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Monday, July 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Daniel 2:13

The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Magician;   Rulers;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Times of the Gentiles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Decrees of Kings;   King's Decrees;   Nation, the;   Wisdom-Folly;   Wise;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dream;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Aram;   Dream;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Decrees;   Magic;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Daniel, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Heres;   Hushim;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Magi;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fellow;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniyel and his companions to be slain.
King James Version
And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
English Standard Version
So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
New American Standard Bible
So the decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for Daniel and his friends, to kill them.
New Century Version
So King Nebuchadnezzar's order to kill the wise men was announced, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
Amplified Bible
So the decree went out that the wise men were to be killed; and they looked for Daniel and his companions to put them to death.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when sentence was giuen, the wise men were slayne: and they sought Daniel and his fellowes to be put to death.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
Berean Standard Bible
So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed, and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them.
Complete Jewish Bible
When the decree was published that the sages were to be slain, they sought Dani'el and his companions in order to have them put to death.
Darby Translation
And the decree went forth that the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them.
Easy-to-Read Version
King Nebuchadnezzar's order to kill all the wise men was announced. The king's men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
George Lamsa Translation
And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and guards sought Daniel and his companions to slay them.
Good News Translation
So the order was issued for all of them to be killed, including Daniel and his friends.
Lexham English Bible
And the decree was issued, and the wise men were on the verge of being executed, and they searched for Daniel and his companions to be executed.
Literal Translation
And the law went out that the wise men should be killed. And they looked for Daniel and his companions, to be killed.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and ye proclamacion wete forth, that the wyse me shulde be slayne. They sought also to slaye Daniel with his copanyons.
American Standard Version
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
Bible in Basic English
So the order went out that the wise men were to be put to death; and they were looking for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
King James Version (1611)
And the decree went foorth that the wise men should be slaine, and they sought Daniel and his fellowes to be slaine.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
So the decree went foorth, and the wise men were slayne: they sought also to slay Daniel, with his companions.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So the decree went forth, and they began to slay the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to slay them.
English Revised Version
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
World English Bible
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And bi the sentence goon out, the wise men weren slayn; and Danyel and hise felows weren souyt, that thei schulden perische.
Update Bible Version
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the decree went forth that the wise [men] should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
New English Translation
So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
New King James Version
So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
New Living Translation
And because of the king's decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.
New Life Bible
So the law was sent out that the wise men must be killed. They looked for Daniel and his friends, to kill them also.
New Revised Standard
The decree was issued, and the wise men were about to be executed; and they looked for Daniel and his companions, to execute them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, the decree, went forth, that, the wise men, should be slain, - and they sought Daniel and his companions that they might be slain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the decree being gone forth, the wise men were slain: and Daniel and his companions were sought for, to be put to death.
Revised Standard Version
So the decree went forth that the wise men were to be slain, and they sought Daniel and his companions, to slay them.
Young's Literal Translation
And the sentence hath gone forth, and the wise men are being slain, and they have sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

Contextual Overview

1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. 2So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, 3he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.” 4The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 5The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump. 6But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.” 7They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.” 8The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. 9If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.” 10The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the decree: Daniel 6:9-15, Esther 3:12-15, Psalms 94:20, Proverbs 28:15-17, Isaiah 10:1

and they: Daniel 1:19, Daniel 1:20, Daniel 6:12

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:12 - king's Daniel 2:24 - Destroy Daniel 3:6 - the same Daniel 5:19 - whom he would he slew Matthew 5:22 - That Matthew 20:25 - exercise dominion

Cross-References

Genesis 10:6
Ham’s sons: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Isaiah 11:11
On that day the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people who survive—from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain,.... Or, "and the wise men were slain" h, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions render it; and so Saadiah: orders were given by the king to his proper officers, and his edict was published, and his will made known in the usual manner; upon which the wise men, at least some of them, were slain; very probably those who were in the king's presence, and at court; and the officers were gone out to slay the rest:

and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain; who had the character of wise men, and might be envied at court, and so the officers took this opportunity, having these orders, to slay them: there was, no doubt, a particular providence, that Daniel and his friends should not be at court at this time; both that the vanity of the Chaldean wisdom and arts might be the more manifest and made known, and the divine and superior wisdom and knowledge of Daniel might be more conspicuous, and his fame be spread in Babylon, and in other provinces.

h וחכימיא מתקטלין "et sapientes interficiebantur", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Piscator, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain - The original here will bear a somewhat different translation, meaning, “the decree went forth, “and” the wise men were slain;” that is, the execution of the sentence was actually commenced. So the Vulgate: Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur. So also the Greek version: καὶ οἱ σοφοί ἀπεκτέννοντο kai hoi sophoi apektennonto - “and the wise men were slain.” This seems to me to be the more probable interpretation, and better to suit the connection. Then it would mean that they had actually begun to execute the decree, and that in the prosecution of their bloody work they sought out Daniel and his companions, and that by his influence with Arioch the execution of the sentence was arrested.

And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain - His three companions Daniel 1:6, who probably had not been among those who were summoned to court to explain the matter. Had they been consulted at first, the issuing of the decree would have been prevented, but it seems to have been the design of Providence to give the fairest trial of the ability of these sages, and to allow matters to come to a crisis, in order to show that what was done was wholly beyond human power.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 13. They sought Daniel and his fellows — As the decree stated that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain, the four young Hebrews, being reputed among the wisest, were considered as sentenced to death also.


 
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