Daniel 4

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4Nebuchadnezzar the king,

^aTo all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

²I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders ^bthat the Most High God has worked for me.

^3cHow great are His signs,

And how mighty His wonders!

His kingdom is ^dan everlasting kingdom,

And His dominion is from generation to generation.

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I saw a dream which made me afraid, ^eand the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head ^ftroubled me. ⁶Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ^7gThen the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. ⁸But at last Daniel came before me ^h(his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; ⁱin him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: ⁹“Belteshazzar, ^jchief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

¹⁰These were the visions of my head while on my bed:

I was looking, and behold,

^kA tree in the midst of the earth,

And its height was great.

¹¹The tree grew and became strong;

Its height reached to the heavens,

And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

¹²Its leaves were lovely,

Its fruit abundant,

And in it was food for all.

^lThe beasts of the field found shade under it,

The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,

And all flesh was fed from it.

¹³“I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was ^ma watcher, ⁿa holy one, coming down from heaven. ¹⁴He cried ¹aloud and said thus:

^o‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,

Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.

^pLet the beasts get out from under it,

And the birds from its branches.

¹⁵Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,

Bound with a band of iron and bronze,

In the tender grass of the field.

Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,

And let him graze with the beasts

On the grass of the earth.

¹⁶Let his heart be changed from that of a man,

Let him be given the heart of a beast,

And let seven ^qtimes ²pass over him.

¹⁷‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,

And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,

In order ^rthat the living may know

^sThat the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,

^tGives it to whomever He will,

And sets over it the ^ulowest of men.’

¹⁸“This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, ^vsince all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, ^wfor the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

Daniel Explains the Second Dream

¹⁹Then Daniel, ^xwhose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts ^ytroubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”

Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may ^zthe dream ³concern those who hate you, and its interpretation ⁴concern your enemies!

^20a“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, ²¹whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—^22bit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, ^cand your dominion to the end of the earth.

^23d“And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, ^eand let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven ⁵times pass over him’; ²⁴this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵They shall ^fdrive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you ^geat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven ⁶times shall pass over you, ^htill you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and ⁱgives it to whomever He chooses.

²⁶“And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that ^jHeaven ⁷rules. ²⁷Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; ^kbreak off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. ^lPerhaps there may be ^ma ⁸lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

²⁸All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹At the end of the twelve months he was walking ⁹about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰The king ⁿspoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

^31oWhile the word was still in the king’s mouth, ^pa voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³²And ^qthey shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven ¹times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

³³That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

³⁴And ^rat the end of the ²time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him ^swho lives forever:

For His dominion is ^tan everlasting dominion,

And His kingdom is from generation to generation.

^35uAll the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;

^vHe does according to His will in the army of heaven

And among the inhabitants of the earth.

^wNo one can restrain His hand

Or say to Him, ^x“What have You done?”

³⁶At the same time my reason returned to me, ^yand for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was ^zrestored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was ^aadded to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^bpraise and extol and honor the King of heaven, ^call of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. ^dAnd those who walk in pride He is able to put down.