Daniel 4

¹Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: may your peace be great!

²The signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked with me -- it seemed good to me to declare them.

³How great are his signs, and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

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

⁵I saw a dream that terrified me; the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head alarmed me.

⁶So a decree was issued by me to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

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

⁸Finally Daniel came before me -- whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods -- and I told the dream before him.

⁹O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of holy gods is in you and that no mystery troubles you -- consider the vision of my dream that I saw and declare its interpretation.

¹⁰Now the visions of my head as I lay on my bed: I was watching, and behold, a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was great.

¹¹The tree grew great and became strong, and its height reached to the heavens, and its sight extended to the end of all the earth.

¹²Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and it provided food for all. Under it the beasts of the field took shelter, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

¹³I was looking at the visions of my head upon my bed; and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.

¹⁴He cried out mightily and said thus: "Cut down the tree and chop off its branches, strip its leaves and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches."

¹⁵Nevertheless, the stump of its roots -- leave them in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the grass of the field; let it be drenched with the dew of heaven, and with the beasts of the field let its portion be among the grass of the earth.

¹⁶Let his heart be changed from that of a man, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven times pass over him.

¹⁷This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the affair is by the command of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind, and to whomever he wills he gives it, and sets over it the lowliest of men.

¹⁸This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, O Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, inasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make the interpretation known to me, but you are able, for the spirit of holy gods is in you.

¹⁹Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king spoke up and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar answered and said, 'My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!'

²⁰The tree that you saw, which grew great and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and whose appearance was visible to all the earth --

²¹its foliage was beautiful and its fruit was abundant, and there was food for all; under it the beasts of the field took shelter, and in its branches the birds of the heavens dwelt.

²²It is you, O king, who have grown great and become strong, and your greatness has grown and has reached to the heavens, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

²³And whereas the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the open-field grass, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, until seven times pass over him' --

²⁴This is the interpretation, O king: it is the decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king.

²⁵You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field; you will be made to eat grass like oxen, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever he wills.

²⁶And as for the command to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be established for you from the time that you come to know that Heaven rules.

²⁷Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, so that there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.

²⁸All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king.

²⁹At the end of twelve months, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.

³⁰The king answered and said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"

³¹While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: 'O Nebuchadnezzar the king, to you it is declared: the kingdom has departed from you!'

³²You are being driven away from human society, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will be fed grass like cattle, and seven times will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of humanity and gives it to whomever he wishes.

³³At that very moment the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among people and ate grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew long like eagle feathers and his nails like bird claws.

³⁴At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

³⁵And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing; and he does as he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth; and there is none who can strike against his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'

³⁶At that time my sanity returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored over my kingdom, and even greater greatness was added to me.

³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are truth and his ways are justice, and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.