²⁰The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong and its height reached to heaven^h and it was visible to the end of the whole earth,ⁱ ²¹and its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and so there was provision for all in it, and the animals^j of the field lived under it and in its branches nest the birds of heaven,^k ²²—it is you, O king, who have grown great and you have grown strong, and so your greatness has increased and it has reached to heaven^l and your sovereignty to the end of the earth. ²³And inasmuch that the king saw the watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven^m and he said, “Cut down the tree and destroy it, but the stump of its root in the earth leave with a band of iron and bronze in the grass of the field, and let it be watered with the dew of heaven and let his lot be with the animals of the field until seven times have passed over him.”ⁿ ²⁴This is the explanation, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵you will be driven away from human society^o and you will dwell^p with the animals^q of the field, and you will be caused to graze grass like the oxen yourself,^r and you will be watered with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time will pass over you until that you have acknowledged that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and to whom he wills^s he gives it. ²⁶And in that^t they said to leave alone the stump of the tree’s root, so your kingdom will be restored for you when^u you acknowledge that heaven is sovereign.

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Footnotes

hOr “the sky”
iLiterally “its appearance to the all the earth”
jAramaic “animal”
kOr “the sky”
lOr “the sky”
mOr “the sky”
nLiterally “until that seven times they pass over him”
oLiterally “from the humankind”
pLiterally “your dwelling will be”
qAramaic “animal”
rLiterally “with respect to you”
sLiterally “that he wills”
tLiterally “And for”
uLiterally “from that”