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¹ THEN Nebuchadnezzar the king wrote to all peoples, nations and languages that dwelt in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.² I thought it good to publish the signs and wonders that the High God has wrought toward me.³ How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

⁴ I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and at ease in my palace;⁵ I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the visions of my head troubled me.⁶ Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.⁷ Then came in before me the magicians, the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans; and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me the interpretation thereof;⁸ Until Daniel came before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and before him I told the dream, saying,⁹ O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is hidden from you, this is the vision of my dream that I have seen; tell me the interpretation thereof.¹⁰ These were the visions which I saw in my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.¹¹ The tree grew high, and was strong, and its height reached to heaven and the view thereof to the end of all the earth.¹² Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant; and in it was food for all; the beasts of the field dwelt under it, and the fowls of the air rested in its boughs, and all flesh was fed from it.¹³ I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a holy angel came down from heaven,¹⁴ And cried aloud and spoke thus: Hew down the tree and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit; let the beasts get away from under it and the fowls of the air from its branches;¹⁵ Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth; but it shall be bound with a band of iron and brass in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his dwelling be with the beasts of the field in the grass of the earth;¹⁶ Let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given to him; and let seven seasons change over him.¹⁷ This decree is by the command of the angel at the request of the Holy One to the intent that the living may know that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will, and appoints over it the lowest of men.¹⁸ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation thereof, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you, Daniel, are able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was confused for an hour and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble you. Daniel answered and said, My lord, may the dream be to those who hate you and the interpretation thereof to your enemies.²⁰ The tree which you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to the heaven and the view thereof, to all the earth;²¹ Whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all flesh; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the air rested, and from it fed all flesh;²² It is you, O king; for you have grown and become strong; you have grown high and reach to the heavens, and your dominion is to the end of the earth.²³ And whereas the king saw a holy angel coming down from heaven, crying aloud and saying, Hew clown the tree and destroy it; but leave the stump and the roots thereof in the earth and let it be bound with a band of iron and brass in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his dwelling be with the beasts of the field in the grass of the earth; and let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given to him till seven seasons change over him.²⁴ This is the interpretation, O king: The decree of the Most High has come against my lord the king;²⁵ They shall drive you away from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven seasons shall change over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will.²⁶ And whereas he commanded to spare the stump and the tree roots, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you have learned that authority is from heaven.²⁷ Wherefore, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and get rid of your sins by means of almsgiving, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the weak, till your transgressions are removed from you.

²⁸ All of these things came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.²⁹ At the end of twelve months King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace which is in Babylon.³⁰ And he spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the seat of my kingdom and for my great dominion and my majesty?³¹ While the word was in the kings mouth, there came a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken; for your kingdom is departed from you.³² And they shall drive you from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make you to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven; and seven seasons shall change over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will, and he appoints the lowest of men over it.³³ The same hour the word was fulfilled upon King Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven from among men, and did eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair grew like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws.

³⁴ And when the days were fulfilled, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my sense was restored to me, and I blessed the Most High and I praised and glorified him who lives for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and whose kingdom is from generation to generation;³⁵ And all the inhabitants of the earth are reckoned as nothing in his presence; and he does as he pleases with the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can resist his hand or say to him, What doest thou?³⁶ At the same time my sense returned to me, and my princes and my generals sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are true and his ways just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.