1. In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.
2. So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,
3. he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”
4. The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
5. The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump.
6. But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”
7. They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation.”
8. The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final.
9. If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”
10. The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any diviner-priest, medium, or Chaldean.
11. What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”
12. Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13. The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.