Daniel 4:1-18

Complete Jewish Bible

4 ⁽⁴⁾“I, N’vukhadnetzar, was contentedly living at home, enjoying the luxury of my palace; ²⁽⁵⁾but as I lay on my bed, I had a dream which frightened me, followed by fantasies and visions in my head which frightened me even more. ³⁽⁶⁾So I ordered all the sages of Bavel to present themselves to me, so that they could tell me the interpretation of the dream. ⁴⁽⁷⁾When the magicians, exorcists, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream; but they couldn’t interpret it for me. ⁵⁽⁸⁾Finally, however, Dani’el (renamed Belt’shatzar, after the name of my god), in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, came before me; and I told him the dream: ⁶⁽⁹⁾‘Belt’shatzar, chief of the magicians! Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the meaning of the visions I saw in my dream. ⁷⁽¹⁰⁾Here are the visions I had in my head as I lay on my bed: I looked, and there before me was a tree at the center of the earth; it was very tall. ⁸⁽¹¹⁾The tree grew and became strong until its crown reached the sky, and it could be seen from anywhere on earth. ⁹⁽¹²⁾Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant; it produced enough food for everyone. The wild animals enjoyed its shade, the birds in the air lived in its branches, and it gave food to every living creature. ¹⁰⁽¹³⁾I looked in the visions of my head as I lay on my bed, and there appeared a holy watcher coming down from heaven. ¹¹⁽¹⁴⁾He cried out:

    “‘“Cut down the tree, cut off its branches,
    strip off its leaves, scatter its fruit!
    Let the wild animals flee from its shelter!
    Let the birds abandon its branches!
¹²⁽¹⁵⁾But leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
    with a band of iron and bronze,
    in the lush grass of the countryside;
    let him be drenched with dew from the sky
    and share the lot of animals in the pasture;
¹³⁽¹⁶⁾let his heart and mind cease to be human
    and become those of an animal;
    and let seven seasons pass over him.

¹⁴⁽¹⁷⁾“‘“This order is issued by the watchers,
    the sentence is announced by the holy ones,
    so that all who live may know
    that the Most High rules the human kingdom,
    that he gives it to whomever he wishes
    and can raise up over it the lowliest of mortals.”

¹⁵⁽¹⁸⁾“‘This is the dream which I, King N’vukhadnetzar, saw. Now you, Belt’shatzar, tell me its interpretation. None of the sages of my kingdom can tell me the interpretation, but you can do it, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

¹⁶⁽¹⁹⁾“Dani’el, whose name was Belt’shatzar, was in shock awhile, frightened by his thoughts. The king said, ‘Belt’shatzar, don’t let the dream or the interpretation frighten you.’ Belt’shatzar answered, ‘My lord, if only the dream were about those who hate you, and the interpretation about your enemies! ¹⁷⁽²⁰⁾The tree you saw which grew and became strong until its crown reached the sky, and it could be seen throughout the whole earth, ¹⁸⁽²¹⁾that had beautiful foliage and abundant fruit, enough to feed everyone, under which the wild animals lived, and on whose branches the birds in the air built their nests —

Read full chapter