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Daniel 4 NIV
1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the
peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the
world: May you prosper greatly!
2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and
wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom
is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to
generation.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and
prosperous.
5 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.
6 So I commanded that all the
wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for
me.
7 When the magicians,
enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream,
but they could not interpret it for me.
8 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.)
9 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.
10 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.
11 The tree grew large and
strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of
the earth.
12 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.
13 "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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
17 " '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.'
18 "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."
19 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!
20 The tree you saw, which grew
large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the
whole earth,
21 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-
22 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.
23 "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.'
24 "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree
the Most High has issued against my lord the king:
25 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.
26 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.
27 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."
28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 Twelve months later, as the
king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
30 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?"
31 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.
32 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."
33 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.
34 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.
35 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?"
36 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.
37 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. |
