1. In the second year that Nebuchadnezzar was king, he had a dream. It worried him so much that he couldn't sleep,
2. so he sent for his fortune tellers, magicians, sorcerers, and wizards to come and explain the dream to him. When they came and stood before the king,
3. he said to them, “I'm worried about a dream I have had. I want to know what it means.”
4. They answered the king in Aramaic, “May Your Majesty live for ever! Tell us your dream, and we will explain it to you.”
5. The king said to them, “I have made up my mind that you must tell me the dream and then tell me what it means. If you can't, I'll have you torn limb from limb and make your houses a pile of ruins.
6. But if you can tell me both the dream and its meaning, I will reward you with gifts and great honour. Now then, tell me what the dream was and what it means.”
7. They answered the king again, “If Your Majesty will only tell us what the dream was, we will explain it.”
8. At that, the king exclaimed, “Just as I thought! You are trying to gain time, because you see that I have made up my mind
9. to give all of you the same punishment if you don't tell me the dream. You have agreed among yourselves to go on telling me lies because you hope that in time things will change. Tell me what the dream was, and then I will know that you can also tell me what it means.”