Daniel 4

Common English Bible

Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony

4 ^[a] King Nebuchadnezzar’s message to all the peoples, nations, and languages inhabiting the entire earth: “I wish you much peace. ² I’m delighted to share the signs and miracles that the Most High God has worked in my life.

^4 [b] “While I, Nebuchadnezzar, was safe in my house, content in my palace, ⁵ I had a terrifying dream. My thoughts while I was lying in bed and the vision in my mind overwhelmed me. ⁶ I ordered all Babylon’s sages to come before me, so they might tell me the dream’s meaning. ⁷ So the dream interpreters, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners came. I told them the dream, but they couldn’t interpret it for me. ⁸ Daniel, who is called Belteshazzar after the name of my god, was the last to come before me. In him is the breath^[c] of the holy gods! I told Daniel the dream:

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

⁹ “Belteshazzar, chief of the dream interpreters, I know the breath of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the meaning of the visions I had in my dream. ¹⁰ In my mind, as I lay in bed, I saw a vision:

¹³ “In my mind, as I lay in bed, I saw another vision: A holy watcher came down from heaven. ¹⁴ He proclaimed loudly:

¹⁸ “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. So now Belteshazzar, tell me the meaning because all the sages in my kingdom were unable to interpret it for me. But you are able to do it because the breath of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel interprets the visions

¹⁹ Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was shocked for a bit. What he thought about frightened him.

The king declared, “Don’t let the dream and its meaning scare you, Belteshazzar.”

Then Belteshazzar answered, “Sir, I wish the dream to be for those who hate you and its meaning to be for your enemies! ²⁰ The tree you saw that grew in size and strength, that was as high as the sky, that could be seen from every corner of the earth, ²¹ with its beautiful leaves and its abundant fruit, and that had enough food for everyone, with wild animals living under it and birds nesting in its branches— ²² Your Majesty, that tree is you! You have grown large and become powerful. Your greatness is as high as the sky; your rule extends to the edge of the earth!

²³ “Your Majesty, the holy watcher you saw coming down from heaven, who said, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its deepest root in the earth, bound with iron and bronze in the field grass, dew from heaven is to wash it, and it must live with the wild animals until seven periods of time pass over it’— ²⁴ Your Majesty, this is the dream’s meaning: It is the sentence of the Most High, delivered to my master the king. ²⁵ You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle and will be washed by dew from heaven. Seven periods of time will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants. ²⁶ And when he said to leave the deepest root of the tree—that means your kingship will again be yours, once you acknowledge that heaven rules all. ²⁷ Therefore, Your Majesty, please accept my advice: remove your sins by doing what is right; remove your wrongdoing by showing mercy to the poor. Then your safety will be long lasting.”

Visions come true

²⁸ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ Twelve months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon. ³⁰ The king declared, “Isn’t this Babylon, the magnificent city that I built as the royal house by my own mighty strength and for my own majestic glory?”

³¹ These words hadn’t even left the king’s mouth when a voice came from heaven: “You, King Nebuchadnezzar, are now informed: Kingship is taken away from you. ³² You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants.”

³³ Nebuchadnezzar’s sentence was immediately carried out. He was driven away from other humans and ate grass like cattle. Dew from heaven washed his body until he grew hair like eagles’ feathers and claws like a bird.

Nebuchadnezzar is restored

³⁴ “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me, and I praised the Most High. I worshipped and glorified the one who lives forever because his rule is everlasting; his kingdom is for all time. ³⁵ All of earth’s inhabitants are nothing in comparison. The Most High does whatever he wants with heaven’s forces and with earth’s inhabitants. No one can contain his power or say to him, ‘What do you think you are doing?’ ³⁶ So at that moment my reason returned to me. My honor and splendor came back to me for the glory of my kingdom. My associates and my princes wanted to be with me again. Not only was I reinstated over my kingdom, I received more power than ever before.

³⁷ “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, worship, magnify, and glorify the king of heaven. All his works are truth, all his paths are justice, and he is able to humble all who walk in pride.”