Job 33:15-16, Dan 2, Dan 4, 7:1, Mat 1:20, 2:12-13, 19, Heb 1:1 | ESV | STEP | In a dream , in a vision of the night , when deep sleep falls on men , while they slumber on their beds ,

15 In ^aa dream, in ^ba vision of ^cthe night,
when ^ddeep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds,
16 then he ^eopens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings,

Daniel 2

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; ^fhis spirit was troubled, and ^ghis sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that ^hthe magicians, ⁱthe enchanters, the ^jsorcerers, and ^kthe Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and ^lstood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and ^mmy spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then ⁿthe Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, ^{▼▼The text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic} ^p“O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to ^qthe Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be ^rtorn limb from limb, ^sand your ^thouses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, ^uyou shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. ^vTherefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to ^wgain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 9 if you do not make the dream known to me, ^xthere is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till ^ythe times change. ^zTherefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 ^aaThe Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or ^abChaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except ^acthe gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

12 Because of this the king was angry and ^advery furious, and ^aecommanded that all ^afthe wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought ^agDaniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to ^ahArioch, the ^aicaptain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verse 26} to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king ^akso urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to ^alHananiah, ^amMishael, and ^anAzariah, his companions, 18 ^aoand told them to seek mercy from the ^apGod of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not ^aqbe destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in ^ara vision of the night. Then Daniel ^asblessed the ^atGod of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:

^au“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
^avto whom belong wisdom and might.
21 ^awHe changes times and seasons;
^axhe removes kings and sets up kings;
^ayhe gives wisdom to the wise
^azand knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 ^bahe reveals deep and hidden things;
^bbhe knows what is in the darkness,
^bcand the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O ^bdGod of my fathers,
^beI give thanks and praise,
for ^bfyou have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what ^bgwe asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to ^bhArioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

25 Then ^biArioch brought in Daniel before the king ^bjin haste and said thus to him: “I have found ^bkamong the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, ^blwhose name was Belteshazzar, ^bm“Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, ^bnenchanters, ^bomagicians, or ^bpastrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but ^bqthere is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar ^brwhat will be in the latter days. Your dream and ^bsthe visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, ^btand he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But ^buas for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that ^bvyou may know the thoughts of your mind.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 ^bwThe head of this image was of fine gold, ^bxits chest and arms of silver, its middle and ^bythighs of bronze, 33 ^bzits legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out ^caby no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and ^cbbroke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became ^cclike the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that ^cdnot a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became ^cea great mountain ^cfand filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, ^cgthe king of kings, to whom ^chthe God of heaven ^cihas given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, ^cjthe beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are ^ckthe head of gold. 39 ^clAnother kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom ^cmof bronze, ^cnwhich shall rule over all the earth. 40 And ^cothere shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron ^cpbreaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall ^cqbreak and crush all these. 41 And as you saw ^crthe feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the ^csfirmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, ^{▼▼Aramaic by the seed of men} but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings ^cuthe God of heaven will set up ^cva kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. ^cwIt shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and ^cxit shall stand forever, 45 just as ^cyyou saw that ^cza stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that ^dait broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A ^dbgreat God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Daniel Is Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ^dcfell upon his face and ^ddpaid homage to Daniel, and commanded that ^dean offering and ^dfincense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your ^dgGod is God of gods and ^dhLord of kings, and ^dia revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great ^djgifts, and made him ruler over the whole ^dkprovince of Babylon and ^dlchief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he ^dmappointed ^dnShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of ^dothe province of Babylon. But Daniel ^dpremained at the king’s court.

Daniel 4

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 ^{▼▼Ch 3:31 in Aramaic} King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^drpeoples, nations, and languages, ^dsthat dwell in all the earth: ^dtPeace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^dusigns and wonders that the ^dvMost High God has done for me.

3 How great are ^dwhis signs,
how mighty his ^dxwonders!
^dyHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
^dzand his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 ^{▼▼Ch 4:1 in Aramaic} I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^ebthe visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So ^ecI made a decree that ^edall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then ^eethe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^efthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^egBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^ehthe spirit of the holy gods ^{▼▼Or Spirit of the holy God; also verses 9, 18}—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^ejchief of the magicians, because I know that ^ekthe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^elmystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^emthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 ^enThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^eobehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 ^epThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ^eqIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^erThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^esthe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in ^etthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^eua watcher, ^eva holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He ^ewproclaimed aloud and said thus: ^ex‘Chop down the tree and ^eylop off its branches, ^ezstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^faLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; ^fband let seven periods of time ^fcpass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of ^fdthe watchers, the decision by the word of ^fethe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^ffrules the kingdom of men ^fgand gives it to whom he will and ^fhsets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^fiBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^fjall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^fkthe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was ^flBelteshazzar, was ^fmdismayed for a while, and ^fnhis thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^fomay the dream be for those who hate you ^fpand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 ^fqThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^frwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^fsit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^ftYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^fuand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^fva watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^fw‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^fxseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^fythat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^fzto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^gaseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^gbyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded ^gcto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by ^gdpracticing righteousness, ^geand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ^gfthat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, ^gg“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^ghmy mighty power as a royal residence and for ^githe glory of my majesty?” 31 ^gjWhile the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 ^gkand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^gluntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^gmHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 ^gnAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^gomy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^gphim who lives forever,

^gqfor his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and ^grhis kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 ^gsall the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and ^gthe does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
^guand none can stay his hand
or ^gvsay to him, “What have you done?”
36 At the same time ^gwmy reason returned to me, and for ^gxthe glory of my kingdom, ^gymy majesty and splendor returned to me. ^gzMy counselors and ^hamy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^hbadded to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^hcpraise and extol and honor the ^hdKing of heaven, ^hefor all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^hfthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 7:1

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of ^hgBelshazzar king of Babylon, ^hhDaniel saw a dream and ^hivisions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.

Matthew 1:20

20 But as he considered these things, behold, ^hjan angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 2:12-13

12 And ^hkbeing warned ^hlin a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, ^hman angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Matthew 2:19

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Hebrews 1:1

The Supremacy of God’s Son

1 Long ago, at many times and ^hnin many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,