AB - Daniel - 4

4:1  King Nebuchadnezzar, to all nations, tribes, and tongues that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

4:2  It seemed good to me to declare to you the signs and wonders which the Most High God has worked for me,

4:3  how great and mighty they are; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His power to all generations.

4:4  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was thriving in my house, and prospering.

4:5  I saw a vision and it terrified me, and I was troubled on my bed, and the visions of my head troubled me.

4:6  And I made a decree to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

4:7  So the enchanters, magicians, soothsayers, and Chaldeans came in, and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me its interpretation;

4:8  until Daniel came, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, who has within him the Holy Spirit of God, to whom I said,

4:9  O Belteshazzar, chief of the enchanters, of whom I know that the Holy Spirit of God is in you, and no mystery is too hard for you, hear the vision of my dream which I had, and tell me the interpretation of it.

4:10  I had a vision upon my bed; and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

4:11  The tree grew large and strong, and its height reached to the sky, and its extent to the extremity of the whole earth;

4:12  its leaves were fair, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all; and under it the wild beasts of the field took shelter, and the birds of the sky lodged in the branches of it, and all flesh was fed by it.

4:13  I beheld in the night vision upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven and cried aloud, and thus he said,

4:14  Cut down the tree, and pluck off its branches, and shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit-let the wild beasts be removed from under it, and the birds from its branches.

4:15  Only leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and bind it with an iron and brass band; and it shall lie in the outer grass, and in the dew of heaven, and its portion shall be with the wild beasts in the grass of the field.

4:16  His heart shall be changed from that of a man, and the heart of a wild beast shall be given to him; and seven times shall pass over him.

4:17  The matter is by the decree of the watcher, and the demand is a word of the holy ones; that the living may known that the Lord is Most High over the kingdom of men, and He will give it to whomever He will, and sets it over the lowest of men.

4:18  This is the vision which I, King Nebuchadnezzar saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, for none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to show me its interpretation-but you, Daniel, are able, for the Holy Spirit of God is in you.

4:19  Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was amazed about one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. And Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, let the dream concern those that hate you, and the interpretation of it to your enemies.

4:20  The tree which you saw, which grew large and strong, whose height reached to the heavens, and its extent to all parts of the earth,

4:21  and whose leaves were flourishing, and its fruit abundant, (and it was food for all; under it the wild beasts lodged, and the birds of the sky took shelter in its branches)

4:22  is you, O king; for you have grown great and powerful, and your greatness has increased and reached to the heavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

4:23  And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and he said, Strip the tree, and destroy it; only leave the stump of its roots in the ground, and bind it with a band of iron and brass; and it shall lie in the outer grass, and in the dew of heaven, and its portion shall be with wild beasts, until seven times have passed over it.

4:24  This is the interpretation of it, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:

4:25  and they shall drive you forth from men, and your dwelling shall be with the wild beasts, and they shall feed you with grass like an ox, and you shall have your lodging under the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.

4:26  And whereas they said, Leave the stumps of the roots of the tree; your kingdom shall be assured to you, from the time that you realize the power of the heavens.

4:27  Therefore, O king, let my counsel please you, and atone for your sins by alms, and your iniquities by compassion on the poor; perhaps God will be longsuffering toward your trespasses.

4:28  All these things came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

4:29  After the twelfth month, as he walked in his palace in Babylon,

4:30  the king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for a royal residence, by the might of my power, for the honor of my glory?

4:31  While the word was yet in the king's mouth, there came a voice from heaven, saying, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, The kingdom has departed from you.

4:32  And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the wild beasts of the field, and they shall feed you with grass like an ox. And seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom of men, and He shall give it to whomever He chooses.

4:33  In the same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven forth from men, and he ate grass like an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair had grown like the hair of a lion, and his nails as birds' claws.

4:34  And at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised Him that lives forever, and gave Him glory; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom lasts to all generations.

4:35  All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He does according to His will in the host of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and there is none who shall withstand His power, and say to Him, What have You done?

4:36  At the same time my reason returned to me, and I came to the honor of my kingdom; and my natural form returned to me, and my princes and my nobles sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and more abundant majesty was added to me.

4:37  Now therefore, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and greatly exalt and glorify the King of heaven; for all His works are true, and His paths are judgment: and all that walk in pride He is able to abase.