New American Standard Bible 2020

Daniel 4:9-18

9‘Belteshazzar, 1chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that 2a spirit of the holy gods is in you and 3no secret baffles you, 4tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

10‘Now these were the 5visions 6in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a 7tree in the middle of the 8earth and its height was great.11The tree grew large and became strong And its height 9reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.12Its foliage was 10beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The 11animals of the field 12found 13shade under it, And the 14birds of the sky lived in its branches, And all 15living creatures fed from it.

13‘I was looking in the 16visions 17in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, 18an angelic watcher, a 19holy one, descended from heaven.14He shouted out and spoke as follows: “20Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the 21animals flee from under it And the birds from its branches.15Yet 22leave the stump 23with 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 24him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.16Let his 25mind change from that of a human And let an animal’s 26mind be given to him, And let 27seven 28periods 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 29know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And 30He grants it to whomever He wishes And sets over it the 31lowliest of people.” 18This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the 32wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a 33spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

Read all of Daniel 4

Notes

1. Daniel 4:9 Dan 1:20; 2:48; 5:11 ↩
2. Daniel 4:9 Gen 41:38; Dan 4:8 ↩
3. Daniel 4:9 Ezek 28:3; Dan 2:47 ↩
4. Daniel 4:9 Gen 41:15; Dan 2:4, 5 ↩
5. Daniel 4:10 Dan 4:5 ↩
6. Daniel 4:10 Lit of my head ↩
7. Daniel 4:10 Ezek 31:3, 6 ↩
8. Daniel 4:10 Or land, and so throughout the ch ↩
9. Daniel 4:11 Deut 9:1; Dan 4:21, 22 ↩
10. Daniel 4:12 Ezek 31:7 ↩
11. Daniel 4:12 Jer 27:6; Ezek 31:6 ↩
12. Daniel 4:12 Or dwelt under it ↩
13. Daniel 4:12 Lam 4:20 ↩
14. Daniel 4:12 Ezek 17:23; Matt 13:32; Luke 13:19 ↩
15. Daniel 4:12 Lit flesh ↩
16. Daniel 4:13 Dan 7:1 ↩
17. Daniel 4:13 Lit of my head ↩
18. Daniel 4:13 Dan 4:17, 23 ↩
19. Daniel 4:13 Deut 33:2; Ps 89:7; Dan 8:13 ↩
20. Daniel 4:14 Ezek 31:10-14; Dan 4:23; Matt 3:10; 7:19; Luke 13:7-9 ↩
21. Daniel 4:14 Ezek 31:12, 13; Dan 4:12 ↩
22. Daniel 4:15 Job 14:7-9 ↩
23. Daniel 4:15 Lit of ↩
24. Daniel 4:15 Lit his share be with ↩
25. Daniel 4:16 Lit heart ↩
26. Daniel 4:16 Lit heart ↩
27. Daniel 4:16 Dan 4:23, 25, 32 ↩
28. Daniel 4:16 I.e., years ↩
29. Daniel 4:17 Ps 9:16; 83:18; Dan 2:21; 5:21 ↩
30. Daniel 4:17 Jer 27:5-7; Dan 4:25; 5:18, 19 ↩
31. Daniel 4:17 1 Sam 2:8; Dan 11:21 ↩
32. Daniel 4:18 Gen 41:8, 15; Dan 4:7; 5:8, 15 ↩
33. Daniel 4:18 Dan 4:8, 9 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Daniel 4