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.
2 Then 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.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
5 The 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.
6 But 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.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But 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.
10 The 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.
11 And 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.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 And 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:
15 He 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.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That 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.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And 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:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23 I 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.
25 Then 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.
26 The 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?
27 Daniel 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;
28 But 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;
29 As 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.
30 But 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.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou 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.
35 Then 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.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And 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.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And 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.
41 And 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.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And 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.
44 And 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.
45 Forasmuch 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.
47 The 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.
48 Then 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.
49 Then 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.
The second chapter of the Book of Daniel, found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, is a significant chapter that presents a profound narrative, filled with symbolism and prophetic implications. This narrative revolves around King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it. The chapter provides an overarching theme of God's sovereignty over human history and the ultimate destiny of the world.
The chapter opens with King Nebuchadnezzar experiencing a dream that greatly disturbs him. He calls on his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to not only interpret the dream but also to first recount the dream to him. When they are unable to do so, the King becomes furious and orders the execution of all wise men in Babylon. Daniel and his companions, who were also considered wise men, were at risk of being executed.
Upon hearing of the King's decree, Daniel, with wisdom and tact, seeks an audience with the King and requests time to interpret the dream. Daniel then returns to his house and shares the situation with his companions - Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They collectively pray to God for mercy and divine revelation of the King's dream.
Their prayer is answered, and the secret of the King's dream is revealed to Daniel in a vision at night. Daniel responds with a prayer of thanksgiving. He praises God for His wisdom and power, acknowledging that God controls the course of world events, sets up kings and deposes them, gives wisdom to the wise, and reveals deep and hidden things. This prayer emphasizes the overarching theme of God's sovereignty.
Daniel is then brought before the King where he first clarifies that the interpretation of the dream is not due to any human wisdom, including his own, but is solely a revelation from God. He then recounts the dream: the King saw a great statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. A stone not cut by human hands struck the statue, breaking it to pieces, and the stone became a great mountain that filled the earth.
Daniel interprets the dream, explaining that the statue represents successive kingdoms that will rule the earth. The head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. The silver, bronze, and iron parts of the statue represent kingdoms that will follow, each less glorious but stronger than the one before. The feet of iron and clay represent a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly brittle. The stone that destroys the statue represents God's kingdom, which will eventually crush all earthly kingdoms and endure forever.
King Nebuchadnezzar is awestruck by Daniel's ability to recount and interpret the dream. He falls prostrate before Daniel and acknowledges the God of Daniel as the "God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets." The King then promotes Daniel to a high position in his kingdom and makes him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel's request, the King also appoints Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (the new Babylonian names of Daniel's companions) to administrative posts in Babylon.
Several themes emerge from this chapter. The first is the sovereignty of God. The chapter underscores that God is in control of human history. He sets up and deposes kings, controls the course of events, and His kingdom will ultimately reign supreme. This theme is central to the entire Book of Daniel.
Another key theme is the power of prayer. Daniel and his companions’ prayer for mercy and revelation is answered by God. This highlights the importance of prayer and faith in God's wisdom and power.
The chapter also presents the theme of humility. Daniel, despite his exceptional wisdom, does not take credit for interpreting the dream but gives glory to God. This humility is contrasted with King Nebuchadnezzar's pride and reliance on human wisdom.
The chapter also contains prophetic elements, providing a broad overview of world history from the time of Babylon to the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom. Each metal of the statue represents a specific kingdom, and these prophecies have been subject to various interpretations throughout history.
In conclusion, Chapter 2 of the Book of Daniel presents a rich narrative filled with important themes and prophetic implications. It highlights God's sovereignty, the efficacy of prayer, the virtue of humility, and provides an overarching divine perspective on the course of human history and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom.
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