Arioch, the captain of the king's bodyguard, was given the task of killing all the wise men in Babylon. When Daniel heard about the order, he asked Arioch discretely why the king was so angry, and then Arioch told him what had happened. Daniel went and requested the king to give him a day to get the answer, and then he asked his three friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to pray to God along with him to reveal the answer to him.

God heard their prayer, and He revealed the mystery through a vision to Daniel in the night. Then Daniel praised God and acknowledged how it was He who was in control of kings and all events. He gave thanks to God for revealing the secret to him. Then he informed Arioch that he was ready to reveal the mystery of the dream to the king.

When Daniel went before the king, he made it clear that it was not any special cleverness on his part that had helped him to understand the mystery but that God who made heaven and earth had chosen to reveal a part of the future to Nebuchadnezzar through his dream.

Daniel described how the king had seen a tall statue in his dream, whose head was made of gold, chest and the arms of silver, stomach and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet partly of iron and clay. The king saw a stone that was uncut by hand come rolling, striking the feet and the whole statue tumbling down and becoming powder! But the stone became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. He said that the head represented Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, after which two comparatively inferior kingdoms would come, followed by one kingdom that would rule with a hand of iron. After that God would set up His kingdom that would never end.

Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that he threw himself down before Daniel. He made Daniel the ruler of Babylon and the chief of the wise men. At Daniel's request, his friends were also promoted.