Daniel 4:1-22 ▼

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue that inhabit all the earth: “May your peace abound!

2 It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.

3 How great are His signs, And how strong are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.

5 I saw a dream, and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my head kept alarming me.

6 So I gave a decree to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

7 Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I said the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.

8 But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I said the dream to him:

9 ‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is difficult for you, say to me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

10 ‘Now these were the visions in my head as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

11 The tree grew large and became strong, And its height reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.

12 Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky inhabited its branches, And all flesh fed itself from it.

13 ‘I was looking in the visions in my head as I lay on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.

14 He called out loudly and said thus: “Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it And the birds from its branches.

15 Yet leave the stump with its roots in the earth, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, And let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, And let the heart of a beast be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.

17 This edict is by the resolution of the watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind And gives it to whom He wishes And sets up over it the lowliest of men.”

18 This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, say to me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

19 “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts were alarming him. The king answered and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!

20 The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth,

21 and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field inhabited, and in whose branches the birds of the sky dwelt—

22 it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your greatness has become even greater and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth.