¹During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he had some dreams. He was troubled, but he stayed asleep. ²The king sent for the magicians, psychics, sorcerers, and astrologers so that they could tell him what he had dreamed. So they came to the king.

³The king said to them, “I had a dream, and I’m troubled by it. I want to know what the dream was.”

⁴The astrologers spoke to the king in Aramaic, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! Tell us the dream, and we’ll interpret it for you.”

⁵The king answered the astrologers, “I meant what I said! If you don’t tell me the dream and its meaning, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into piles of rubble. ⁶But if you tell me the dream and its meaning, I will give you gifts, awards, and high honors. Now tell me the dream and its meaning.”

⁷Once more they said, “Your Majesty, tell us the dream, and we’ll tell you its meaning.”

⁸The king replied, “I’m sure you’re trying to buy some time because you know that I meant what I said. ⁹If you don’t tell me the dream, you’ll all receive the same punishment. You have agreed among yourselves to make up a phony explanation to give me, hoping that things will change. So tell me the dream. Then I’ll know that you can explain its meaning to me.”

¹⁰The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can tell the king what he asks. No other king, no matter how great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, psychic, or astrologer. ¹¹What you ask is difficult, Your Majesty. No one can tell what you dreamed except the gods, and they don’t live with humans.”

¹²This made the king so angry and furious that he gave an order to destroy all the wise advisers in Babylon.

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