DanielChapter 4

Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.

¹This is from King Nebuchadnezzar. It is to the people of every nation and language who live in all the earth. May you have more and more peace and success. ²I'm glad to tell you about the signs and wonders the Most High God has done for me. ³How great his signs are!
How mighty his wonders are!
His kingdom is a kingdom that lasts forever.
His rule goes on from one generation to the next. ⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home and at peace. I was doing well in my palace. ⁵Then I had a dream, and it frightened me. As I lay in bed, the pictures and visions in my mind terrified me. ⁶So I gave an order. All the wise men of Babylon were to be brought to me. They were to tell me what the dream meant. ⁷The magicians, spell-casters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in. I told them the dream. But they couldn't tell me what it meant. ⁸At last Daniel came to me. He is also called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him. I told him the dream. ⁹I said, "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know the spirit of the holy gods is in you. I know no secret is too hard for you. So tell me the visions I saw in my dream. Tell me what they mean. ¹⁰These are the visions I saw in my mind as I lay in bed. I looked, and there was a tree in the middle of the land. It was very tall. ¹¹The tree grew big and strong. Its top reached the sky. It could be seen from the ends of the earth. ¹²Its leaves were beautiful. It had lots of fruit, and there was food on it for everyone. Wild animals rested in its shade. Birds made nests in its branches. Every living thing got food from it. ¹³As I lay on my bed, I saw something else in the visions of my mind. A watcher, a holy one, was coming down from heaven. ¹⁴He called out in a loud voice, 'Cut down the tree! Chop off its branches! Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit! Let the animals run away from under it. Let the birds fly from its branches. ¹⁵But leave the stump and its roots in the ground. Put a band of iron and bronze around it. Leave it in the soft grass of the field. Let him get wet with the dew from the sky. Let him eat grass with the animals of the earth. ¹⁶Let his mind be changed so it's no longer a man's mind. Let him be given the mind of an animal. Let this last until seven periods of time pass by. ¹⁷The watchers have made this decision. The holy ones have given this ruling. It is so that all living people will know this: The Most High rules over the kingdoms of people. He gives them to anyone he wants. He even puts the lowest of people in charge of them.' ¹⁸This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means. None of the wise men in my kingdom can tell me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you." ¹⁹Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, was confused for a while. His thoughts frightened him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, don't let the dream or its meaning frighten you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, I wish the dream were about those who hate you! I wish its meaning were about your enemies! ²⁰You saw a tree that grew big and strong. Its top reached the sky. It could be seen by the whole earth. ²¹It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruit. It gave food for everyone. Wild animals lived under it. Birds made nests in its branches. ²²O king, you are that tree! You have become great and strong. Your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky. Your rule reaches to the ends of the earth. ²³O king, you saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He said, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and its roots in the ground. Put a band of iron and bronze around it. Leave it in the soft grass of the field. Let him get wet with the dew from the sky. Let him eat grass with the wild animals until seven periods of time pass by.' ²⁴O king, this is what it means. The Most High has given this order against my lord the king. ²⁵You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox. You will get wet with the dew from the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by until you admit that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people. He gives them to anyone he wants. ²⁶The order said to leave the stump of the tree with its roots. That means your kingdom will be given back to you. It will happen as soon as you admit that Heaven rules. ²⁷So, O king, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Stop doing wrong and show mercy to those who are treated badly. Then maybe your good times will go on longer." ²⁸All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹Twelve months later, the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰He said, "Isn't this Babylon the Great? I built it myself as my royal home. I built it by my own mighty power. I built it to show how glorious and great I am." ³¹The words were still in the king's mouth when a voice came from heaven. "King Nebuchadnezzar, this has been decided about you. Your kingdom has been taken from you. ³²You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox. Seven periods of time will pass by until you admit that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people. He gives them to anyone he wants." ³³Right away, what was said about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like an ox. His body got wet with the dew from the sky. At last his hair grew long like an eagle's feathers. His nails grew like a bird's claws. ³⁴At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My right mind came back to me. Then I praised the Most High. I honored and gave glory to the One who lives forever.
"For his rule lasts forever.
His kingdom goes on from one generation to the next. ³⁵All the people of the earth are as nothing to him.
He does what he wants with the army of heaven
and with the people of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand.
No one can say to him, 'What have you done?'" ³⁶At the same time my right mind came back, my honor and glory came back too. This brought glory to my kingdom. My advisers and nobles came looking for me. I was put back on my throne. I became even greater than before. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and lift up and give glory to the King of heaven, because everything he does is true. All his ways are fair. And he is able to humble those who live in pride.