Daniel & The King’s Dreams

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Jerusalem had fallen, a city once radiant now reduced to smouldering ruin. Babylon had descended swiftly, mercilessly, and precisely, its armies as vast as a storm sweeping relentlessly across the land. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah walked closely behind Daniel, ropes cutting rawly into wrists. 00:00:32 Speaker 2: I am Ashpenaz. 00:00:34 Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar, in his wisdom, has summoned select men, young of body and sharp of mind, to serve his courts. You will learn our ways, master our language, unravel our mysteries, and if you survive, You will stand among his greatest advisors and govern your people on his behalf. 00:00:57 Speaker 1: Over ten days' time, the contrast between the four companions and the other youths was stark. 00:01:04 Speaker 2: You are the one they call Daniel, yes? 00:01:08 Speaker 4: Yes, great king. 00:01:12 Speaker 2: So, it was you who refused my generosity. 00:01:17 Speaker 4: Yes, great king. 00:01:21 Speaker 2: Strong arms, sharp minds. These are the pillars by which I shall build this kingdom to outlast the others. Your insolent challenge to our ways turned out to be a revelation. 00:01:36 Speaker 4: It is in the law of Moses, great king. Our people have endured because of our great God. 00:01:45 Speaker 2: I see. Then I shall inquire more about this law. and the god you claim gave it. 00:01:54 Speaker 4: It would be my honor, great king, but be warned. You have subjugated his people. Many kings have tried to do the same, and the Lord has sought them out. Yes, yes. 00:02:16 Speaker 2: Well, then, I have decided on your new name, Daniel. Belteshazzar, for it is you who shall protect me from the wrath of your God. 00:02:38 Speaker 1: The air in the royal chamber was thick with the perfume of cedar oil and myrrh, clinging to the silken drapes that swayed in the heat. Nebuchadnezzar slept on a bed carved from single slabs of cedar, its frame inlaid with gold and lapis. His breathing was deep at first, measured, but somewhere in the shadows of his mind a door opened. It began as a flicker, a soundless flash of gold against a black horizon. Then a shape emerged in his mind. He saw it tower above him, an image of a man, yet not a man. Its head blazed like hammered gold in the sun, so bright his eyes watered. Below that, a chest and arms of silver caught the light. Its belly and thighs were bronze, then iron legs descended, unyielding and brutal. Finally, its feet, oddly fragile, were a mingling of iron and clay. The king squinted at the feet, seeing cracks in the mixture already forming. A cold wind rose. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to move, to flee, but his feet felt fixed to the earth. Then he heard a sound. Not the slow roll of thunder, but the sudden crack of stone breaking. His eyes darted to the side. A boulder was hurtling toward the image. It was perfectly round, not cut from human hands. The stone struck the feet of the statue with a force that made the earth shudder. The clay exploded into shards. The image swayed, groaned, and then, like the walls of a besieged city, the image collapsed. The king shielded his face from the cloud that rose. Nothing remained of the statue. The stone that destroyed it began to grow, slowly at first, then swiftly, until it became a mountain so vast it swallowed the horizon. Then, a terrifying voice broke through the chasms of his mind. 00:05:03 Speaker 2: It is final. 00:05:06 Speaker 1: The king woke with a strangled gasp, the sound tearing itself from his throat. For a long while, Nebuchadnezzar simply sat where the dream had left him. He was half upright in the bed, breath ragged, hands trembling against the embroidered linen. 00:05:28 Speaker 2: Would a dream really rob me of my resolve? 00:05:33 Speaker 1: He swung his legs from the bed, the chill of the marble floor biting at his bare feet. His eyes searched the chamber for some anchor in the present. 00:05:44 Speaker 2: Wine. 00:05:46 Speaker 1: The servant who had been standing in the shadow of the doorway scurried forward, silver pitcher in hand. Nebuchadnezzar took the cup and drank deeply, letting the burn fill his chest. For a moment he thought the heat might drive out the cold gnawing at his spine. 00:06:04 Speaker 2: It did not. Summon the magi. 00:06:09 Speaker 1: The servant hesitated just long enough for the king's head to lift sharply. 00:06:14 Speaker 5: Now! 00:06:16 Speaker 1: When the servant was gone, the king rose and moved toward the lattice windows. Outside, Babylon sprawled beneath the moonlight. The city's walls were thick enough to withstand a siege from the greatest armies of the West. He was the most powerful and feared man in the ancient world. So why did he feel fragile? He gripped the carved frame of the window, his knuckles whitening. Somewhere in his mind, the great image from the dream still towered over him. It had felt like a judgment. But whose judgment? Nebuchadnezzar sat at the center of his throne room, high upon his carved ebony throne. One by one, the magi, astrologers, and Chaldean interpreters filed in. The eldest, Bel Tashur, a Chaldean scholar with hair like white river foam, stepped forward as the spokesman. 00:07:21 Speaker 5: O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will declare its interpretation. 00:07:28 Speaker 1: A lesser ruler might have taken comfort in the ritual of these words. Nebuchadnezzar's eyes did not soften. 00:07:37 Speaker 2: No. No. If you are what you claim, you will tell me the dream itself and its meaning. 00:07:46 Speaker 1: The words fell into the chamber like a slab of stone into deep water. The ripples of shock were small at first, an exchange of glances, the faint shift of weight from one foot to the other. 00:08:01 Speaker 5: Oh, king, no ruler has ever asked such a thing. The dream belongs to you. The interpretation to your servants. Give us the first, and we will give you the second. 00:08:15 Speaker 2: If I tell you the dream, you will speak whatever pleases me. No. 00:08:22 Speaker 5: Such divinations are unheard of, my king. We cannot... You. 00:08:28 Speaker 2: Will tell me both, or you'll be torn limb from limb, and your house is reduced to heaps of ash. 00:08:35 Speaker 1: Gasps broke the measured quiet. Several of the younger interpreters blanched. One's mouth fell open before he caught himself. Belteshur stepped forward, lecturing. 00:08:48 Speaker 5: Oh, king, there is no diviner on earth who can do what you ask. No king, however great, has demanded such a thing of any magus or enchanter. Only the gods could reveal it, and they do not dwell with men. 00:09:02 Speaker 1: The final sentence hung in the air. Nebuchadnezzar nodded to Ariok, the captain of the guard. He dutifully nodded and stepped forward. 00:09:15 Speaker 2: Immediately. 00:09:24 Speaker 1: Ariok drew his sword and lopped off Belteshur's head. It hit the floor with a sickening thud before his knees crumbled down after it. Everyone in attendance panicked, stirring and ready to run. 00:09:38 Speaker 6: Hear this decree, for it is law the moment it passes my lips! 00:09:46 Speaker 2: Let all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed! This is the word of King Nebuchadnezzar, the god of Babylon! 00:09:58 Speaker 1: The soldiers at the edges of the horse moved immediately. The magi recoiled, voices breaking into protests, prayers, and denials. But the king did not look back at them. He was already descending from the throne, the order burning in his mouth like fire he had been waiting to breathe. The crack in his composure had become an open fracture. From the palace gates, the order spilled into the streets. All the wise men of Babylon would die before the sun set. By mid-morning, the sound of soldiers' approach reached a quieter quarter of the city, a walled compound where four young Judean exiles lived and studied. Ariok himself stepped through the gate. He had been there before to seek the counsel of the Judean four. Daniel, seated at a low table with parchment spread before him, looked up. Behind him, Hananiah and Mishael had been tending the garden, while Azariah sorted clay tablets under the shade of an olive tree. The captain's expression was grim, but there was no malice in it. 00:11:15 Speaker 4: Ariok, is everything all right? 00:11:18 Speaker 7: Belteshazzar, son of Judah... By the order of the king, all wise men of Babylon are to be put to death. That includes you and your companions. 00:11:29 Speaker 1: Daniel rose slowly, searching the captain's face. 00:11:33 Speaker 4: Then why not barge through and impale me without this pretense? Your sword isn't drawn. Your soldiers aren't behind you. Is there something you wish to say? 00:11:44 Speaker 1: Ariok hesitated. He had been given orders. But he knew the king wasn't in his right mind. He also knew that Daniel and his companions possessed a different, deeper wisdom than the other Chaldeans. Perhaps, perhaps they could help. 00:12:02 Speaker 7: The king is consumed with a dream, and none of his enchanters, priests, or soothsayers can interpret his dreams. 00:12:11 Speaker 2: Right. Why don't they just make something up, like they always do? 00:12:15 Speaker 1: Ariok clenched for a beat, but Daniel filled in the gaps. 00:12:20 Speaker 4: The king wants them to tell the dream, doesn't he? 00:12:23 Speaker 2: Interesting. This must mean... The. 00:12:27 Speaker 4: King is beginning to doubt conventional Babylonian wisdom. 00:12:31 Speaker 1: Azariah turned to Daniel, a mixture of excitement and dread on his face. 00:12:37 Speaker 4: This is what we've been praying for, Daniel. 00:12:40 Speaker 7: You mean to tell me you prayed for the king's madness? 00:12:45 Speaker 4: No, no, quite the opposite. We've been praying King Nebuchadnezzar would see the truth. Though he is worshipped as God, there is one God of gods, the Lord of lords, Yahweh. 00:13:01 Speaker 7: And it's this Yahweh who has plagued the king with dreams? 00:13:05 Speaker 4: Yes, and it's Yahweh who will provide the king his interpretation. 00:13:10 Speaker 1: The weight of the words settled on them like the desert sun. Hananiah bit his fingernails and paced the room. 00:13:19 Speaker 7: If we go before the king and fail, we die. 00:13:23 Speaker 2: If we do nothing. 00:13:24 Speaker 4: We die. 00:13:26 Speaker 1: Daniel glanced at each of them in turn, his own heart thudding like the tread of the approaching soldiers. He was no stranger to fear. It whispered to him now, urging caution, retreat, silence. But beneath it ran another current. Steady and stubborn. 00:13:47 Speaker 4: Ariok, go and tell the king that I will stand before him to tell him the dream. 00:13:53 Speaker 1: Ariok studied Daniel for a moment, the barest flicker of surprise crossing his features. Then he gave a curt nod. 00:14:03 Speaker 7: I will take you to him, but know this. His mood is like dry grass in the summer. 00:14:09 Speaker 4: One spark. 00:14:10 Speaker 1: He left the rest unsaid. The captain turned. the clink of his armour echoing against the courtyard walls. Daniel followed, head high, not in pride, but in seeking a knowledge higher than his. The morning sun had barely crested the palace walls when Ariok led Daniel through the great gates. The air was heavier here, every sound muffled by the weight of protocol and fear. Ariok walked quickly, his armor whispering against itself with each step. At last, they reached the massive doors of the throne room. Two guards, spears in hand, stood like statues. With a nod from Ariok, they swung the massive doors inward. The hall yawned before Daniel, its ceiling lost in shadow. 00:15:11 Speaker 7: Great King! I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who claims he will make known to you your dream and interpretation. 00:15:20 Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's gaze did not leave Daniel. 00:15:24 Speaker 2: Belteshazzar, are you truly able to do this? Or are you stalling so your friends might escape my wrath? 00:15:34 Speaker 4: You are wise enough to know I am not a liar, great king. Nor would any of my attempts thwart your will. 00:15:43 Speaker 2: Tell me how do you speak with such confidence in my halls. 00:15:49 Speaker 4: No wise man enchanter or magus can declare to the king the mystery you have asked but there is a god in heaven who reveals mysteries he has made known to you oh king what shall be in later days. 00:16:06 Speaker 1: And what does your god have to say Daniel drew a deep breath, then looked over to Ariok, who refused to meet his eyes. Fair enough. Daniel was on his own now. He paced around the massive raging cauldron and addressed the king. 00:16:25 Speaker 4: I saw your dream. You, oh king, were watching. And behold, an image. A great image. Its appearance was dazzling. 00:16:37 Speaker 5: Terrible. 00:16:38 Speaker 4: Towered before you, casting a shadow that swallowed the earth. Its head was of fine gold. The chest and arms were of silver. The belly and thighs were bronze. The legs, iron, and the feet, part iron, part clay, fragile and easily fractured. 00:17:01 Speaker 1: The king's lips parted slightly, though he said nothing. Daniel's tone deepened, gathering force. 00:17:09 Speaker 4: You watched it in horror. And then you saw a stone cut, not by human hands, hurtling towards the image. It struck the feet of iron and clay with such force that they shattered. 00:17:24 Speaker 8: The whole image swayed, cracked, and collapsed. The gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the clay. broken into pieces so small that the. 00:17:38 Speaker 4: Wind carried them away like chaff from the threshing floor. Nothing remained, not a fragment, not a single speck of grain. 00:17:49 Speaker 1: Around the hall, courtiers shifted, glancing between Daniel and the king. Nebuchadnezzar's fingers curled over the arms of his throne. Daniel stepped closer. His voice almost a whisper now. 00:18:06 Speaker 4: And the stone that struck the image grew. Slowly at first, then swiftly. Until it became a great mountain. And that mountain filled the whole earth. And you were terrified. Although you didn't know why. For the first time perhaps in your life, you felt small. 00:18:29 Speaker 2: Fragile. 00:18:30 Speaker 4: And that feeling fills you with more dread than a thousand armies. The feeling that perhaps you are not the most powerful king in the world after all. 00:18:47 Speaker 1: Daniel let the quiet stretch, not out of hesitation, but to let the truth settle into the cracks it had just found. 00:18:57 Speaker 2: And what does it mean? 00:19:01 Speaker 1: The court leaned forward without meaning to. Even the guards at the pillars seemed to stand a little taller. 00:19:08 Speaker 4: You, O king, are the head of gold. The God of heaven has granted you dominion, power, strength, and glory. Into your hand he has placed all mankind. 00:19:23 Speaker 1: A flicker of pride and satisfaction passed across Nebuchadnezzar's face. This was language he knew. Daniel's tone shifted, though. He refused to flatter the king. 00:19:35 Speaker 4: But no man is immortal, and no empire lasts. After you shall arise another kingdom, beautiful but inferior to yours. 00:19:49 Speaker 6: Silver. 00:19:51 Speaker 4: Yes, then a third of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. And a fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. 00:20:01 Speaker 2: But then there will be another after it, one of silver and clay. 00:20:07 Speaker 4: Correct. Correct. A divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron, but the brittleness of clay. They will mix with one another, but will not hold together, just as iron does not bind to clay. 00:20:23 Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's fingers drummed against the throne arm, the sound sharp in the hushed hall. 00:20:30 Speaker 4: And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. It will not be left to another nation. Break in pieces all the kingdoms of the earth and bring them to an end. And his kingdom shall stand forever. 00:20:50 Speaker 1: The words hung in the air like a drawn bow. Daniel let the silence stretch before adding the final stroke. 00:21:00 Speaker 4: The stone that you saw, cut from the mountain without hands, that is the kingdom of the living God, not built by man. nor toppled by man. It will grow until it fills the entire earth. 00:21:16 Speaker 1: The court was still. Even the torches seemed to burn without flicker. Nebuchadnezzar leaned back slowly. His eyes stayed on Daniel, not in rage, but in something more dangerous to his pride, wonder. This man spoke to him as no one else dared, not as a servant to a master, but as one who feared a higher throne. The king's mouth curved in the faintest shadow of a smile, not of amusement, but of recognition, and perhaps a hunger for more. The king rose slowly from his throne. Every rustle of his robe, every step down the dais, was magnified in the silence. Courtiers lowered their heads, some in reverence, others in fear that the next words would unleash fury. When he stopped before Daniel, the two men were eye to eye. 00:22:21 Speaker 2: Truly, your God is God of gods, Lord of kings, and revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery to me. 00:22:35 Speaker 1: The words were not surrender. Nebuchadnezzar was not a man to yield so quickly. But there was a crack in the marble, small yet undeniable. He turned to the court, his voice rising. 00:22:50 Speaker 6: Clothe Belteshazzar in fine garments. Place a chain of gold around his neck. Let it be known, Belteshazzar shall be chief of the wise men of Babylon and ruler over the province. 00:23:04 Speaker 1: Gasps rippled through the hall, followed by hurried bows and murmured assent. Servants moved quickly to obey, draping the foreigner in silks, the gold chain catching the firelight. But while the court marveled at the king's generosity, Nebuchadnezzar studied Daniel with something else in his eyes, a restless curiosity. This was not the gaze he gave his gods of stone and gold. This was something almost like respect, and in the deepest corner of his heart, the faintest spark of longing. For the first time in years, the great king of Babylon had met someone who did not fear him more than God. And though he would not admit it, not yet, that encounter... would haunt him far longer than the dream itself. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellebarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradok Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely, and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 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