Daniel 2:27-40

27Daniel answered the king, “No wise adviser, psychic, magician, or fortuneteller can tell the king this secret.

28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. He will tell King Nebuchadnezzar what is going to happen in the days to come. This is your dream, the vision you had while you were asleep:

29Your Majesty, while you were lying in bed, thoughts about what would happen in the future came to you. The one who reveals secrets told you what is going to happen.

30This secret wasn’t revealed to me because I’m wiser than anyone else. It was revealed so that you could be told the meaning and so that you would know your innermost thoughts.

31“Your Majesty, you had a vision. You saw a large statue. This statue was very bright. It stood in front of you, and it looked terrifying.

32The head of this statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. Its stomach and hips were made of bronze.

33Its legs were made of iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay.

34While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by humans. It struck the statue’s iron-and-clay feet and smashed them.

35Then all at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were smashed. They became like husks on a threshing floor  in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain which filled the whole world.

36This is the dream. Now we’ll tell you its meaning.

37“Your Majesty, you are the greatest king. The God of heaven has given you a kingdom. He has given you power, strength, and honor.

38He has given you control over people, wild animals, and birds, wherever they live. He has made you ruler of them all. You are the head of gold.

39Another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to power after you. Then there will be a third kingdom, a kingdom of bronze, that will rule the whole world.

40There will also be a fourth kingdom. It will be as strong as iron. (Iron smashes and shatters everything.) As iron crushes things, this fourth kingdom will smash and crush all the other kingdoms.