DAN 2:13 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT So the decree went out that the wise men were to be killed; and they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them.

UST And because of what the king commanded, they sent some men to find me and my three friends, to execute us also.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE So the decree went out, and the wise men were to be slain. They sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.

LSV And the sentence has gone forth, and the wise men are being slain, and they have sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

FBV The decree was issued. The wise men were about to be executed, and the king's men[fn] went looking for Daniel and his friends.

2:13 “King's men”: implied.

T4T And because of what the king commanded, they sent some men to find me and my three friends, to execute us also.

LEB And the decree was issued, and the wise men _⌊were on the verge of being executed_⌋,[fn] and they searched for Daniel and his companions to be executed.

2:13 Literally “were in the process of being killed”

BBE So the order went out that the wise men were to be put to death; and they were looking for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

Moff The edict was issued, and the sages were to be killed. But when the patrol came for Daniel and his companions, to kill them,

JPS So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

ASV So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

DRA And the decree being gone forth, the wise men were slain: and Daniel and his companions were sought for, to be put to death.

YLT And the sentence hath gone forth, and the wise men are being slain, and they have sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

Drby And the decree went forth that the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them.

RV So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
(So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain/killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain/killed. )

SLT And the edict went forth and the wise men being killed; and they sought Daniel and his associates to be killed.

Wbstr And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

KJB-1769 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
(And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain/killed; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain/killed. )

KJB-1611 And the decree went foorth that the wise men should be slaine, and they sought Daniel and his fellowes to be slaine.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps So the decree went foorth, and the wise men were slayne: they sought also to slay Daniel, with his companions.
(So the decree went forth, and the wise men were slain/killed: they sought also to slay Daniel, with his companions.)

Gnva And when sentence was giuen, the wise men were slayne: and they sought Daniel and his fellowes to be put to death.
(And when sentence was given, the wise men were slain/killed: and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be put to death. )

Cvdl and ye proclamacion wete forth, that the wyse me shulde be slayne. They sought also to slaye Daniel with his copanyons.
(and ye/you_all proclamacion went forth, that the wise me should be slain/killed. They sought also to slay/kill Daniel with his copanyons.)

Wycl And bi the sentence goon out, the wise men weren slayn; and Danyel and hise felows weren souyt, that thei schulden perische.
(And by the sentence gone out, the wise men were slain/killed; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, that they should perish.)

Luth Und das Urteil ging aus, daß man die Weisen töten sollte. Und Daniel samt seinen Gesellen ward auch gesucht, daß man sie tötete.
(And the verdict went out, that man the ways/manners kill should. And Daniel together_with his companions what/which also wanted, that man they/she/them killed.)

ClVg Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur: quærebanturque Daniel et socii ejus, ut perirent.
(And gone_out opinion, wise_people interficiebantur: they_were_looking_forurque Daniel and companions his, as to_perishnt. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–49: Daniel explained the king’s dream

These Notes interpret Daniel 2:1–49 as a complete narrative unit. However, in some languages it may be helpful to divide this chapter into more than one section and to give each section a separate heading. For example:

The BSB has four sections.
1. Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream (2:1–13)
2. The Dream Revealed to Daniel (2:14–23)
3. Daniel Interprets the Dream (2:24–45)
4. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel (2:46–49)
The GNT has three sections:

(a) Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:1–13)

(b) God shows Daniel what the dream means (2:14–23)

This section tells how Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream. He asked his advisers to tell him what he had dreamed and its meaning. They were unable to do so, and the king threatened them with death. But God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel. Daniel then told the king what he had dreamed and what it meant. The king honored Daniel and Daniel’s God.

The climax of this narrative occurs in 2:47. There the king declared that the God whom Daniel worshiped was the greatest of all gods.

Special Translation Problems:

1. Lists: The author of the book of Daniel liked to use lists (2:2, 10). However, the author did not intend for these lists to be complete or exact. The lists usually provide examples of the types of people or things that belong in a certain group or category. The Notes will suggest options on how to translate these lists.

2. Synonyms: The text often uses different terms for similar ideas. For example, there are several verbs that mean “to reveal” or “to make known.” There are three different Aramaic verbs in 2:40 that mean “crush, break to pieces.” In some languages it may be difficult or confusing to use several different words for similar ideas. The Notes will suggest how you might translate these similar words and terms.

3. Poetry: You will need to think carefully about how you will translate the poetic section in this chapter (2:20–23). Authors of Hebrew poetry usually wrote using matching pairs of lines. The relationship between these parallel lines differs. Sometimes the second line repeats the information in the first line using different words. Sometimes the second line contrasts with the first line. Hebrew poetry also has word plays, figurative speech, and alliteration. It may not always be easy to translate these literary features into your language. The Notes will suggest ways of translating the different features of Hebrew poetry. For more information about how to translate Hebrew poetry, see the Bible Translation Handbook of the Psalms. The poetry in 2:20–23 is a song of praise or thanksgiving. If your language has a special poetic form that fits this song, you can use it here.

4. Ambiguity: In the section where Daniel interpreted the last part of the king’s dream, there are a number of ambiguous references. For example, in 2:44a Daniel referred to “those kings” without identifying who those kings were. In 2:44b Daniel spoke of “all these kingdoms.” The ambiguity may be deliberate, since the dream itself is a mystery. It will be important not to over-interpret these passages by assuming a particular historical context. The Notes will suggest several options for how to translate these verses.

5. Repetition: Daniel interpreted the meaning of the first three kingdoms in a very brief way. He used many more words to describe the fourth kingdom (2:36–45). In this section he also repeated much of what was described before. In this way, Daniel emphasized the fourth kingdom as the most important. Some of the repetition in this section emphasizes specific ideas. Sometimes the repetition has another function. You will need to evaluate if this kind of repetition is natural in your language. If not, you will need to find another way to emphasize these ideas.

Paragraph 2:12–13

The king prepared to carry out his threat to kill all his expert advisers.

2:13a

So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed,

So the decree went out that the soldiers should execute the advisers/sages.
So his officials announced the king's order.

So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

The words the wise men were to be executed give the content of the decree. For example:
So a decree was issued that the wise men were to be killed. (GW) (BSB, NIV, KJV, NASB, RSV, REB, NJB, GW, GNT, CEV, NCV)
There are two separate ideas: the decree was issued and the wise men were about to be executed. For example:
So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. (NET) (NRSV, ESV, NET)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with the majority of English translations. Nebuchadnezzar gave an order to his soldiers to kill all the Babylonian sages. There is some repetition here. See the General Comment on 2:12–13.

So: The common Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as So here introduces a result clause. You should use a form that expresses this meaning in a way that is natural in your language. Your decision may depend on how you translated the connector at the beginning of 2:12a.

that the wise men were to be executed: The Aramaic text does not make explicit who were to put the wise men to death. There are several way to translate this:

Using a passive verb. For example:
that the wise men were to be slain (RSV)
Using an active verb. In some languages it may be necessary to supply a subject. For example:
to execute them (NRSV)
that the soldiers/executioners should kill the wise men

Use the verb form that is most natural in your language.

General Comment on 2:13a

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in 2:13a. For example:

So King Nebuchadnezzar’s order to kill the wise men was announced. (NCV)

2:13b

and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them.

Daniel and his companions were included/counted among these advisers/sages, so the soldiers began to search for them to kill them.
Men were told/sent to find and kill Daniel and his three friends, as well as the other experts.

and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them: The men were sent to look for Daniel and his companions so that they could be executed, as the king had ordered. Other ways to translate this include:

and they sought Daniel and his companions, to slay them (RSV)

men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends (NLT)

search was made for Daniel and his companions to have them put to death (NJB)

men went to look for Daniel and his friends: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as men went to look for is more literally “they sought.” It does not say who did the seeking. The BSB has supplied the information that it was men who went to look for them. The king ordered some of his men to find out where Daniel and his friends were. Some versions use a passive verb that puts the focus on these men. For example:

men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends (NIV)

In some languages it may be natural to use an active verb here. For example:

and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them (NASB)

and the king sent some men to find Daniel and his friends

the king ordered a search

men: In some languages it may be necessary to be say who these men were. If that is true in your language, you may say:

the king’s men/soldiers

Daniel and his friends: There is some implied information here: Daniel and his friends were among the wise men, the advisers to the king. That is why the king’s men were looking for them. They were going to kill them along with all the other advisers. In some languages it may be necessary to make this information explicit in order to avoid confusion. For example:

Daniel and his companions were wise men/advisers, and so the king’s men went to look for them and kill them.

his friends: This refers to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. See 1:6, 7. Here is another way to translate this:

his companions (RSV)

General Comment on 2:12–13

2:13a repeats information that was mentioned in 2:12. In some languages it may therefore be natural to combine verses 12 and 13. For example: