HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1146
D A N IEL 4
3
How great are his signs,
how powerful his wonders!
His kingdom will last forever,
his rule through all generations.
4*“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my
palace in comfort and prosperity. 5 But one
night I had a dream that frightened me;
I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in
my bed. 6 So I issued an order calling in all
the wise men of Babylon, so they could
tell me what my dream meant. 7 When all
the magicians, enchanters, astrologers,*
and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the
dream, but they could not tell me what it
meant. 8 At last Daniel came in before me,
and I told him the dream. (He was named
Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit
of the holy gods is in him.)
9 “I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the
magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy
gods is in you and that no mystery is too
great for you to solve. Now tell me what my
dream means.
10 “‘While I was lying in my bed, this is
what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the
middle of the earth. 11 The tree grew very tall
and strong, reaching high into the heavens
for all the world to see. 12 It had fresh green
leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all
to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and
birds nested in its branches. All the world
was fed from this tree.
13 “‘Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a
messenger,* a holy one, coming down from
heaven. 14 The messenger shouted,
15
16
17
“Cut down the tree and lop off its
branches!
Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit!
Chase the wild animals from its shade
and the birds from its branches.
But leave the stump and the roots in the
ground,
bound with a band of iron and bronze
and surrounded by tender grass.
Now let him be drenched with the dew of
heaven,
and let him live with the wild animals
among the plants of the field.
For seven periods of time,
let him have the mind of a wild animal
instead of the mind of a human.
For this has been decreed by the
messengers*;
it is commanded by the holy ones,
so that everyone may know
that the Most High rules over the
kingdoms of the world.
He gives them to anyone he chooses—
even to the lowliest of people.”
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18 “‘Belteshazzar, that was the dream that
I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me
what it means, for none of the wise men of
my kingdom can do so. But you can tell me
because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
Daniel Explains the Dream
19 “Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known
as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time,
frightened by the meaning of the dream.
Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar,
don’t be alarmed by the dream and what
it means.’
“Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events
foreshadowed in this dream would happen
to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!
20 The tree you saw was growing very tall
and strong, reaching high into the heavens
for all the world to see. 21 It had fresh green
leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to
eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and
birds nested in its branches. 22 That tree,
Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown
strong and great; your greatness reaches
up to heaven, and your rule to the ends
of the earth.
23 “‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy
one, coming down from heaven and saying,
“Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave
the stump and the roots in the ground,
bound with a band of iron and bronze and
surrounded by tender grass. Let him be
drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him
live with the animals of the field for seven
periods of time.”
24 “‘This is what the dream means, Your
Majesty, and what the Most High has
declared will happen to my lord the king.
25 You will be driven from human society,
and you will live in the fields with the wild
animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and
you will be drenched with the dew of heaven.
Seven periods of time will pass while you
live this way, until you learn that the Most
High rules over the kingdoms of the world
and gives them to anyone he chooses. 26 But
the stump and roots of the tree were left in
the ground. This means that you will receive
your kingdom back again when you have
learned that heaven rules.
27 “‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept
my advice. Stop sinning and do what is
right. Break from your wicked past and be
merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will
continue to prosper.’
The Dream’s Fulfillment
28 “But all these things did happen to King
Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later
4:4 Verses 4:4-37 are numbered 4:1-34 in Aramaic text.
4:7 Or Chaldeans. 4:13 Aramaic a watcher; also in 4:23.
4:17 Aramaic the watchers.