astrologers spoke to the king in Aramit,[fn] “Long live King Nevukadnetsar. Tell us what you dreamt, and then we’ll give you the interpretation.”

5 “I’ve already made my decision,” the king replied. “If you all can’t tell me the dream and then give its interpretation, you’ll all be torn limb from limb and your houses made into a rubbish heap. 6 But if you all explain the dream and its interpretation, you’ll receive gifts from me, and a reward and great honour. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

7 “Let the king tell his servants the dream,” they insisted, “and we’ll give the interpretation.”

8 “I know for certain that you’re all trying to gain time,” the king answered. “However, I’ve made up my mind 9 that if you all don’t tell me what my dream was, then your fate is already clear because you’ve obviously agreed together to keep feeding me with lies and made-up stories until I give in. So then, tell me what my dream was, and then I’ll be confident that you can give me its interpretation.”

10 “There’s no one in the whole world who could tell the king that,” the astrologers answered the king. “No great and powerful king has asked any magician or enchanter or astrologer to do that before! 11 What you’re requesting, your majesty, is difficult, and no human can tell you what you dreamt—only the gods.” 12 That angered the king, and he got so furious that he ordered for all the Babylonian wise men to be executed.

13 When the decree went out that all the wise men were to be rounded up to be executed, Daniyel and his friends were included. 14 Areyok was the captain of the king’s guards who’d been sent to execute the Babylonian wise men, but Daniyel spoke to him with wise and prudent caution.

15 He asked the king’s commander Areyok, “Why did the king come to that sudden decision?” Areyok explained what had happened, 16 so Daniyel went to the king and requested some time so he would be able to give the interpretation to him.

17 Then Daniyel went back to his house and told his companions Hananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah 18 so they might beg for mercy from the god of the heavens concerning the mystery of the dream, so that all of them might not be executed along with the rest of the Babylonian wise men. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniyel in a vision during the night. Afterwards, Daniyel blessed the god of the heavens 20 saying, “Let God’s name be blessed forever and ever, because all wisdom and power belong to him. 21 He moves the times and seasons forwards. He removes some kings and gives power to others. It’s him who gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals the deep and hidden things—he knows what is in the darkness, and the light lives with him. 23 Oh God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you for the wisdom and power you have given to me. Now you’ve revealed to me what we asked you about because you’ve told us what the king is wanting to know.”