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Daniele 4
La Nuova Diodati

4 «Il re Nebukadnetsar a tutti i popoli, a tutte le nazioni e lingue, che abitano su tutta la terra: La vostra pace sia grande.

2 Mi è sembrato bene di far conoscere i segni e i prodigi che il Dio Altissimo ha fatto per me.

3 Quanto grandi sono i suoi segni e quanto potenti i suoi prodigi! Il suo regno è un regno eterno e il suo dominio dura di generazione in generazione.

4 Io, Nebukadnetsar, ero tranquillo in casa mia e fiorente nel mio palazzo.

5 Feci un sogno che mi spaventò; i pensieri che ebbi sul mio letto e le visioni della mia mente mi terrorizzarono.

6 Cosí diedi ordine di condurre davanti a me tutti i savi di Babilonia, perché mi facessero conoscere l'interpretazione del sogno.

7 Allora vennero i maghi, gli astrologi, i Caldei e gli indovini, ai quali raccontai il sogno, ma essi non poterono farmi conoscere la sua interpretazione.

8 Infine si presentò davanti a me Daniele, chiamato Beltshatsar dal nome del mio dio, e in cui è lo spirito degli dèi santi, e io gli raccontai il sogno:

9 Beltshatsar, capo dei maghi, poiché io so che io spirito degli dèi santi è in te e che nessun segreto ti preoccupa, raccontami le visioni del mio sogno che ho fatto e la sua interpretazione.

10 Le visioni della mia mente mentre ero sul mio letto sono queste: Io guardavo, ed ecco un albero in mezzo alla terra, la cui altezza era grande.

11 L'albero crebbe e divenne forte; la sua cima giungeva al cielo e si poteva vedere dalle estremità di tutta la terra.

12 Il suo fogliame era bello, il suo frutto abbondante e in esso c'era cibo per tutti; sotto di esso trovavano ombra le bestie dei campi, gli uccelli del cielo dimoravano fra i suoi rami e da lui prendeva cibo ogni essere vivente.

13 Mentre sul mio letto osservavo le visioni della mia mente, ecco un guardiano, un santo, scese dal cielo,

14 gridò con forza e disse cosí: "Tagliate l'albero e troncate i suoi rami, scuotete le sue foglie e disperdetene i frutti; fuggano gli animali di sotto a lui e gli uccelli di tra i suoi rami.

15 Lasciate però nella terra il ceppo delle sue radici, legato con catene di ferro e di bronzo fra l'erba dei campi. Sia bagnato dalla rugiada del cielo e abbia con gli animali la sua parte d'erba della terra.

16 Il suo cuore sia cambiato, e invece di un cuore d'uomo gli sia dato un cuore di bestia e passino su di lui sette tempi.

17 La cosa è decretata dai guardiani e la sentenza viene dalla parola dei santi perché i viventi sappiano che l'Altissimo domina sul regno degli uomini, egli lo dà a chi vuole e vi innalza l'infimo degli uomini"

18 Questo è il sogno che io, re Nebukadnetsar, ho fatto. Ora tu, Beltshatsar, danne l'interpretazione, perché nessuno dei savi del mio regno è in grado di farmi conoscere l'interpretazione ma tu lo puoi, perché lo spirito degli dèi santi è in te».

19 Allora Daniele, il cui nome è Beltshatsar, rimase per un momento spaventato e i suoi pensieri lo turbavano. Il re prese a dire: «Beltshatsar, non ti turbino né il sogno né la sua interpretazione». Beltshatsar rispose e disse: «Signor mio, il sogno si avveri per i tuoi nemici e la sua interpretazione per i tuoi avversari.

20 L'albero che tu hai visto, che era divenuto grande e forte, la cui cima giungeva al cielo e si vedeva da tutte le parti della terra,

21 il cui fogliame era bello, il frutto abbondante, in cui c'era cibo per tutti, sotto il quale dimoravano le bestie dei campi e sui cui rami facevano il nido gli uccelli del cielo,

22 sei tu, o re, che sei diventato grande e forte; la tua grandezza è cresciuta ed è giunta fino al cielo e il tuo dominio fino alle estremità della terra.

23 Quanto poi al guardiano, un santo, che il re ha visto scendere dal cielo e dire: "Tagliate l'albero e distruggetelo, ma lasciate nella terra il ceppo delle radici, legato con catene di ferro e di bronzo fra l'erba dei campi. Sia bagnato dalla rugiada del cielo e abbia la sua parte con le bestie dei campi finché siano passati su di lui sette tempi".

24 Questa è l'interpretazione, o re; questo è il decreto dell'Altissimo, che è stato emanato riguardo al re mio signore;

25 tu sarai scacciato in mezzo agli uomini e la tua dimora sarà con le bestie dei campi; ti sarà data da mangiare erba come ai buoi e sarai bagnato dalla rugiada dal cielo; passeranno su di te sette tempi, finché tu riconosca che l'Altissimo domina sul regno degli uomini e lo dà a chi vuole.

26 Quanto poi all'ordine di lasciare il ceppo delle radici dell'albero, ciò significa che il tuo regno ti sarà ristabilito, dopo che avrai riconosciuto, che è il cielo che domina.

27 Perciò, o re, gradisci il mio consiglio: poni fine ai tuoi peccati praticando la giustizia e alle tue iniquità usando misericordia verso i poveri, forse la tua prosperità sarà prolungata».

28 Tutto questo avvenne al re Nebukadnetsar.

29 Dodici mesi dopo, mentre passeggiava sul palazzo reale di Babilonia,

30 il re prese a dire: «Non è questa la grande Babilonia, che io ho costruito come residenza reale con la forza della mia potenza e per la gloria della mia maestà?».

31 Queste parole erano ancora in bocca al re, quando una voce discese dal cielo: «A te, o re Nebukadnetsar, si dichiara: il tuo regno ti è tolto;

32 tu sarai scacciato di mezzo agli uomini e la tua dimora sarà con le bestie dei campi; ti sarà data da mangiare erba come i buoi e passeranno su di te sette tempi, finché tu riconosca che l'Altissimo domina sul regno degli uomini e lo dà a chi vuole».

33 In quello stesso momento la parola riguardante Nebukadnetsar si adempì. Egli fu scacciato di mezzo agli uomini mangiò l'erba come i buoi e il suo corpo fu bagnato dalla rugiada del cielo, finché i suoi capelli crebbero come le penne delle aquile e le sue unghie come gli artigli degli uccelli.

34 «Alla fine di quel tempo, io Nebukadnetsar alzai gli occhi al cielo e la mia ragione ritornò, benedissi l'Altissimo e lodai e glorificai colui che vive in eterno il cui dominio è un dominio eterno e il cui regno dura di generazione in generazione.

35 Tutti gli abitanti della terra davanti a lui sono considerati come un nulla egli agisce come vuole con l'esercito del cielo e con gli abitanti della terra. Nessuno può fermare la sua mano o dirgli "Che cosa fai?".

36 In quello stesso tempo mi ritornò la ragione, e per la gloria del mio regno mi furono restituiti la mia maestà e il mio splendore. I miei consiglieri e i miei grandi mi cercarono, e io fui ristabilito nel mio regno e la mia grandezza fu enormemente accresciuta.

37 Ora, io Nebukadnetsar lodo, esalto e glorifico il Re del cielo, perché tutte le sue opere sono verità e le sue vie giustizia; egli ha il potere di umiliare quelli che camminano superbamente».

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Daniel 4
New English Translation

4 (3:31)[a] King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and language groups that live in all the land: “Peace and prosperity![b] 2 I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me.

3 “How great are his signs!

How mighty are his wonders!
His kingdom will last forever,[c]
and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”

Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of a Tree Chopped Down

4 (4:1)[d] I, Nebuchadnezzar, was relaxing in my home,[e] living luxuriously[f] in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that[g] frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on my bed—these visions of my mind—were terrifying me. 6 So I issued an order[h] for all the wise men of Babylon to be brought[i] before me so that they could make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 When the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners entered, I recounted the dream for them. But they were unable to make known its interpretation to me. 8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god,[j] and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well, 9 saying, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, in whom I know there to be a spirit of the holy gods and whom no mystery baffles, consider[k] my dream that I saw and set forth its interpretation! 10 Here are the visions of my mind[l] while I was on my bed.

“While I was watching,
there was a tree in the middle of the land.[m]
It was enormously tall.[n]
11 The tree grew large and strong.
Its top reached far into the sky;
it could be seen[o] from the borders of all the land.[p]
12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;
on it there was food enough for all.
Under it the wild animals[q] used to seek shade,
and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.
All creatures[r] used to feed themselves from it.
13 While I was watching in my mind’s visions[s] on my bed,

a holy sentinel[t] came down from heaven.
14 He called out loudly[u] as follows:[v]
‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches!
Strip off its foliage
and scatter its fruit!
Let the animals flee from under it
and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave its taproot[w] in the ground,
with a band of iron and bronze around it[x]
surrounded by the grass of the field.
Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,
and let it live with[y] the animals in the grass of the land.
16 Let his mind[z] be altered from that of a human being,
and let an animal’s mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time[aa] go by for[ab] him.
17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;
this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,
so that[ac] those who are alive may understand
that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms,[ad]
and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.
He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’

18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its[ae] interpretation, for none of the wise men in[af] my kingdom are able to make known to me the interpretation. But you can do so, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time;[ag] his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir,[ah] if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries! 20 The tree that you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky, and that could be seen[ai] in all the land, 21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals[aj] used to live, and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest— 22 it is you,[ak] O king! For you have become great and strong. Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth. 23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’— 24 this is the interpretation, O king. It is the decision of the Most High that this has happened to my lord the king. 25 You will be driven[al] from human society,[am] and you will live[an] with the wild animals. You will be fed[ao] grass like oxen,[ap] and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before[aq] you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes. 26 They said to leave the taproot of the tree, for your kingdom will be restored to you when you come to understand that heaven[ar] rules. 27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.”[as]

28 Now all this happened[at] to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 After twelve months, he happened to be walking around on the battlements[au] of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence[av] by my own mighty strength[aw] and for my majestic honor?” 31 While these words were still on the king’s lips,[ax] a voice came down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you,[ay] King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! 32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before[az] you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

33 Now in that very moment[ba] this pronouncement about[bb] Nebuchadnezzar came true.[bc] He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws.[bd]

34 But at the end of the appointed time[be] I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up[bf] toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.

I extolled the Most High,

and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.
For his authority is an everlasting authority,
and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing.[bg]
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps[bh] his hand
and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored[bi] to the honor of my kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out, and I was reinstated[bj] over my kingdom. I became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live[bk] in pride.

Footnotes

  1. Daniel 4:1 sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:37 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:31 AT, 4:2 ET = 3:32 AT, 4:3 ET = 3:33 AT, 4:4 ET = 4:1 AT, etc., through 4:37 ET = 4:34 AT. Thus Dan 3:31-33 of the Aramaic text appears as Dan 4:1-3 in the English Bible, and the corresponding verses of ch. 4 differ accordingly. In spite of the division of the Aramaic text, a good case can be made that 3:31-33 AT (= 4:1-3 ET) is actually the introduction to ch. 4.
  2. Daniel 4:1 tn Aram “May your peace increase!”
  3. Daniel 4:3 tn Aram “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”
  4. Daniel 4:4 sn This verse marks the beginning of chap. 4 in the Aramaic text of Daniel (see the note on 4:1). The Greek OT (LXX) has the following addition: “In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he said.” This date would suggest a link to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. In general, the LXX of chapters 4-6 is very different from the MT, so much so that the following notes will call attention only to selected readings. In Daniel 4 the LXX lacks sizable portions of material in the MT (e.g., vv. 3-6, 31-32), includes sizable portions of material not in the MT (e.g., v. 14a, parts of vv. 16, 28), has a different order of some material (e.g., v. 8 after v. 9), and in some instances is vastly different from the MT (e.g., vv. 30, 34). Whether these differences are due to an excessively paraphrastic translation technique adopted for these chapters in the LXX, or are due to differences in the underlying Vorlage of the LXX, is a disputed matter. The latter seems more likely. There is a growing trend in modern scholarship to take the LXX of chapters 4-6 much more seriously than was the case in most earlier text-critical studies that considered this issue.
  5. Daniel 4:4 tn Aram “my house.”
  6. Daniel 4:4 tn Aram “happy.”
  7. Daniel 4:5 tn Aram “and it.”
  8. Daniel 4:6 tn Aram “from me there was placed a decree.”
  9. Daniel 4:6 tn The Aramaic infinitive here is active.
  10. Daniel 4:8 sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology. See the note at 1:7. The king's god was Marduk, who was called Bel (“Lord”).
  11. Daniel 4:9 tc The present translation assumes the reading חֲזִי (khazi, “consider”) rather than the MT חֶזְוֵי (khezve, “visions”). The MT implies that the king required Daniel to disclose both the dream and its interpretation, as in chapter 2. But in the following verses Nebuchadnezzar recounts his dream, while Daniel presents only its interpretation.
  12. Daniel 4:10 tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.
  13. Daniel 4:10 tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.
  14. Daniel 4:10 tn Aram “its height was great.”
  15. Daniel 4:11 tn Aram “its sight,” as also v. 17.
  16. Daniel 4:11 tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”
  17. Daniel 4:12 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
  18. Daniel 4:12 tn Aram “all flesh.”
  19. Daniel 4:13 tn Aram “the visions of my head.”
  20. Daniel 4:13 tn Aram “a watcher and a holy one.” The expression is a hendiadys, as also in v. 23. This “watcher” is apparently an angel. The Greek OT (LXX) in fact has ἄγγελος (angelos, “angel”) here. Theodotion simply transliterates the Aramaic word (ʿir). The term is sometimes rendered “sentinel” (NAB) or “messenger” (NIV, NLT).
  21. Daniel 4:14 tn Aram “in strength.”
  22. Daniel 4:14 tn Aram “and thus he was saying.”
  23. Daniel 4:15 tn Aram “the stock of its root,” as also in v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.
  24. Daniel 4:15 sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.
  25. Daniel 4:15 tn Aram “its lot be.”
  26. Daniel 4:16 tn Aram “its heart.” The metaphor of the tree begins to fade here and the reality behind the symbol (the king) begins to emerge.
  27. Daniel 4:16 sn The seven periods of time probably refer to seven years.
  28. Daniel 4:16 tn Aram “over” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
  29. Daniel 4:17 tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (ʿal divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (ʿad divrat, “until”).
  30. Daniel 4:17 tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”
  31. Daniel 4:18 tc The present translation, as also in the next verse, reads פִּשְׁרֵהּ (pishreh, “its interpretation”) with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss; the Kethib is פִּשְׁרָא (pishraʾ, “the interpretation”).
  32. Daniel 4:18 tn Aram “of.”
  33. Daniel 4:19 tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.
  34. Daniel 4:19 tn Aram “my lord.”
  35. Daniel 4:20 tn Aram “its sight.”
  36. Daniel 4:21 tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
  37. Daniel 4:22 sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.
  38. Daniel 4:25 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive, as also in vv. 28, 29, and 32.
  39. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “from mankind,” as also in v. 32.
  40. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “your dwelling will be,” as also in v. 32.
  41. Daniel 4:25 tn Or perhaps: “be made to eat.”
  42. Daniel 4:25 sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.
  43. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “until.”
  44. Daniel 4:26 sn The reference to heaven here is a circumlocution for God. There was a tendency in Jewish contexts to avoid direct reference to God. Compare the expression “kingdom of heaven” in the NT and such statements as: “I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:21).
  45. Daniel 4:27 tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”
  46. Daniel 4:28 tn Aram “reached.”
  47. Daniel 4:29 tn The word “battlements” is not in the text but is supplied from context. Many English versions supply “roof” here (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NLT “on the flat roof.”
  48. Daniel 4:30 tn Aram “house.”
  49. Daniel 4:30 tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”
  50. Daniel 4:31 tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”
  51. Daniel 4:31 tn Aram “to you they say.”
  52. Daniel 4:32 tn Aram “until.”
  53. Daniel 4:33 tn Aram “hour.”
  54. Daniel 4:33 tn Or “on.”
  55. Daniel 4:33 tn Aram “was fulfilled.”
  56. Daniel 4:33 tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
  57. Daniel 4:34 tn Aram “days.”
  58. Daniel 4:34 tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”
  59. Daniel 4:35 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kelaʾ), with many medieval Hebrew mss, rather than כְּלָה (kelah) of BHS.
  60. Daniel 4:35 tn Aram “strikes against.”
  61. Daniel 4:36 tc The translation reads הַדְרֵת (hadret, “I returned”) rather than the MT הַדְרִי (hadri, “my honor”); cf. Theodotion.
  62. Daniel 4:36 tc The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotqenet, “I was established”) rather than the MT הָתְקְנַת (hotqenat, “it was established”). The MT could read: “And regarding my kingdom, it was established.”
  63. Daniel 4:37 tn Aram “walk.”
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