account; so they readily understood all
the learning that was among the Hebrews, and among the Chaldeans,
as especially did Daniel, who being already sufficiently skillful
in wisdom, was very busy about the interpretation of dreams; and God
manifested himself to him.

3. Now two years after the destruction of Egypt, king Nebuchadnezzar
saw a wonderful dream, the accomplishment of which God showed him in his
sleep; but when he arose out of his bed, he forgot the accomplishment.
So he sent for the Chaldeans and magicians, and the prophets, and told
them that he had seen a dream, and informed them that he had forgotten
the accomplishment of what he had seen, and he enjoined them to tell him
both what the dream was, and what was its signification; and they said
that this was a thing impossible to be discovered by men; but they
promised him, that if he would explain to them what dream he had seen,
they would tell him its signification. Hereupon he threatened to put
them to death, unless they told him his dream; and he gave command to
have them all put to death, since they confessed they could not do what
they were commanded to do. Now when Daniel heard that the king had given
a command, that all the wise men should be put to death, and that among
them himself and his three kinsmen were in danger, he went to Arioch,
who was captain of the king's guards, and desired to know of him what
was the reason why the king had given command that all the wise men, and
Chaldeans, and magicians should be slain. So when he had learned that
the king had had a dream, and had forgotten it, and that when they were
enjoined to inform the king of it, they had said they could not do it,
and had thereby provoked him to anger, he desired of Arioch that he
would go in to the king, and desire respite for the magicians for one
night, and to put off their slaughter so long, for that he hoped within
that time to obtain, by prayer to God, the knowledge of the dream.
Accordingly, Arioch informed the king of what Daniel desired. So the
king bid them delay the slaughter of the magicians till he knew what
Daniel's promise would come to; but the young man retired to his own
house, with his kinsmen, and besought God that whole night to discover
the dream, and thereby deliver the magicians and Chaldeans, with whom
they were themselves to perish, from the king's anger, by enabling him
to declare his vision, and to make manifest what the king had seen the
night be