12. At this, the king exploded in a furious rage and ordered that all Babylon’s sages be wiped out.
13. So the command went out: The sages were to be killed. Daniel and his friends too were hunted down; they were to be killed as well.
14. Then Daniel, with wisdom and sound judgment, responded to Arioch the king’s chief executioner, who had gone out to kill Babylon’s sages.
15. He said to Arioch the king’s royal officer, "Why is the king’s command so unreasonable?" After Arioch explained the situation to Daniel,
16. Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time so he could explain the dream’s meaning to him.
17. Then Daniel went to his house and explained the situation to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
18. so that they would ask the God of heaven for help about this mystery, in hopes that Daniel and his friends wouldn’t die with the rest of Babylon’s sages.
19. Then, in a vision by night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel! Daniel praised the God of heaven:
20. God’s name be praisedfrom age to eternal age!Wisdom and might are his!
21. God is the one who changes times and eras,who dethrones one king, only to establish another,who grants wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with insight.
22. God is the one who uncovers what lies deeply hidden;he knows what hides in darkness;light lives with him!
23. I acknowledge and praise you, my fathers’ God!You’ve given me wisdom and might,and now you’ve made known to me what we asked of you:you’ve made known to us the king’s demand.
24. So Daniel went to Arioch, the man the king had appointed to wipe out Babylon’s sages. Daniel said to him, "Don’t wipe out the sages of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will explain the dream’s meaning to him."
25. Wasting no time, Arioch brought Daniel before the king, telling him, "I have found someone from the Judean exiles who will tell the dream’s meaning to the king."
26. In reply the king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar), "Can you really tell me the dream that I saw, as well as its meaning?"