o they
came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I have
dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."

Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king, "O king, live for ever: tell thy
servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The thing is gone from
me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation
thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a
dunghill. But if {186} ye show the dream and the interpretation
thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor:
therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof."

They answered the second time and said, "Let the king tell his
servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."

The king answered and said, "I know of a certainty that ye would gain
time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye make not
known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you: for ye have
prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be
changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can
show me the interpretation thereof."

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, "There is not a man
upon the earth that can show the king's matter: forasmuch as no king,
lord, nor ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or
enchanter, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king
requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king,
except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to
destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went forth, and the
wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions
to slay them. Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to
Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the
wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's
captain, "Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king?"

{187}

Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. And Daniel went in, and
desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show
the king the interpretation.

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies
of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his
companions should not perish with the rest of