3. The king said to them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4. Then the Kasdim spoke to the king in the Syrian language, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5. The king answered the Kasdim, “The thing has gone from me. If you don’t make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill.
6. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
7. They answered the second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
8. The king answered, “I know of a certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the thing has gone from me.
9. But if you don’t make known to me the dream, there is but one law for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, until the situation changes. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation.”
10. The Kasdians answered before the king, and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler, has asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
11. It is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12. Because of this, the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
13. So the decree went out, and the wise men were to be slain. They sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
14. Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15. He answered Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16. Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
17. Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18. that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.