Nebuchadnezzar Confesses God’s Kingdom

1Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations and tongues, that dwell in all the earth, your peace shall become great. 2The signs and wonders that the most high God made with me, it was pleasant before me to show.

3His signs, how many! and his wonders, how mighty! his kingdom, an eternal kingdom, and his dominion with generation and generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Tree

4I Nebuchadnezzar, was secure in my house, and green in my temple: 5I saw a dream, and it will terrify me; and the conceptions upon my bed and the visions of my head, will cause me to tremble. 6And an edict being set from me to bring up before me to all the wise of Babel, that they shall make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7At that time the sacred scribes, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners, coming in: and I told the dream before them: and its interpretation they making not known to me. 8And even at last Daniel came up before me, whose name Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods in him: and before him I told the dream: 9O Belteshazzar, leader of the sacred scribes, for I knew that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and my secret pressed not upon thee; the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation, say thou.

10And the visions of my head upon my bed; I was seeing, and lo, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height great.

11And the tree increased and was strong, and its height will reach to the heavens, and its sight to the end of all the earth:

12Its foliage beautiful, and its fruit great, and food for all in it: and the beasts of the open field will be shaded under it, the buds of the heavens will dwell in its boughs, and all flesh will be nourished from it.

13I was seeing in the visions of my head upon my bed, and lo, a watcher and holy one came down from the heavens;

14He called with strength, and thus he said, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit: the beasts shall flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.

15But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the open field; and in the dew of the heavens it shall be wet, and its portion with the beasts in the green herb of the earth.

16Its heart shall be changed from man, and the heart of a beast shall be given to it; and seven times shall pass over him.

17The word by the decree of the watchers, and the saying of the holy ones is the question: for the reason that the living shall know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and to whom that he will, he will give it, and he will raise up over it the low of men.

18This dream, I king Nebuchadnezzar saw. And thou Belteshazzar, tell the interpretation, because that all the wise of my kingdom not being able to make known to me the interpretation: and thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19Then Daniel, his name Belteshazzar, was astonished for one moment, and his thoughts terrified him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, the dream and its interpretation shall not terrify thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream to those hating thee, and its interpretation to thine enemies. 20The tree that thou sawest that increased and was strong, and its height will reach to the heavens, and its sight to all the earth, 21And its foliage beautiful, and its fruit great, and food for all in it; under it the beast of the open field will dwell, and in its branches the birds of the heavens will dwell: 22It is thou, O king, who increased and wert strong: and thy greatness increased and reached to the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 23And that the king saw a watcher and a holy one came down from the heavens, and said, Hew down the tree and destroy it; but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the open field; and with the dew of the heavens it shall be wet, and with the beasts of the open field its portion, even till seven times shall pass over him; 24This the interpretation, O king, and this the decree of the Most High, that came upon my lord the king: 25And for thee driving from men, and with the beasts of the open field to be thy dwelling, and they shall feed to thee grass as oxen, and wetting to thee from the dew of the heavens, and seven times shall pass over thee till that thou shalt know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and to whom that he will, he will give it. 26And that they said to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom being sure to thee, from when thou shalt know that the heavens rule. 27Wherefore, O king, my counsel shall be pleasant to thee, and break off thy sins by justice, and thine iniquities in compassionating the poor; if it shall be a lengthening to thy peace.

The Second Dream Fulfilled

28All came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29At the end of twelve months in the temple of the kingdom of Babel, he was going about. 30The king answered and said, Is not this great Babel, that I built it for the house of the kingdom by the strength of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? 31Yet the word in the king's mouth, a voice from the heavens fell to thee, being said, O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom passed away from thee: 32And from men driving thee out, and with beasts of the open field thy dwelling: and they shall feed to thee the grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee till that thou shalt know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and to whom he will, he will give it. 33In the same moment the word was added upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven out from men, and he shall eat the green herb as oxen, and from the dew of the heavens his body shall be wet till that his hair was increased as eagles, and his nails as birds'.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes to the heavens, and my knowledge will turn back to me, and I praised to the Most High, and to him living forever, I praised and honored, whose dominion an eternal dominion, and his kingdom with generation and generation.

35And all the generations of the earth being reckoned as nothing: and doing according to his station in the army of the heavens, and the generations of the earth: and there is none that shall strike upon his hand, and say to him, What didst thou?

36In that time my knowledge will turn back to me: and for the honor of my kingdom, my splendor and my brightness will return to me; and my counselors and my nobles will seek to me: and I was established over my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me. 37Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor to the king of the heavens, that all his works are truth, and his paths judgment: and that they going about in pride, he being able to bring low.