² So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans^[a](A) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,

⁴ The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic^[a](A) begins here): ‘May the king live for ever.^(B) Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.’

⁵ The 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,^[b] and your houses will be made a rubbish dump.^(C)

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, ‘No one on earth can make known what the king requests.^(A) Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean.