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17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. 18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he[a] and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised[b] the God of heaven, 20 saying:[c]

“Let the name of God[d] be praised[e] forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
21 He changes times and seasons,
deposing some kings
and establishing others.[f]
He gives wisdom to the wise;
he imparts knowledge to those with understanding;[g]
22 he reveals deep and hidden things.
He knows what is in the darkness,
and light resides with him.
23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you,
for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me.
Now you have enabled me to understand what we[h] requested from you.
For you have enabled us to understand the king’s dilemma.”[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 2:18 tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English and has not been included in the translation.
  2. Daniel 2:19 tn Or “blessed.”
  3. Daniel 2:20 tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
  4. Daniel 2:20 sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
  5. Daniel 2:20 tn Or “blessed.”
  6. Daniel 2:21 tn Aram “kings.”
  7. Daniel 2:21 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
  8. Daniel 2:23 tn Various explanations have been offered for the plurals we and us. They could be editorial plurals, or refer to Daniel and his three friends who were also praying about the matter.
  9. Daniel 2:23 tn Aram “the word of the king.”