Daniel 4
1 'Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages, who are dwelling in all the earth: Your peace be great!
King Nebuchadnezzar sent this decree to all peoples, nations, and languages who lived on the earth: May your peace increase.
2 The signs and wonders that God Most High hath done with me, it is good before me to shew.
It has seemed good to me to tell you about the signs and wonders that the Most High has done for me.
3 His signs how great! and His wonders how mighty! His kingdom [is] a kingdom age-during, and His rule [is] with generation and generation.
How great are his signs, and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.”
4 'I, Nebuchadnezzar, have been at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace:
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living happily in my house, and I was enjoying prosperity in my palace.
5 a dream I have seen, and it maketh me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, do trouble me.
But a dream I had made me afraid. As I lay there, the images I saw and the visions in my mind troubled me.
6 And by me a decree is made, to cause all the wise men of Babylon to come up before me, that the interpretation of the dream they may cause me to know.
So I gave a decree to bring before me all the men of Babylon who had wisdom so they could interpret the dream for me.
7 Then coming up are the scribes, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and the dream I have told before them, and its interpretation they are not making known to me.
Then came the magicians, those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and the astrologers. I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
8 And at last come up before me hath Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar — according to the name of my god — and in whom [is] the spirit of the holy gods, and the dream before him I have told:
But at last Daniel came in—the one who is named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream.
9 'O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, as I have known that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee, and no secret doth press thee, the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation, tell.
“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me what I saw in my dream and what it means.
10 As to the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and lo, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height [is] great:
These were the sights that I saw in my mind as I lay upon my bed: I looked, and there was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was very great.
11 become great hath the tree, yea, strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to the end of the whole land;
The tree grew and became strong. Its top reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of the whole earth.
12 its leaves [are] fair, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it: under it take shade doth the beast of the field, and in its boughs dwell do the birds of the heavens, and of it fed are all flesh.
Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. The wild animals found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches. All living creatures were fed from it.
13 'I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and lo, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down.
I saw in my mind as I lay on my bed, and a holy messenger came down from the heavens.
14 He is calling mightily, and thus hath said, Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its budding, move away let the beast from under it, and the birds from off its branches;
He shouted and said, 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds fly away from its branches.
15 but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens is it wet, and with the beasts [is] his portion in the herb of the earth;
Leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the animals among the plants on the ground.
16 his heart from man's is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him;
Let his mind be changed from a man's mind, and let an animal's mind be given to him until seven years pass by.
17 by the decree of the sifters [is] the sentence, and by the saying of the holy ones the requirement, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it, and the lowest of men He doth raise up over it.
This decision is by the decree reported by the messenger. It is a decision made by the holy ones so that those who are alive may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and gives them to anyone he wishes to place over them, even to the most humble men.'
18 'This dream I have seen, I king Nebuchadnezzar; and thou, O Belteshazzar, the interpretation tell, because that all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to cause me to know the interpretation, and thou [art] able, for the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee.
I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had this dream. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the men with wisdom in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you are able to do so, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
19 'Then Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, hath been astonished about one hour, and his thoughts do trouble him; the king hath answered and said, O Belteshazzar, let not the dream and its interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar hath answered and said, My lord, the dream — to those hating thee, and its interpretation — to thine enemies!
Then Daniel, who was also named Belteshazzar, was greatly upset for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “My master, may the dream be for those who hate you; may its interpretation be for your enemies.
20 The tree that thou hast seen, that hath become great and strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to all the land,
The tree that you saw—which grew and became strong, and whose top reached up to the heavens, and which could be seen to the ends of the whole earth—
21 and its leaves [are] fair, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it, under it dwell doth the beast of the field, and on its boughs sit do the birds of the heavens.
whose leaves were beautiful, and whose fruit was abundant, so that in it was food for all, and under it the animals of the field found shade, and in which the birds of the heavens lived—
22 'Thou it [is], O king, for thou hast become great and mighty, and thy greatness hath become great, and hath reached to the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth;
this tree is you, king, you who have grown so strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your authority reaches to the ends of the earth.
23 and that which the king hath seen — a sifter, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, and he hath said, Cut down the tree, and destroy it; but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens it is wet, and with the beast of the field [is] his portion, till that seven times pass over him.
You, king, saw a holy messenger coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop 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 middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the wild animals in the fields until seven years pass by.'
24 'This [is] the interpretation, O king, and the decree of the Most High it [is] that hath come against my lord the king:
This is the interpretation, king. It is a decree of the Most High that has reached you, my master the king.
25 and they are driving thee away from men, and with the beast of the field is thy dwelling, and the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and by the dew of the heavens they are wetting thee, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it.
You will be driven from among men, and you will live with the wild animals in the fields. You will be made to eat grass like an ox, and you will be wet with the dew from the heavens, and seven years will pass by until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and that he gives them to anyone he wishes.
26 And that which they said — to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom for thee abideth, after that thou knowest that the heavens are ruling.
As it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, in this way your kingdom will be returned to you from the time you learn that heaven rules.
27 'Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and thy sins by righteousness break off, and thy perversity by pitying the poor, lo, it is a lengthening of thine ease.
Therefore, king, let my advice be acceptable to you. Stop sinning and do what is right. Turn away from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, and it may be that your prosperity will be extended.”
28 'All — hath come on Nebuchadnezzar the king.
All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 'At the end of twelve months, on the palace of the kingdom of Babylon he hath been walking;
Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon,
30 the king hath answered and said, Is not this that great Babylon that I have built, for the house of the kingdom, in the might of my strength, and for the glory of mine honour?
and he said, “Is this not the great Babylon, which I have built for my royal residence, for the glory of my majesty?”
31 'While the word is [in] the king's mouth a voice from the heavens hath fallen: To thee they are saying: O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom hath passed from thee,
While the words were still on the lips of the king, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, it is announced to you that this kingdom has been taken away from you.
32 and from men they are driving thee away, and with the beast of the field [is] thy dwelling, the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it.
You will be driven away from people, and your home will be with the wild animals in the fields. You will be made to eat grass like an ox. Seven years will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and he gives them to anyone he wishes.”
33 'In that hour the thing hath been fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and from men he is driven, and the herb as oxen he eateth, and by the dew of the heavens his body is wet, till that his hair as eagles' hath become great, and his nails as birds.'
This decree against Nebuchadnezzar was carried out immediately. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew from the heavens. His hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails became like birds' claws.
34 'And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, mine eyes to the heavens have lifted up, and mine understanding unto me returneth, and the Most High I have blessed, and the Age-during Living One I have praised and honoured, whose dominion [is] a dominion age-during, and His kingdom with generation and generation;
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was given back to me. “I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified the one who lives forever. For his reign is an everlasting reign, and his kingdom endures from all generations to all generations.
35 and all who are dwelling on the earth as nothing are reckoned, and according to his will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that doth clap with his hand, and saith to Him, What hast Thou done?
All the earth's inhabitants are considered by him to be as nothing; he does among the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth whatever suits his will. No one can stop him or challenge him. No one can say to him, 'Why have you done this?'”
36 'At that time my understanding doth return unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honour and my brightness doth return unto me, and to me my counsellors and my great men do seek, and over my kingdom I have been made right, and abundant greatness hath been added to me.
At the same time that my sanity returned to me, my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my noblemen sought my favor. I was brought back to my throne, and even more greatness was given to me.
37 'Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honouring the King of the heavens, for all His works [are] truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.'
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol, and honor the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right, and his ways are just. He can humble those who walk in their own pride.
