17. Then Dani’ĕl went to his house, and made the decision known to Ḥananyah, Misha’ĕl, and Azaryah, his companions,
18. to seek compassion from the Elah of the heavens concerning this secret, so that Dani’ĕl and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise ones of Baḇel.
19. Then the secret was revealed to Dani’ĕl in a night vision, and Dani’ĕl blessed the Elah of the heavens.
20. Dani’ĕl responded and said, “Blessed be the Name of Elah forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
21. “And He changes the times and the seasons. He removes sovereigns and raises up sovereigns. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who possess understanding.
22. “He reveals deep and secret matters. He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
23. “I thank You and praise You, O Elah of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the sovereign’s matter.”
24. So Dani’ĕl went to Aryoḵ, whom the sovereign had appointed to destroy the wise ones of Baḇel. He went and said this to him, “Do not destroy the wise ones of Baḇel. Bring me in before the sovereign, and I shall show the interpretation to the sovereign.”
25. Then Aryoḵ brought Dani’ĕl in a hurry before the sovereign, and said thus to him, “I have found a man among the sons of the exile of Yehuḏah, who does make known to the sovereign the interpretation.”
26. The sovereign answered and said to Dani’ĕl, whose name was Bĕlteshatstsar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27. Dani’ĕl answered before the sovereign, and said, “The secret which the sovereign is asking – the wise ones, the astrologers, the magicians, and the diviners are unable to show it to the sovereign.
28. “But there is an Elah in the heavens who reveals secrets, and He has made known to Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar what is to be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
29. “As for you, O sovereign, on your bed your thoughts came up: What is going to take place after this. And He who reveals secrets has made known to you what shall be after this.
30. “As for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the sovereign, and that you should know the thoughts of your heart.
31. “You, O sovereign, were looking on, and saw a great image! This great image, and its brightness excellent, was standing before you, and its form was awesome.
32. “This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33. its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
34. “You were looking on, until a stone was cut out without hands, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35. “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing-floors. And the wind took them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled all the earth.
36. “This is the dream, and its interpretation we declare before the sovereign.
37. “You, O sovereign, are a sovereign of sovereigns. For the Elah of the heavens has given you a reign, power, and strength, and preciousness,