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Daniel Prays for the King's Dream

Daniel 2:1-23

2
Chapter 2
1 And in year two of the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and his spirit was agitated and his sleep came upon him. 2 The king commanded them to call the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. They came and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, "I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is agitated to know the dream." 4 The Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: "O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will show its interpretation." 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans: "The word from me has gone forth. If you do not make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you will be cut in pieces and your houses will be made cosmic desolation." 6 But if you declare the cosmic and the theological, you will receive gift and contempt and great preciousness from before me; therefore declare the cosmic and the theological! 7 They answered the king and said, "O king, let the dream be told to your servants, and we will show its interpretation." 8 The king answered and said, "I know that from now until then you are all buying time because you have seen that the word has been presumptuous from me." 9 If you do not make the dream known to me, there is one thing that you have established: a word of lie and corruption—you have made a deliberate divine appointment for a former word until the time changes for it. Tell me the dream, and I will know that you will show me its interpretation. 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is no man on dry land who can declare the king's word, because no great king or ruler has asked such a word of any cultic or magician or Chaldean." 11 And the word that the king has asked is precious, and there is no other who can stand before the king except gods whose dwelling is with flesh—there are no such. 12 Because of this the king was exceedingly angry and furious and ordered the destruction of all the wise men of Babel. 13 And the decree went forth, and the wise men were being killed. And they were seeking Daniel and his companions to be killed. 14 Then Daniel returned counsel to Arioch, the chief officer of the king who had gone out to kill the skilled artisans of Babel. 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's commander, "For what reason is there such rashness before the king?" Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 Daniel requested of the king that he be given time and that the interpretation be shown to the king. 17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 18 and to seek mercies from before the God of heaven concerning this mystery, that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the remnant of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God from eternity and until eternity; his are wisdom and might." 21 And he changes cosmic periods and cosmic seasons; he removes kings and raises up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding. 22 He reveals depths and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light is with him. He rules. 23 To you, God of my fathers, with thanksgiving and praise—I thank you, for you have given me wisdom and power; and now you have made known to me what I sought from you, that you have made known to us the word of the king.