Dissatisfied with their evasive answer, and suspicious because, despite their pretentious claims to reveal the secrets of men, they nevertheless seemed unwilling to grant him help, the king commanded his wise men, with promises of wealth and honor on the one hand, and threats of death on the other, to tell him not only the interpretation of the dream, but the dream itself. "The thing is gone from me," he said; "if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor."

De vise mænd svarede stadig: "Kongen sige sine trælle drømmen, så skal vi tyde den." Nebukadnezar blev rasende, fordi de mennesker, som han havde næret tillid til, tilsyneladende søgte at føre ham bag lyset, Han sagde: "Nu ved jeg for vist, at I kun søger at vinde tid, fordi I ser, mit ord står fast, så eders dom kun kan blive én, hvis I ikke kundgør mig drømmen, og at I derfor er blevet enige om at lyve for mig og føre mig bag lyset, til der kommer andre tider. Sig mig derfor drømmen, så jeg kan vide, at I også kan tyde mig den."