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Daniel 2:14
ESV Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king 's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
NIV When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.
NASB Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon;
CSB Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.
NLT When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion.
KJV Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
NKJV Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon;

What does Daniel 2:14 mean?

Arioch, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's royal bodyguard, seems to have wasted no time in carrying out the order to kill all the wise men (Daniel 2:12). This was in response to Nebuchadnezzar's rage at his court conjurers being unable to tell him the contents of his own dream (Daniel 2:1–9). Unfortunately, that command extended to all the wise men, even those with no knowledge of the situation.

However, when Arioch came to kill Daniel and his friends, Daniel remained calm. He did not argue or whimper; he spoke to Arioch wisely and persuasively. Lives were at stake, including Daniel's, those of his three friends, and many others. One wrong word by Daniel could have proven disastrous, but tactful, persuasive words could stop Nebuchadnezzar's reign of terror and perhaps end it. Christians can learn from Daniel's speech in the face of imminent death. Proverbs 15:1 says, "A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." When a perilous situation confronts a Christian, it is wise not to lash out at the accuser. A wise, tactful response may lower the heat of the moment. Believers need to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

The Babylonian occultists had admitted the king was asking for knowledge no human could uncover (Daniel 2:10–11), but Daniel (Daniel 1:17) had access to the perfect knowledge of God (Daniel 2:27–35). He will declare, in confident faith, that he can answer the king's questions (Daniel 2:16).
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