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Daniel 4:1-37 — Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of a Tree

Dan.4.1-37

¹Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages dwelling in all the earth: May your peace abound. ²It seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. ³How great are his signs, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. ⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I saw a dream, and it frightened me; the thoughts on my bed and the visions in my head alarmed me. ⁶So I issued a decree to bring before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. ⁸But at last Daniel came before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and I told him the dream: ⁹Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation. ¹⁰Now these were the visions in my head as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. ¹¹The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of all the earth. ¹²Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of heaven lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. ¹³I was looking in the visions in my head as I lay on my bed, and behold, a Watcher , a holy one, came down from heaven. ¹⁴He cried aloud and said thus: 'Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. ¹⁵But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let the mind of a beast be given to him, and let seven times pass over him. ¹⁷This sentence is by the decree of the Watchers, and the decision by the word of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom he wills, and sets over it the lowliest of men.' ¹⁸This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell its interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make its interpretation known to me, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you. ¹⁹Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar answered and said, 'My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies. ²⁰The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose top reached to heaven and was visible to all the earth, ²¹whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of heaven dwelt— ²²it is you, O king, for you have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reached to heaven, and your dominion to the end of the earth. ²³And because the king saw a Watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field until seven times pass over him'— ²⁴this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵You shall be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and you shall be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom he wills. ²⁶And because they said to leave the stump of the tree's roots, your kingdom shall remain for you from the time that you know that heaven rules. ²⁷Therefore, O king, let my counsel be pleasing to you: break off your sins by righteousness , and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.' ²⁸All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰The king answered and said, 'Is not this Babylon the Great , which I have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?' ³¹While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: 'To you it is spoken, King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has departed from you. ³²You shall be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom he wills.' ³³At that very hour the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from mankind, he ate grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. ³⁴And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?' ³⁶At that time my understanding returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my nobles sought me out, and I was established in my kingdom, and surpassing greatness was added to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are truth and his ways are justice; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

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4/11/2026

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