Daniel 4:1-37 NABUCHODONOSAR the king, to all the peoples, tribes and languages who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ NABUCHODONOSAR the king, to all the peoples, tribes and languages who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. ² It hath seemed good in my sight to declare to you the signs and the wonders which the God who is Most High hath done with me. ³ How great and mighty is his kingdom. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; and his dominion is to endless ages. ⁴ I Nabuchodonosar was at rest in my house and in the enjoyment of prosperity. ⁵ I had a dream which terrified me and I was troubled on my bed, and the visions of my head disquieted me. ⁶ Therefore I issued a decree to bring before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might explain to me the meaning of this dream. ⁷ And when the soothsayers, the magians, the gazarenes, the Chaldees came in, I told my dream before them; but they did not explain to me the meaning of it until ⁸ Daniel came, whose name is Baltasar, after the name of my God, and who hath in him a holy spirit of a God. ⁹ To him I said, Baltasar chief of the soothsayers, who, I know, hast a holy spirit of a god in thee, so that no secret can escape thee, hear the vision of the dream which I have seen; and tell me the meaning of it. ¹⁰ I beheld with astonishment on my bed, and lo! a tree in the midst of the earth. Though its height was great, ¹¹ the tree increased in magnitude and strength and its top reached up to heaven; and its bulk to the extent of the whole earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant. And on it there was food for all: and the wild beasts of the field dwelt beneath it; and the birds of the air lodged among its branches; and from it all flesh was fed. ¹³ I beheld in a vision of the night on my bed; and lo an Eir, even a holy one, came down from heaven ¹⁴ and cried with a loud voice, and thus he said, "Cut down that tree and lop off its branches and shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts be driven from underneath it and the birds from its branches. ¹⁵ But leave the stump of its roots in the earth; and in a band of iron and brass and in the green grass abroad and in the clew of heaven let it abide: and let its portion be with the wild beasts in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶ His heart shall be changed from men and the heart of a wild beast shall be given him and seven seasons shall revolve over him. ¹⁷ The sentence is by the decree of an Eir; and the decree is a request of holy ones, that the living may know that there is a sovereign Lord of the kingdom of men and that he can give it to whom he will, and set over it that which is disesteemed by men." ¹⁸ This is the dream, which I Nabuchodonosar the king have seen. Thou therefore Baltasar, tell me the meaning; for all the wise men of my kingdom are unable to explain to me the meaning of it: but thou Daniel art able, because there is in thee the holy spirit of a god. ¹⁹ Upon this Daniel, whose name is Baltasar, was absorpt in astonishment for about an hour and his thoughts agitated him and Baltasar answered and said, Let this dream, my Lord, be for them who hate thee, and the interpretation thereof for thine enemies. ²⁰ The tree which thou sawest, which was increased in magnitude and strength, the top of which reached up to heaven and its bulk to the extent of the whole earth, ²¹ the leaves of which were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and on which there was food for all; beneath which the beasts of the field dwelt, and on the branches of which the birds of the air roosted: ²² Thou, king art it. For thou art become great and strong and thy greatness hath increased and reached up to heaven and thy dominion to the limits of the earth. ²³ And inasmuch as the king saw an Eir, even a holy one descending from heaven who said, Cut down that tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth; and in a band of iron and brass and in the green grass abroad and in the dew of heaven let it abide; and let its portion be with the wild beasts of the field until seven seasons revolve over it; ²⁴ This, king, is the interpretation thereof and the decree of the Most High which is about to come upon my lord the king. ²⁵ Thou wilt be driven from among men; and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; and they will feed thee with grass like an ox; and thou shalt lodge in the dew of heaven; and seven seasons shall revolve over thee, till thou be made sensible that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men and can give it to whom he will. ²⁶ But inasmuch as they said, Let the stump of the roots of the tree remain, thy kingdom shall remain for thee when thou art made sensible of the heavenly authority. ²⁷ For this cause, king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee; and make atonement for thy sins by acts of kindness, and for thy transgressions by tender mercies for the distressed. Perhaps God may forgive thine offences. ²⁸ All these things came upon Nabuchodonosar the king. ²⁹ At the end of twelve months, as the king was walking in the temple of his kingdom at Babylon, ³⁰ he spake, saying, Is not this the great Babylon which I have built for the house of a kingdom, by the might of my power, for the display of my glory? ³¹ While the word was yet in the king's mouth, there came a voice from heaven, To thee Nabuchodonosar it is said, the regal power is gone from thee ³² and thou shalt be driven from among men and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; and they shall feed thee with grass like an ox; and seven seasons shall revolve over thee, that thou mayst know that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men and can give it to whom he will. ³³ In that very hour the word was fulfilled on Nabuchodonosar; and he was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew strong like the shag of lions and his nails like the claws of birds. ³⁴ And at the end of the days I Nabuchodonosar lifted up mine eyes to heaven, and mine understanding was restored to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and glorified him who liveth forever; for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is to endless generations, ³⁵ and all the inhabitants of the earth are reckoned as nothing; and he doth according to his pleasure in the army of heaven and in the habitations of the earth; and there is none who can stay his hand, or say to him, What hast thou done. ³⁶ At this very hour my senses were restored to me and I reassumed the honour of my kingdom; and my form returned to me; and my princes and my grandees sought me; and I was reestablished in my kingdom and greater majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now therefore I Nabuchodonosar praise and extol and glorify the king of heaven; for all his works are true and his ways are judgments and all them who walk in pride he can abase.