¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[a] food and drink.^(A) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

⁵ The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:^(A) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces^(B) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.^{(C) 6} But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.^(D) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷ Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸ Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹ If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty^(E) for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”^(F)

¹⁰ The astrologers^(G) answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.^{(H) 11} What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,^(I) and they do not live among humans.”

¹² This made the king so angry and furious^(J) that he ordered the execution^(K) of all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³ So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.^(L)

¹⁹ Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;^(A) those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.^(B)