Daniel 4:5-18

5I had a dream that terrified me. The visions I had while I was asleep frightened me.

6So I ordered all the wise advisers in Babylon to be brought to me to tell me the dream’s meaning.

7The magicians, psychics, astrologers, and fortunetellers came to me. I told them the dream, but they couldn’t tell me its meaning.

8Finally, Daniel came to me. (He had been renamed Belteshazzar after my god ⌞Bel⌟.) The spirit of the holy gods is in him. I told him the dream:

9“Belteshazzar, head of the magicians, I know the spirit of the holy gods is in you. No secret is too hard for you ⌞to uncover⌟. Tell me the meaning of the visions I had in my dream.

10These are the visions I had while I was asleep: I was looking, and I saw an oak tree in the middle of the earth. It was very tall.

11The tree grew, and it became strong enough and tall enough to reach the sky. It could be seen everywhere on earth.

12It had beautiful leaves and plenty of fruit, enough to feed everyone. Wild animals found shade under it. Birds came to live in its branches. It fed every living creature.

13“I was seeing these visions as I was asleep. I saw a guardian, a holy being, come down from heaven.

14He shouted loudly, ‘Cut down the oak tree! Cut off its branches! Strip off its leaves! Scatter its fruit! Make the animals under it run away, and make the birds fly from its branches.

15But leave the stump and its roots in the ground. Secure it with an iron and bronze chain in the grass in the field. Let it get wet with the dew from the sky. And let it get its share of the plants on the ground with the animals.

16Let its human mind be changed, and give it the mind of an animal. Let it remain like this for seven time periods.

17The guardians have announced this decision. The holy ones have announced this so that every living creature will know that the Most High has power over human kingdoms. He gives them to whomever he wishes. He can place the lowest of people in charge of them.’ ”

18⌞I said,⌟ “This is the dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its meaning because the wise advisers in my kingdom can’t tell it to me. However, you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”