New American Standard Bible 2020

Daniel 4:4-27

4“1I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and 2happy in my palace. 5I saw a 3dream and it startled me; and these appearances as I lay on my bed and the 4visions 5in my mind kept alarming me. 6So I gave orders to 6bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7Then the 7soothsayer priests, the sorcerers, the 8Chaldeans, and the diviners came in and I related the dream 9to them, but they could not make its 10interpretation known to me. 8But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is 11Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is 12 13a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream 14to him, saying, 9‘Belteshazzar, 15chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that 16a spirit of the holy gods is in you and 17no secret baffles you, 18tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

10‘Now these were the 19visions 20in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a 21tree in the middle of the 22earth and its height was great.11The tree grew large and became strong And its height 23reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.12Its foliage was 24beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The 25animals of the field 26found 27shade under it, And the 28birds of the sky lived in its branches, And all 29living creatures fed from it.

13‘I was looking in the 30visions 31in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, 32an angelic watcher, a 33holy one, descended from heaven.14He shouted out and spoke as follows: “34Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the 35animals flee from under it And the birds from its branches.15Yet 36leave the stump 37with its roots in the ground, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, And let 38him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.16Let his 39mind change from that of a human And let an animal’s 40mind be given to him, And let 41seven 42periods of time pass over him.17This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may 43know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And 44He grants it to whomever He wishes And sets over it the 45lowliest of people.” 18This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the 46wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a 47spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

19“Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his 48thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not 49let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘50My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to 51your adversaries! 20The 52tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, 21and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky settled-- 22it is 53you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your 54majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your 55dominion to the end of the earth. 23And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “56Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump 57with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let 58him share with the animals of the field until 59seven 60periods of time pass over him,” 24this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has 61come upon my lord the king: 25that you be 62driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven 63periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the 64Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and 65bestows it on whomever He wishes. 26And in that it was commanded to 66leave the stump 67with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will 68remain as yours after you recognize that it is 69Heaven that rules. 27Therefore, O king, may my 70advice be pleasing to you: 71wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by 72showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a 73prolonging of your prosperity.’

Read all of Daniel 4

Notes

1. Daniel 4:4 Ch 4:1 in Aram ↩
2. Daniel 4:4 Ps 30:6; Is 47:7, 8 ↩
3. Daniel 4:5 Dan 2:3 ↩
4. Daniel 4:5 Dan 2:1, 28; 4:10, 13 ↩
5. Daniel 4:5 Lit of my head ↩
6. Daniel 4:6 Gen 41:8; Dan 2:2 ↩
7. Daniel 4:7 Gen 41:8; Dan 2:10, 27; 5:7 ↩
8. Daniel 4:7 Probably master astrologers, diviners, etc. ↩
9. Daniel 4:7 Lit before ↩
10. Daniel 4:7 Is 44:25; Jer 27:9, 10; Dan 2:7 ↩
11. Daniel 4:8 Dan 1:7; 2:26; 5:12 ↩
12. Daniel 4:8 Or possibly the Spirit of the holy God, and so throughout the ch ↩
13. Daniel 4:8 Dan 4:9, 18; 5:11, 14 ↩
14. Daniel 4:8 Lit before ↩
15. Daniel 4:9 Dan 1:20; 2:48; 5:11 ↩
16. Daniel 4:9 Gen 41:38; Dan 4:8 ↩
17. Daniel 4:9 Ezek 28:3; Dan 2:47 ↩
18. Daniel 4:9 Gen 41:15; Dan 2:4, 5 ↩
19. Daniel 4:10 Dan 4:5 ↩
20. Daniel 4:10 Lit of my head ↩
21. Daniel 4:10 Ezek 31:3, 6 ↩
22. Daniel 4:10 Or land, and so throughout the ch ↩
23. Daniel 4:11 Deut 9:1; Dan 4:21, 22 ↩
24. Daniel 4:12 Ezek 31:7 ↩
25. Daniel 4:12 Jer 27:6; Ezek 31:6 ↩
26. Daniel 4:12 Or dwelt under it ↩
27. Daniel 4:12 Lam 4:20 ↩
28. Daniel 4:12 Ezek 17:23; Matt 13:32; Luke 13:19 ↩
29. Daniel 4:12 Lit flesh ↩
30. Daniel 4:13 Dan 7:1 ↩
31. Daniel 4:13 Lit of my head ↩
32. Daniel 4:13 Dan 4:17, 23 ↩
33. Daniel 4:13 Deut 33:2; Ps 89:7; Dan 8:13 ↩
34. Daniel 4:14 Ezek 31:10-14; Dan 4:23; Matt 3:10; 7:19; Luke 13:7-9 ↩
35. Daniel 4:14 Ezek 31:12, 13; Dan 4:12 ↩
36. Daniel 4:15 Job 14:7-9 ↩
37. Daniel 4:15 Lit of ↩
38. Daniel 4:15 Lit his share be with ↩
39. Daniel 4:16 Lit heart ↩
40. Daniel 4:16 Lit heart ↩
41. Daniel 4:16 Dan 4:23, 25, 32 ↩
42. Daniel 4:16 I.e., years ↩
43. Daniel 4:17 Ps 9:16; 83:18; Dan 2:21; 5:21 ↩
44. Daniel 4:17 Jer 27:5-7; Dan 4:25; 5:18, 19 ↩
45. Daniel 4:17 1 Sam 2:8; Dan 11:21 ↩
46. Daniel 4:18 Gen 41:8, 15; Dan 4:7; 5:8, 15 ↩
47. Daniel 4:18 Dan 4:8, 9 ↩
48. Daniel 4:19 Jer 4:19; Dan 7:15, 28; 8:27; 10:16, 17 ↩
49. Daniel 4:19 1 Sam 3:17; Dan 4:4, 5 ↩
50. Daniel 4:19 2 Sam 18:31; Dan 4:24; 10:16 ↩
51. Daniel 4:19 2 Sam 18:32 ↩
52. Daniel 4:20 Dan 4:10-12 ↩
53. Daniel 4:22 2 Sam 12:7; Dan 2:37, 38 ↩
54. Daniel 4:22 Lit greatness ↩
55. Daniel 4:22 Jer 27:6, 7 ↩
56. Daniel 4:23 Dan 4:14, 15 ↩
57. Daniel 4:23 Lit of ↩
58. Daniel 4:23 Lit his share be with ↩
59. Daniel 4:23 Dan 4:16 ↩
60. Daniel 4:23 I.e., years ↩
61. Daniel 4:24 Job 40:11, 12; Ps 107:40 ↩
62. Daniel 4:25 Dan 4:33; 5:21 ↩
63. Daniel 4:25 I.e., years ↩
64. Daniel 4:25 Ps 83:18; Jer 27:5; Dan 4:2, 17 ↩
65. Daniel 4:25 Dan 2:37; 4:17; 5:21 ↩
66. Daniel 4:26 Dan 4:15, 23 ↩
67. Daniel 4:26 Lit of ↩
68. Daniel 4:26 Lit be enduring to you ↩
69. Daniel 4:26 Dan 2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44; 4:31 ↩
70. Daniel 4:27 Gen 41:33-37 ↩
71. Daniel 4:27 Prov 28:13; Is 55:6, 7; Ezek 18:7, 21, 22; Acts 8:22 ↩
72. Daniel 4:27 Ps 41:1-3; Is 58:6, 7, 10 ↩
73. Daniel 4:27 1 Kin 21:29; Jon 3:9 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Daniel 4