Daniel
4
- King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations
and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly
!
- It is my pleasure to tell you about the
miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
- How great are his signs, how mighty his
wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation
to generation.
- I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace,
contented and prosperous.
- I had a dream that made me afraid. As I
was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified
me.
- So I commanded that all the wise men of
Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
- When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers
and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it
for me.
- Finally, Daniel came into my presence and
I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god,
and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)
- I said, "Belteshazzar, chief of the
magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery
is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me.
- These are the visions I saw while lying
in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the
land. Its height was enormous.
- The tree grew large and strong and its top
touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth.
- Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant,
and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter,
and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was
fed.
- "In the visions I saw while lying in
my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming
down from heaven.
- He called in a loud voice: 'Cut down the
tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
- But let the stump and its roots, bound with
iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. "'Let
him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals
among the plants of the earth.
- Let his mind be changed from that of a man
and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.
- "'The decision is announced by messengers,
the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most
High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes
and sets over them the lowliest of men.'
- "This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in
my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the
holy gods is in you."
- Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was
greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king
said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you."
Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies
and its meaning to your adversaries!
- The tree you saw, which grew large and strong,
with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth,
- with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit,
providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having
nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air --
- you, O king, are that tree! You have become
great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your
dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.
- "You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy
one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it,
but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field,
while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of
heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for
him.'
- "This is the interpretation, O king,
and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king:
- You will be driven away from people and
will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched
with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge
that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to
anyone he wishes.
- The command to leave the stump of the tree
with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge
that Heaven rules.
- Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept
my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness
by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue."
- All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.
- Twelve months later, as the king was walking
on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
- he said, "Is not this the great Babylon
I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory
of my majesty ?"
- The words were still on his lips when a
voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar:
Your royal authority has been taken from you.
- You will be driven away from people and
will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times
will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign
over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
- Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar
was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His
body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers
of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
- At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the
Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is
an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
- All the peoples of the earth are regarded
as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples
of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have
you done ?"
- At the same time that my sanity was restored,
my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My
advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became
even greater than before.
- Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt
and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all
his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
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