Nebuchadnezzar's Dream and Daniel's Revelation

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams that left his spirit troubled and his sleep gone. He commanded the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to be brought before him, demanding they tell him both the dream and its interpretation. The king's demand was unprecedented: he would not disclose the dream himself. The wise men, speaking in Syrian, asked him to tell them the dream, promising to interpret it. But Nebuchadnezzar refused, accusing them of stalling and preparing lies. He decreed that if they could not reveal the dream and its meaning, they would be cut in pieces and their houses made a dunghill.

The Chaldeans protested that no man on earth could fulfill such a request. Only the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh, could reveal such a secret. The king, furious, commanded the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon. The decree went out, and Daniel and his companions were sought out to be slain along with the rest.

Daniel responded with counsel and prudence to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had been sent to execute the wise men. Daniel asked why the decree was so urgent. Arioch explained the matter. Daniel then went to the king and requested time, promising to show the interpretation.

Returning to his house, Daniel told his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—the situation. He urged them to seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that they would not perish with the rest of Babylon's wise men. That night, the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel blessed the God of heaven, declaring that wisdom and might belong to him. He acknowledged that God changes times and seasons, removes kings and sets up kings, gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with understanding. He reveals deep and secret things, knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. Daniel thanked God for giving him wisdom and might and for making known the king's matter.

Daniel went to Arioch and told him not to destroy the wise men. He asked to be brought before the king, promising to show the interpretation. Arioch hastily brought Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, saying he had found a man of the captivity of Judah who could make known the interpretation. The king asked Daniel, whom he called Belteshazzar, if he could indeed tell the dream and its meaning.

Daniel answered that the secret the king demanded could not be shown by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he had made known to Nebuchadnezzar what would happen in the latter days. Daniel then described the dream: a great, terrible image stood before the king. Its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. A stone, cut out without hands, struck the image's feet and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold were all broken together, becoming like chaff on a threshing floor, carried away by the wind. The stone became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.

Daniel then gave the interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar himself was the head of gold. After him would arise another kingdom, inferior to his, and then a third kingdom of brass that would rule over all the earth. A fourth kingdom would be strong as iron, breaking and crushing everything. But the feet and toes, part iron and part clay, signified a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly brittle. In the days of those kings, the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed, nor left to another people. It would break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, standing forever. The stone cut out without hands represented that kingdom, and the dream was certain, its interpretation sure.

Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshiped Daniel, commanding that an oblation and sweet odors be offered to him. The king declared that Daniel's God was truly the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets. He made Daniel great, gave him many gifts, and appointed him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief governor over all its wise men. At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the affairs of the province, while Daniel remained at the king's gate.