2In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;^j his mind was troubled^k and he could not sleep.^l ²So the king summoned the magicians,^m enchanters, sorcerersⁿ and astrologers^a^o to tell him what he had dreamed.^p When they came in and stood before the king, ³he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles^q me and I want to know what it means.^b”

⁴Then the astrologers answered the king,^c^r “May the king live forever!^s Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁵The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:^t If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces^u and your houses turned into piles of rubble.^v ⁶But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.^w So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty^x for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”^y

¹⁰The astrologers^z answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.^a ¹¹What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,^b and they do not live among humans.”

¹²This made the king so angry and furious^c that he ordered the execution^d of all the wise men of Babylon.

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Footnotes

aOr Chaldeans; also in verses 4, 5 and 10
bOr was
cAt this point the Hebrew text has in Aramaic, indicating that the text from here through the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic.

Cross references

jver 3; See Ge 20:3; See Job 33:15, 18; Da 4:5
k Ge 41:8
lSee Est 6:1
mSee Ge 41:8
n Ex 7:11; Jer 27:9
oSee ver 10; See Isa 19:3; See 44:25
p Da 4:6
q Da 4:5
rSee Ezr 4:7
sSee Ne 2:3
t Ge 41:32
uver 12
v Ezr 6:11; Da 3:29
wver 48; Da 5:7, 16
x Est 4:11
y Isa 41:22–24
zver 2; Da 3:8; 4:7
aver 27; Da 5:8
bSee Ge 41:38
c Da 3:13, 19
dver 5