Daniel 2

King James Version

Full text for Daniel Chapter 2

1¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

2Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

6But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

8The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, [there is but] one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

10The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore [there is] no king, lord, nor ruler, [that] asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11And [it is] a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon.

13And the decree went forth that the wise [men] should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

14¶ Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise [men] of Babylon:

15He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why [is] the decree [so] hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew 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 desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise [men] of Babylon.

19Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast [now] made known unto us the king's matter.

24¶ Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise [men] of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise [men] of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

26The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name [was] Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise [men], the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

29As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for [any] wisdom that I have more than any living, but for [their] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

31¶ Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness [was] excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof [was] terrible.

32This image's head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36This [is] the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37Thou, O king, [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou [art] this head of gold.

39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all [things]: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay, [so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream [is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46¶ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

47The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that your God [is] a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

48Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon.

49Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel [sat] in the gate of the king.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a forgotten dream and demanded his wise men reveal both the dream and its interpretation, threatening their lives upon failure. When they could not, Daniel and his companions sought divine intervention through prayer. God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, who then presented it to the king, interpreting the great image as a succession of world empires culminating in God's eternal kingdom. Impressed, Nebuchadnezzar exalted Daniel and acknowledged the supremacy of his God.

Medium Summary

King Nebuchadnezzar experienced a disturbing dream but forgot its content, demanding his Chaldean wise men not only interpret it but first reveal the dream itself. When they declared this impossible for any human, the king, in a furious rage, decreed the execution of all the wise men in Babylon. Daniel, learning of the impending doom, requested time from the king, then gathered his three companions to seek mercy and revelation from the "God of heaven." In a night vision, the secret was unveiled to Daniel, who then offered a prayer of praise for God's wisdom and sovereignty. Appearing before the king, Daniel humbly attributed the revelation to God alone, not his own wisdom. He then described the dream of a great image with parts of gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay, which was shattered by a stone "cut out without hands." Daniel interpreted these parts as a succession of earthly kingdoms, culminating in an eternal kingdom established by the God of heaven.

Long Summary

In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar was deeply troubled by a dream whose content he had forgotten, yet its impact remained. He summoned his wise men—magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans—demanding they not only interpret the dream but first recount it to him. The Chaldeans protested, stating that no human could fulfill such a request, as only gods whose dwelling is not with flesh could reveal such a secret. Enraged by their inability and perceiving their attempt to gain time, the king issued a decree to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, a decree that also encompassed Daniel and his companions. Upon learning of the dire situation, Daniel, with wisdom and counsel, approached Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, and then the king himself, requesting time to provide the interpretation. He then gathered his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to earnestly seek mercies from the "God of heaven" concerning this hidden matter, so they might not perish with the other wise men. The secret was subsequently revealed to Daniel in a night vision, prompting him to offer a profound prayer of blessing and praise to God, acknowledging His eternal wisdom, might, and sovereignty over times, seasons, and kingdoms, and His ability to reveal deep and secret things. Daniel was then brought before Nebuchadnezzar, where he humbly declared that no human wise men, astrologers, or soothsayers could reveal the king's secret. Instead, he proclaimed that "there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets," who had made known to the king what would occur "in the latter days." Daniel then recounted the king's dream: a magnificent, terrible image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet partly iron and partly clay. He described how a stone, "cut out without hands," struck the image's feet, shattering the entire structure into dust, which was carried away by the wind, while the stone itself grew into a great mountain filling the whole earth. Daniel then provided the interpretation: the head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian kingdom. Following it would be an inferior kingdom of silver, then a third kingdom of brass ruling the earth. The fourth kingdom, strong as iron, would break and subdue all things. The feet and toes of iron mixed with clay signified a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly brittle, attempting to mingle with the "seed of men" but unable to cleave together. Finally, in the days of these kings, the "God of heaven" would establish an eternal kingdom, "cut out without hands," which would break in pieces and consume all these earthly kingdoms and stand forever. Overwhelmed by the accuracy and power of the revelation, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshipped Daniel, recognizing his God as "a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets." The king greatly honored Daniel, making him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief of all the wise men, and at Daniel's request, his companions were also appointed to positions of authority.

Core Concepts

  • Divine RevelationGod alone possesses the ability to reveal forgotten dreams and their future-telling interpretations, a power explicitly denied to human wise men, astrologers, and sorcerers. This highlights God's unique knowledge of "deep and secret things" and His willingness to disclose them.
  • Sovereignty of GodDaniel's prayer and interpretation emphasize God's absolute control over all things, including the changing of "times and seasons," the removal and setting up of kings, and the establishment of kingdoms. This underscores God's ultimate authority over human history and earthly rulers.
  • Succession of KingdomsThe dream of the great image vividly portrays a sequence of four earthly empires—Babylon (gold), followed by kingdoms of silver, brass, and iron—each declining in glory but increasing in strength, culminating in a fragmented state. This illustrates a prophetic timeline of world powers.
  • The Eternal KingdomThe stone "cut out without hands" represents a divine, not human, kingdom established by the "God of heaven." This kingdom is prophesied to destroy all preceding earthly kingdoms and stand eternally, signifying its ultimate triumph and everlasting nature.
  • Human Inability vs. Divine PowerThe chapter starkly contrasts the impotence of Babylon's wise men, who could neither recall nor interpret the king's dream, with the omnipotence of the "God of heaven," who effortlessly reveals the secret through Daniel. This contrast serves to magnify God's power and wisdom.
  • Intercession and DeliveranceDaniel and his companions' earnest prayer to God for mercy and revelation demonstrates the power of intercession. Their collective plea resulted in the secret being revealed, saving not only their lives but also the lives of all the wise men in Babylon.
  • Exaltation of God's ServantAs a direct consequence of God's revelation through him, Daniel is greatly honored and promoted by King Nebuchadnezzar, who acknowledges Daniel's God as supreme. This illustrates how God honors those who faithfully serve Him and demonstrate His power.