1Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all 2languages who live in all the earth: “May your 3apeace be great!Ch 3:31 in AramLit tonguesOr welfare; or prosperityEzra 4:17; Dan 6:25 2 I am pleased to declare the signs and miracles that the aMost High God has done for me.Dan 3:26; 4:17, 24, 25, 32, 34
4 “1I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and ahappy in my palace.Ch 4:1 in AramPs 30:6; Is 47:7, 8 5 I saw a adream and it startled me; and these appearances as I lay on my bed and the bvisions 1in my mind kept alarming me.Lit of my headDan 2:3Dan 2:1, 28; 4:10, 13 6 So I gave orders to abring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.Gen 41:8; Dan 2:2 7 Then the asoothsayer priests, the sorcerers, the 1Chaldeans, and the diviners came in and I related the dream 2to them, but they could not make its binterpretation known to me.Probably master astrologers, diviners, etc.Lit beforeGen 41:8; Dan 2:10, 27; 5:7Is 44:25; Jer 27:9, 10; Dan 2:7 8 But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is aBelteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is 1ba spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream 2to him, saying,Or possibly the Spirit of the holy God, and so throughout the chLit beforeDan 1:7; 2:26; 5:12Dan 4:9, 18; 5:11, 14 9 ‘Belteshazzar, achief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that ba spirit of the holy gods is in you and cno secret baffles you, dtell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.Dan 1:20; 2:48; 5:11Gen 41:38; Dan 4:8Ezek 28:3; Dan 2:47Gen 41:15; Dan 2:4, 5
10 ‘Now these were the avisions 1in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a btree in the middle of the 2earth and its height was great.Lit of my headOr land, and so throughout the chDan 4:5Ezek 31:3, 6
13 ‘I was looking in the avisions 1in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, ban angelic watcher, a choly one, descended from heaven.Lit of my headDan 7:1Dan 4:17, 23Deut 33:2; Ps 89:7; Dan 8:13
18 This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the awise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a bspirit of the holy gods is in you.’Gen 41:8, 15; Dan 4:7; 5:8, 15Dan 4:8, 9
19 “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his athoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not blet the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘cMy lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to dyour adversaries!Jer 4:19; Dan 7:15, 28; 8:27; 10:16, 171 Sam 3:17; Dan 4:4, 52 Sam 18:31; Dan 4:24; 10:162 Sam 18:32 20 The atree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth,Dan 4:10-12 21 and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky settled— 22 it is ayou, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your 1majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your bdominion to the end of the earth.Lit greatness2 Sam 12:7; Dan 2:37, 38Jer 27:6, 7 23 And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “aChop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump 1with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let 2him share with the animals of the field until bseven 3periods of time pass over him,”Lit ofLit his share be withI.e., yearsDan 4:14, 15Dan 4:16 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has acome upon my lord the king:Job 40:11, 12; Ps 107:40 25 that you be adriven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven 1periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the bMost High is ruler over the realm of mankind and cbestows it on whomever He wishes.I.e., yearsDan 4:33; 5:21Ps 83:18; Jer 27:5; Dan 4:2, 17Dan 2:37; 4:17; 5:21 26 And in that it was commanded to aleave the stump 1with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will 2remain as yours after you recognize that it is bHeaven that rules.Lit ofLit be enduring to youDan 4:15, 23Dan 2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44; 4:31 27 Therefore, O king, may my aadvice be pleasing to you: bwipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by cshowing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a dprolonging of your prosperity.’Gen 41:33-37Prov 28:13; Is 55:6, 7; Ezek 18:7, 21, 22; Acts 8:22Ps 41:1-3; Is 58:6, 7, 101 Kin 21:29; Jon 3:9
28 “All of this ahappened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.Num 23:19; Zech 1:6 29 aTwelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.2 Pet 3:9 30 The king began speaking and was saying, ‘Is this not Babylon the agreat, which I myself have built as a royal 1residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?’Lit houseHab 2:4 31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice 1came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: 2sovereignty has been removed from you,Lit fellOr kingdom 32 and ayou will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and bseven 1periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the cMost High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’I.e., yearsDan 4:25Dan 4:16Dan 4:17 33 Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was adriven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.Dan 4:25; 5:21
34 “But at the end of 1that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my 2reason returned to me, and I blessed the aMost High and praised and honored bHim who lives forever;For His dominion is an ceverlasting dominion,And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.Lit the daysLit understandingDan 4:2; 5:18, 21Ps 102:24-27; Dan 6:26; 12:7; Rev 4:10Ps 145:13; Jer 10:10; Dan 4:3; Mic 4:7; Luke 1:33
36 At that time my 1areason returned to me. And my majesty and bsplendor were 2restored to me for the honor of my kingdom, and my state counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my 3sovereignty, and surpassing cgreatness was added to me.Lit understandingLit returningOr kingdom2 Chr 33:12, 13; Dan 4:34Dan 2:31Prov 22:4; Dan 4:22 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of aheaven, for ball His works are 1true and His ways 2just; and He is able to humble those who cwalk in pride.”Lit truthLit justiceDan 4:26; 5:23Deut 32:4; Ps 33:4, 5; Is 5:16Ex 18:11; Job 40:11, 12; Dan 5:20