Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Daniel 2:13

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.

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

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

1 During Nebuchadnezzar's second year as king, he had dreams. They bothered him, and he could not sleep. 2 So the king called his wise men to come to him. They used magic and watched the stars. They did this to try to interpret dreams and to learn what would happen in the future. The king wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed, so they came in and stood in front of him. 3 Then the king said to them, "I had a dream that bothers me. I want to know what it means." 4 Then the Chaldeans answered the king. They spoke Aramaic and said, "King, live forever! Please tell your dream to us, your servants, and then we will tell you what it means." 5 Then King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "No, you must tell me the dream, and then you must tell me what it means. If you don't, I will give an order for you to be cut into pieces. And I will order your houses to be destroyed until they are nothing but piles of dust and ashes. 6 But if you tell me my dream and explain its meaning, I will give you gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me about my dream and what it means." 7 Again the wise men said to the king, "Please, Sir, tell us about the dream, and we will tell you what it means." 8 Then King Nebuchadnezzar answered, "I know that you are trying to get more time. You know that I meant what I said. 9 You know that you will be punished if you don't tell me about my dream. So you have all agreed to lie to me. You are hoping for more time so that I will forget what I want you to do. Now tell me the dream. If you can tell me the dream, I will know that you can tell me what it really means." 10 The Chaldeans answered the king. They said, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking! No king has ever asked the wise men, the men who do magic, or the Chaldeans to do something like this. Not even the greatest and most powerful king has ever asked his wise men to do such a thing.

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 were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Isaiah 11:11
At that time the Lord will again reach out and take his people who are left in countries like Assyria, North Egypt, South Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and other faraway countries around the world.

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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