16. Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time so that he could explain the dream’s meaning.
17. Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about this matter.
18. He told them to ask the God of heaven to be merciful and to explain this secret to them so that they would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise advisers in Babylon.
19. The secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision during the night. So Daniel praised the God of heaven.
20. He said,“Praise God’s name from everlasting to everlastingbecause he is wise and powerful.
21. He changes times and periods of history.He removes kings and establishes them.He gives wisdom to those who are wiseand knowledge to those who have insight.
22. He reveals deeply hidden things.He knows what is in the dark,and light lives with him.
23. God of my ancestors, I thank and praise you.You gave me wisdom and power.You told me the answer to our question.You told us what the king wants to know.”
24. Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy Babylon’s wise advisers. Daniel told him, “Don’t destroy Babylon’s wise advisers. Take me to the king, and I’ll explain the dream’s meaning to him.”
25. Arioch immediately took Daniel to the king. He told the king, “I’ve found one of the captives from Judah who can explain the dream’s meaning to you, Your Majesty.”
26. The king asked Daniel (who had been renamed Belteshazzar), “Can you tell me the dream I had and its meaning?”
27. Daniel answered the king, “No wise adviser, psychic, magician, or fortuneteller can tell the king this secret.
28. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. He will tell King Nebuchadnezzar what is going to happen in the days to come. This is your dream, the vision you had while you were asleep:
29. Your Majesty, while you were lying in bed, thoughts about what would happen in the future came to you. The one who reveals secrets told you what is going to happen.
30. This secret wasn’t revealed to me because I’m wiser than anyone else. It was revealed so that you could be told the meaning and so that you would know your innermost thoughts.
31. “Your Majesty, you had a vision. You saw a large statue. This statue was very bright. It stood in front of you, and it looked terrifying.