25. So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence and said to him, “I have found a man among the sons of the exiles from Judah, who can make known the interpretation to the king.”
26. The king then asked Daniel (who was renamed Belteshazzar), “Are you able to reveal to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”
27. Daniel answered the king, saying: “The mystery about which the king inquired is such that neither wise men, astrologers, magicians, or sorcerers can disclose it to the king.
28. But, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar the things that will happen in the latter days. The dream and the visions that went through your head as you lay on your bed are these.
29. “To you , O king—as you lay on your bed—came thoughts about what will come to pass in the future. The Revealer of mysteries has made known to you what is going to happen.
30. But as for me, this mystery is not revealed to me because I posses more wisdom than any other living person, but in order that the king may know the interpretation and understand the thoughts of your heart.
31. “You looked, O king, and behold, there before you stood a huge statue—an enormous and dazzling image, whose appearance was awesome.
32. The head of that statue was of pure gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
33. its legs of iron, and its feet partly iron and partly clay.
34. While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
35. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from summer threshing-floors that the wind blows away. Not a trace of them could be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
37. You, O king, are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, might and glory.
38. Wherever mankind, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven dwell, He has given them into your hand, and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
39. “Now after you another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over all the earth.
40. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron shatters and breaks everything—and just as iron smashes everything, so will it shatter and crush all the others.