Daniel 4

1 “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages, who are dwelling in all the earth: Your peace be great!

King Nabuchodonosor to all nations, tribes, and tongues, who dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied to you.

2 The signs and wonders that God Most High has done with me, it is good before me to show.

It seemed good to me to declare to you the signs and wonders which the most high God has wrought with me,

3 How great His signs! And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom [is] a continuous kingdom, and His rule [is] with generation and generation.

how great and mighty [they are]: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his power to all generations.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, have been at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace:

I Nabuchodonosor was thriving in my house, and prospering.

5 a dream I have seen, and it makes me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, trouble me.

I saw a vision, and it terrified me, and I was troubled on my bed, and the visions of my head troubled me.

6 And by me a decree is made, to cause all the wise men of Babylon to come up before me, that the interpretation of the dream they may cause me to know.

And I made a decree to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

7 Then coming up are the scribes, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and the dream I have told before them, and its interpretation they are not making known to me.

So the enchanters, magicians, soothsayers, [and] Chaldeans came in: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me the interpretation thereof;

8 And at last Daniel has come up before me, whose name [is] Belteshazzar—according to the name of my god—and in whom [is] the spirit of the holy gods, and the dream before him I have told:

until Daniel came, whose name is Baltasar, according to the name of my God, who has within him the Holy Spirit of God; to whom I said,

9 O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, as I have known that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in you, and no secret presses you, the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation, tell.

O Baltasar, chief of the enchanters, of whom I know that the Holy Spirit of God is in you, and no mystery is too hard for you, hear the vision of my dream which I had, and tell me the interpretation of it.

10 As for the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height [is] great:

I had a vision upon my bed; and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

11 the tree has become great, indeed, strong, and its height reaches to the heavens, and its vision to the end of the whole land;

The tree grew large and strong, and its height reached to the sky, and its extent to the extremity of the whole earth:

12 its leaves [are] beautiful, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it: under it the beast of the field takes shade, and in its boughs dwell the birds of the heavens, and of it are all flesh fed.

its leaves were fair, and its fruit abundant, and in it was meat for all; and under it the wild beasts of the field took shelter, and the birds of the sky lodged in the branches of it, and all flesh was fed of it.

13 I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down.

I saw in the night vision upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven and cried aloud, and thus he said,

14 He is calling mightily, and thus has said, Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its budding, move away let the beast from under it, and the birds from off its branches;

Cut down the tree, and pluck off its branches, and shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: let the wild beasts be removed from under it, and the birds from its branches.

15 but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens is it wet, and with the beasts [is] his portion in the herb of the earth;

Only leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and [bind it] with an iron and brass band; and it shall lie in the grass that is without and in the dew of heaven, and its portion [shall be] with the wild beasts in the grass of the field.

16 his heart from man’s is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him;

His heart shall be changed from that of man, and the heart of a wild beast shall be given to him; and seven times shall pass over him.

17 by the decree of the sifters [is] the sentence, and by the saying of the holy ones the requirement, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He wills He gives it, and the lowest of men He raises up over it.

The matter is by the decree of the watcher, and the demand is a word of the holy ones; that the living may known that the Lord is most high [over] the kingdom of men, and he will give it to whoever he shall please, and will set up over it that which is set at nothing of men.

18 This dream I have seen, I King Nebuchadnezzar; and you, O Belteshazzar, tell the interpretation, because that all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to cause me to know the interpretation, and you [are] able, for the spirit of the holy gods [is] in you.”

This is the vision which I king Nabuchodonosor saw: and do you, Baltasar, declare the interpretation, for none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to show me the interpretation of it: but you, Daniel, are able; for the Holy Spirit of God is in you.

19 Then Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, has been astonished about one hour, and his thoughts trouble him; the king has answered and said, “O Belteshazzar, do not let the dream and its interpretation trouble you.” Belteshazzar has answered and said, “My lord, the dream—to those hating you, and its interpretation—to your enemies!

Then Daniel, whose name is Baltasar, was amazed about one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. And Baltasar answered and said, [My] lord, let the dream be to them that hate you, and the interpretation of it to your enemies.

20 The tree that you have seen, that has become great and strong, and its height reaches to the heavens, and its vision to all the land,

The tree which you saw, that grew large and strong, whose height reached to the sky and its extent to all the earth;

21 and its leaves [are] beautiful, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it, under it the beast of the field dwells, and on its boughs the birds of the heavens sit.

and whose leaves were flourishing, and its fruit abundant, (and it was meat for all; under it the wild beasts lodged, and the birds of the sky took shelter in its branches: )

22 It [is] you, O king, for you have become great and mighty, and your greatness has become great, and has reached to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth;

is yourself, O king; for you are grown great and powerful, and your greatness has increased and reached to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

23 and that which the king has seen—a sifter, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, and he has said, Cut down the tree, and destroy it; but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens it is wet, and with the beast of the field [is] his portion, until seven times pass over him.

And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and he said, Strip the tree, and destroy it; only leave the stump of its roots in the ground, and [bind it] with a band of iron and brass; and it shall lie in the grass that is without, and in the dew of heaven, and its portion shall be with wild beasts, until seven times have passed over it;

24 This [is] the interpretation, O king, and it [is] the decree of the Most High that has come against my lord the king:

this is the interpretation of it, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king.

25 and they are driving you away from men, and your dwelling is with the beast of the field, and they cause you to eat the herb as oxen, and they are wetting you by the dew of the heavens, and pass over you seven times, until you know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He wills He gives it.

And they shall drive you forth from men, and your dwelling shall be with wild beasts, and they shall feed you with grass as an ox, and you shall have your lodging under the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you known that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom of men, and will give it to whom he shall please.

26 And that which they said—to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; your kingdom abides for you, after that you know that the heavens are ruling.

And whereas they said, Leave the stumps of the roots of the tree; your kingdom abides [sure] to you from the time that you shall know the power of the heavens.

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and your sins by righteousness break off, and your perversity by pitying the poor, behold, it is a lengthening of your ease.”

Therefore, O king, let my counsel please you, and atone for your sins by alms, and [your] iniquities by compassion on the poor: it may be God will be longsuffering to your trespasses.

28 All—has come on Nebuchadnezzar the king.

All these things came upon king Nabuchodonosor.

29 At the end of twelve months, on the palace of the kingdom of Babylon he has been walking;

After a twelvemonth, as he walked in his palace in Babylon,

30 the king has answered and said, “Is this not that great Babylon that I have built, for the house of the kingdom, in the might of my strength, and for the glory of my honor?”

the king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for a royal residence, by the might of my power, for the honor of my glory?

31 While the word is [in] the king’s mouth a voice from the heavens has fallen: “They are saying to you: O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom has passed from you,

While the word was yet in the king's mouth, there came a voice from heaven, [saying], To you, king Nabuchodonosor, they say, The kingdom has departed from you.

32 and from men they are driving you away, and your dwelling [is] with the beast of the field, they cause you to eat the herb as oxen, and pass over you seven times, until you know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He wills He gives it.”

And they [shall] drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the wild beasts of the field, and they shall feed you with grass as an ox: and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom of men, and he will give it to whoever he shall please.

33 In that hour the thing has been fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and from men he is driven, and he eats the herb as oxen, and his body is wet by the dew of the heavens, until his hair has become great as eagles, and his nails as birds.

In the same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nabuchodonosor: and he was driven forth from men, and he ate grass as an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hairs were grown like lions' [hairs], and his nails as birds' [claws].

34 “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, have lifted up my eyes to the heavens, and my understanding returns to me, and I have blessed the Most High, and the Perpetual Living One I have praised and honored, whose dominion [is] a continuous dominion, and His kingdom with generation and generation;

And at the end of the time I Nabuchodonosor lifted up mine eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised him that lives for ever, and gave [him] glory; for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [lasts] to all generations:

35 and all who are dwelling on the earth are reckoned as nothing, and according to His will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that claps with his hand and says to Him, What have You done?

and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and there is none who shall withstand his power, and say to him, What has you done?

36 At that time my understanding returns to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and my brightness return to me, and to me my counselors and my great men seek, and over my kingdom I have been made right, and abundant greatness has been added to me.

At the same time my reason returned to me, and I came to the honor of my kingdom; and my [natural] form returned to me, and my princes, and my nobles, sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and more abundant majesty was added to me.

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honoring the King of the heavens, for all His works [are] truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.”

Now therefore I Nabuchodonosor praise and greatly exalt and glorify the King of heaven; for all his works are true, and his paths are judgment: and all that walk in pride he is able to abase.