Daniel / Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of a Great Tree

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of a Great Tree

Daniel 4:1-18

Chapter 4

¹ I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at peace in my house and prosperous in my temples. ² I saw a dream, and it frightened me, and thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head disturbed me. ³ From me I have issued a decree to the Most High before all the wise men of Babel, who will make known to us the interpretation of the dream-vision. ⁴ At that time the cultic magicians, the Chaldeans, and the deciders came to us, and I told the dream before them, but they were not making its interpretation known to me. ⁵ Then I told the dream before Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar like the name of God, and in whom is the Spirit of the holy gods. ⁶ Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, whom I know has a spirit of gods, holy ones, in you, and no secret troubles you in every mystery—the vision of the dream that you have seen and its interpretation, say! ⁷ I saw a vision of my head upon my bed, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. ⁸ The tree grew great, and it strengthened, and its height reached to the heavens and its sight to the end of all the earth. ⁹ Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit great and food for all in it; under it it casts shade. Wild animals in the field dwell and in its branches birds of the heavens, and from it they feed all flesh. ¹⁰ I was seeing a vision of my head upon my couches, and behold, a cultic one and a holy one from the heavens came down. ¹¹ He called out loudly and said this: "They said, 'Cut down the tree and chop off its branches, strip its foliage, and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.'" ¹² But they left its root in the ground, and with a band of iron and bronze in the restraints of the law that he created, and it will be nourished from the heavens, and it received its portion with the beasts in the grass of the ground. ¹³ A heart of a man—a dream—and a heart of a living creature will be given to it, and seven times will pass over it. ¹⁴ By the decree of the watchers, the word, and the saying of the holy ones, the petition, until the matter that the living ones shall know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of man, and to whomsoever he wills he gives it, and low men he raises up over it. ¹⁵ This dream you have seen, I, O king, Nebuchadnezzar, and you, Belteshazzar, the dream interpretation. I said, “All because that all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make the dream interpretation known to me, and you—since that the Spirit of gods, holy ones, is in you.” ¹⁶ Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was astonished for one hour, and his thoughts terrified him. The king answered and said, "Belteshazzar, let the dream and its interpretation not terrify you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, may the dream be to your enemies, and its interpretation to your foes." ¹⁷ The tree that you saw, that was great and strong, and its height reached to the heavens and its sight to all the earth. ¹⁸ and its foliage was beautiful and its fruit great and food for all. In it, beneath it dwelt wild animals of the field, and in its branches nested birds of the heavens.