Daniel Interprets the Vision

19 “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his athoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not blet the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘cMy lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to dyour adversaries!

20 ‘The atree 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 dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged—

22 it is ayou, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your 1majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your bdominion to the end of the earth.

23 ‘In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “aChop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump 1with its roots in the ground, 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 2him share with the beasts of the field until bseven 3periods of time pass over him,”

24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has acome upon my lord the king:

25 that you be adriven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven 1periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the bMost High is ruler over the realm of mankind and cbestows it on whomever He wishes.

26 ‘And in that it was commanded to aleave the stump 1with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be 2assured to you after you recognize that it is bHeaven that rules.

27 ‘Therefore, O king, may my aadvice be pleasing to you: 1bbreak away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by cshowing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a dprolonging of your prosperity.’