Daniel 4

1 Nabugodonosor, the kyng, writith thus to alle puplis and langagis, that dwellen in al erthe, pees be multiplied to you.

Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages living in all the earth: May your peace be increased.

2 Hiy God made at me myraclis and merueils;

It has seemed good to me to make clear the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done with me.

3 therfor it pleside me to preche hise myraclis, for tho ben greet, and hise merueils, for tho ben stronge; and his rewme is an euerlastynge rewme, and his power is in generacioun and in to generacioun.

How great are his signs! and how full of power are his wonders! his kingdom is an eternal kingdom and his rule goes on from generation to generation.

4 I, Nabugodonosor, was restful in myn hous, and flourynge in my paleis;

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my place, and all things were going well for me in my great house:

5 Y siy a dreem, that made me aferd; and my thouytis in my bed, and the siytis of myn heed disturbliden me.

I saw a dream which was a cause of great fear to me; I was troubled by the images of my mind on my bed, and by the visions of my head.

6 And a decre was set forth bi me, that alle the wise men of Babiloyne schulden be brouyt in bifor my siyt, and that thei schulden schewe to me the soilyng of the dreem.

And I gave orders for all the wise men of Babylon to come in before me so that they might make clear to me the sense of my dream.

7 Than false dyuynours, astronomyens, Caldeis, and biholderis of auteris entriden; and Y telde the dreem in the siyt of hem, and thei schewiden not to me the soilyng therof, til the felowe in office,

Then the wonder-workers, the users of secret arts, the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs came in to me: and I put the dream before them but they did not make clear the sense of it to me.

8 Danyel, to whom the name was Balthasar, bi the name of my God, entride in my siyt, which Danyel hath the spirit of hooli goddis in hym silf; and Y spak the dreem bifor hym.

But at last Daniel came in before me, he whose name was Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and I put the dream before him, saying,

9 Balthasar, prince of dyuynouris, whom Y knowe, that thou hast in thee the spirit of hooli goddis, and ech sacrament, ether preuytee, is not vnpossible to thee, telle thou to me the visiouns of my dreemes, whiche Y siy, and the soilyng of tho.

O Belteshazzar, master of the wonder-workers, because I am certain that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and you are troubled by no secret; this is the dream which I saw: make clear to me its sense.

10 This is the visioun of myn heed in my bed. Y siy, and lo! a tree was in the myddis of erthe, and the hiynesse therof was ful greet.

On my bed I saw a vision: there was a tree in the middle of the earth, and it was very high.

11 And the tree was greet and strong, and the heiythe therof touchide heuene, and the biholdynge therof was `til to the endis of al erthe.

And the tree became tall and strong, stretching up to heaven, and to be seen from the ends of the earth:

12 The leeuys therof weren ful faire, and the fruyt therof was ful myche, and the mete of alle was in it; beestis and wielde beestis dwelliden vndur it, and briddis of the eir lyuyden in the braunchis therof, and ech man ete of it.

Its leaves were fair and it had much fruit, and in it was food enough for all: the beasts of the field had shade under it, and the birds of heaven were resting in its branches, and it gave food to all living things.

13 Thus Y siy in the visioun of myn heed, on my bed. And lo! a wakere, and hooli man cam doun fro heuene,

In the visions of my head on my bed I saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven,

14 and he criede strongli, and seide thus, Hewe ye doun the tree, and kitte ye doun the bowis therof, and schake ye awei the leeuys therof, and scatere ye abrood the fruytis therof; beestis fle awei, that be vndur it, and briddis fro the bowis therof.

Crying out with a loud voice; and this is what he said: Let the tree be cut down and its branches broken off; let its leaves be taken off and its fruit sent in every direction: let the beasts get away from under it and the birds from its branches:

15 Netheles suffre ye the seed of rootis therof in erthe, and be he boondun with a boond of irun and of bras, in erbis that ben with out forth, and in the deew of heuene be he died, and his part be with wielde beestis in the erbe of erthe.

But keep its broken end and its roots still in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass; let him have the young grass of the field for food, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his part be with the beasts.

16 His herte be chaungid fro mannus herte, and the herte of a wielde beeste be youun to hym, and seuene tymes be chaungid on hym.

Let his heart be changed from that of a man, and the heart of a beast be given to him; and let seven times go by him.

17 In the sentence of wakeris it is demed, and it is the word and axyng of seyntis, til lyuynge men knowe, that hiy God is Lord in the rewme of men; and he schal yyue it to whom euere he wole, and he schal ordeyne on it the mekeste man.

This order is fixed by the watchers, and the decision is by the word of the holy ones: so that the living may be certain that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and gives it to any man at his pleasure, lifting up over it the lowest of men.

18 Y, Nabugodonosor, the kyng, siy this dreem. Therfor thou, Balthasar, telle hastili the interpretyng, for alle the wise men of my rewme moun not seie to me the soilyng; but thou maist, for the spirit of hooli goddis is in thee.

This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw; and do you, O Belteshazzar, make clear the sense of it, for all the wise men of my kingdom are unable to make the sense of it clear to me; but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

19 Thanne Danyel, to whom the name was Balthasar, began to thenke priueli with ynne hym silf, as in oon our, and hise thouytis disturbliden hym. Forsothe the kyng answeride, and seide, Balthasar, the dreem and the interpretyng therof disturble not thee. Balthasar answeride, and seide, My lord, the dreem be to hem that haten thee, and the interpretyng therof be to thin enemyes.

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was at a loss for a time, his thoughts troubling him. The king made answer and said, Belteshazzar, do not be troubled by the dream or by the sense of it. Belteshazzar, answering, said, My lord, may the dream be about your haters, and its sense about those who are against you.

20 The tree which thou siyest hiy and strong, whos heiythe stretchith `til to heuene, and the biholdyng therof in to ech lond,

The tree which you saw, which became tall and strong, stretching up to heaven and seen from the ends of the earth;

21 and the faireste braunchis therof, and the fruyt therof ful myche, and the mete of alle in it, and beestis of the feeld dwellynge vndur it, and the briddis of the eir dwellynge in the boowis therof,

Which had fair leaves and much fruit, and had in it food for all; under which the beasts of the field were living, and in the branches of which the birds of heaven had their resting-places:

22 thou art, kyng, that art magnefied, and wexidist strong, and thi greetnesse encreesside, and cam `til to heuene, and thi power in to the endis of al erthe.

It is you, O King, who have become great and strong: for your power is increased and stretching up to heaven, and your rule to the end of the earth.

23 Sotheli that the kyng siy a wakere and hooli come doun fro heuene, and seie, Hewe ye doun the tree, and distrie ye it, netheles leeue ye the seed of rootis therof in erthe, and be he boundun with irun and bras, in erbis with out forth, and be he bispreynt with the deew of heuene, and his mete be with wielde beestis, til seuene tymes be chaungid on hym;

And as for the vision which the king saw of a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven, saying, Let the tree be cut down and given to destruction;

24 this is the interpretyng of the sentence of the hiyeste, which sentence is comun on my lord, the kyng.

This is the sense of it, O King, and it is the decision of the Most High which has come on my lord the king:

25 Thei schulen caste thee out fro men, and thi dwellyng schal be with beestys and wielde beestis, and thou schalt ete hey, as an oxe doith, but also thou schalt be bisched with the dew of heuene, also seuene tymes schulen be chaungid on thee, til thou knowe, that hiy God is Lord `on the rewme of men, and yyueth it to whom euer he wole.

That they will send you out from among men, to be with the beasts of the field; they will give you grass for your food like the oxen, and you will be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times will go by you, till you are certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives it to any man at his pleasure.

26 Forsothe that he comaundide, that the seed of rootis therof, that is, of the tree, schulde be left, thi rewme schal dwelle to thee, aftir that thou knowist that the power is of heuene.

And as they gave orders to let the broken end and the roots of the tree be, so your kingdom will be safe for you after it is clear to you that the heavens are ruling.

27 Wherfor, kyng, my counsel plese thee, and ayenbie thi synnes with almesdedis, and ayenbie thi wickidnessis with mercies of pore men; in hap God schal foryyue thi trespassis.

For this cause, O King, let my suggestion be pleasing to you, and let your sins be covered by righteousness and your evil-doing by mercy to the poor, so that the time of your well-being may be longer.

28 Alle these thingis camen on Nabugodonosor, the kyng.

All this came to King Nebuchadnezzar.

29 After the ende of twelue monethis he walkide in the halle of Babiloyne;

At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of his great house in Babylon.

30 and the kyng answeride, and seide, Whether this is not Babiloyne, the greet citee, which Y bildide in to the hous of rewme, in the miyt of my strengthe, and in the glorie of my fairnesse?

The king made answer and said, Is this not great Babylon, which I have made for the living-place of kings, by the strength of my power and for the glory of my honour?

31 Whanne the word was yit in the mouth of the kyng, a vois felle doun fro heuene, Nabugodonosor, kyng, it is seid to thee, Thi rewme is passid fro thee,

While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is said: The kingdom has gone from you:

32 and thei schulen caste thee out fro men, and thi dwellyng schal be with beestis and wielde beestis; thou schalt ete hey, as an oxe doith, and seuene tymes schulen be chaungid on thee, til thou knowe, that hiy God is Lord in the rewme of men, and yyueth it to whom euere he wole.

And they will send you out from among men, to be with the beasts of the field; they will give you grass for your food like the oxen, and seven times will go by you, till you are certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives it to any man at his pleasure.

33 In the same our the word was fillid on Nabugodonosor, and he was cast out fro men, and he eet hey, as an oxe doith, and his bodi was colouryd with the deew of heuene, til hise heeris wexiden at the licnesse of eglis, and hise nailis as the nailis of briddis.

That very hour the order about Nebuchadnezzar was put into effect: and he was sent out from among men, and had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair became long as eagles' feathers and his nails like those of birds.

34 Therfor after the ende of daies, Y, Nabugodonosor, reiside myn iyen to heuene, and my wit was yoldun to me; and Y blesside the hiyeste, and Y heriede, and glorifiede hym that lyueth with outen ende; for whi his power is euerlastynge power, and his rewme is in generacioun and in to generacioun.

And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifting up my eyes to heaven, got back my reason, and, blessing the Most High, I gave praise and honour to him who is living for ever, whose rule is an eternal rule and whose kingdom goes on from generation to generation.

35 And alle the dwelleris of erthe ben arettid in to noyt at hym; for bi his wille he doith, bothe in the vertues of heuene, and in the dwelleris of erthe, and noon is, that ayenstondith his hond, and seith to hym, Whi didist thou so?

And all the people of the earth are as nothing: he does his pleasure in the army of heaven and among the people of the earth: and no one is able to keep back his hand, or say to him, What are you doing?

36 In that tyme my wit turnede ayen to me, and Y cam fulli to the onour and fairnesse of my rewme, and my figure turnede ayen to me; and my beste men and my magistratis souyten me, and Y was set in my rewme, and my greet doyng was encreessid grettir to me.

At the same time my reason came back to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my honour and my great name came back to me; and my wise men and my lords were turned to me again; and I was made safe in my kingdom and had more power than before.

37 Now therfor Y Nabugodonosor herie, and magnefie, and glorifie the kyng of heuene; for alle hise werkis ben trewe, and alle his weies ben domes; and he may make meke hem that goon in pride.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give worship and praise and honour to the King of heaven; for all his works are true and his ways are right: and those who go in pride he is able to make low.