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[195]
Now two years after the destruction of Egypt, king Nebuchadnezzar
saw a wonderful dream, the accomplishment of which God showed him in his
sleep; but when he arose out of his bed, he forgot the accomplishment.
So he sent for the Chaldeans and magicians, and the prophets, and told
them that he had seen a dream, and informed them that he had forgotten
the accomplishment of what he had seen, and he enjoined them to tell him
both what the dream was, and what was its signification; and they said
that this was a thing impossible to be discovered by men; but they promised
him, that if he would explain to them what dream he had seen, they would
tell him its signification. Hereupon he threatened to put them to death,
unless they told him his dream; and he gave command to have them all put
to death, since they confessed they could not do what they were commanded
to do. Now when Daniel heard that the king had given a command, that all
the wise men should be put to death, and that among them himself and his
three kinsmen were in danger, he went to Arioch, who was captain of the
king's guards, and desired to know of him what was the reason why the king
had given command that all the wise men, and Chaldeans, and magicians should
be slain. So when he had learned that the king had had a dream, and had
forgotten it, and that when they were enjoined to inform the king of it,
they had said they could not do it, and had thereby provoked him to anger,
he desired of Arioch that he would go in to the king, and desire respite
for the magicians for one night, and to put off their slaughter so long,
for that he hoped within that time to obtain, by prayer to God, the knowledge
of the dream. Accordingly, Arioch informed the king of what Daniel desired.
So the king bid them delay the slaughter of the magicians till he knew
what Daniel's promise would come to; but the young man retired to his own
house, with his kinsmen, and besought God that whole night to discover
the dream, and thereby deliver the magicians and Chaldeans, with whom they
were themselves to perish, from the king's anger, by enabling him to declare
his vision, and to make manifest what the king had seen the night before
in his sleep, but had forgotten it. Accordingly, God, out of pity to those
that were in danger, and out of regard to the wisdom of Daniel, made known
to him the dream and its interpretation, that so the king might understand
by him its signification also. When Daniel had obtained this knowledge
from God, he arose very joyful, and told it his brethren, and made them
glad, and to hope well that they should now preserve their lives, of which
they despaired before, and had their minds full of nothing but the thoughts
of dying. So when he had with them returned thanks to God, who had commiserated
their youth, when it was day he came to Arioch, and desired him to bring
him to the king, because he would discover to him that dream which he had
seen the night before.
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