¹Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and tongues who live in all the land: may your peace increase!

²It seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done with me.

³How great are his signs, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is a lasting kingdom, and his rule is from generation to generation.

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.

⁵I saw a dream, and it terrified me; and the imaginings on my bed and the visions of my head alarmed me.

⁶So I issued a command to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

⁷Then the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, and I told the dream before them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.

⁸And at last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the breath of the holy gods; and I told the dream before him:

⁹"Belteshazzar, greatest of the magicians, since I know that the breath of the holy gods is in you and no secret oppresses you, tell the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation.

¹⁰As for the visions of my head on my bed, I was seeing, and look, a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was very great.

¹¹The tree grew great and became strong, and its height reached to the skies, and it was visible to the end of all the land.

¹²Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit plentiful, and there was food for all in it. Under it the animals of the field found shade, and in its branches the birds of the skies lived, and from it all flesh was fed.

¹³I was looking, in the visions of my head upon my bed, and look, a watcher, a holy one, coming down from the skies.

¹⁴He called out loudly and spoke thus: 'Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let the beast flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.

¹⁵But leave the stump of its roots in the land, in a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be drenched with the dew of the skies, and let its portion be with the animals in the grass of the land.

¹⁶Let his heart be changed from that of a human, and let the heart of a beast be given to him, and let seven set times pass over him.

¹⁷The command is by the decree of the watchers, and the matter is by the word of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High has mastery in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he pleases, and sets over it the lowliest of men.'

¹⁸I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw this dream. And you, Belteshazzar, tell its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make the interpretation known to me; but you are able, for the breath of the holy gods is in you."

¹⁹Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was appalled for about one moment, 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 foes."

²⁰The tree that you saw, which grew great and became strong, whose height reached to the skies, and which was visible to all the land,

²¹whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit plentiful, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the skies dwelt —

²²It is you, O king, who have grown great and become strong; your greatness has grown and reached to the skies, and your dominion to the end of the land.

²³And whereas the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from the skies and saying, 'Cut down the tree and ruin it; but leave the stump of its roots in the land, in a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; let it be drenched with the dew of the skies, and let its portion be with the animals of the field, until seven set times pass over it' —

²⁴This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king:

²⁵You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field; they will feed you grass like oxen, and with the dew of the skies they will drench you; seven set times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever he wishes.

²⁶And that they said to leave the stump of the roots of the tree: your kingdom shall stand for you, after you know that the heavens rule.

²⁷Therefore, O king, may my counsel be pleasing to you: break off your sins by doing right, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if there may be a lengthening of your ease.

²⁸All of it came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king.

²⁹At the end of twelve months he was walking about on the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

³⁰The king answered and said, "Is this not great Babylon, which I myself built as a royal house by the strength of my power and for the honor of my majesty?"

³¹While the word was still in the mouth of the king, a voice fell from the skies: 'It is said to you, O Nebuchadnezzar the king: the kingdom has passed away from you.

³²You will be driven out from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the animals of the field. They will feed you grass like oxen, and seven set times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever he pleases.

³³In that moment the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: he was driven away from mankind, and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of the skies, until his hair grew long like eagles' and his nails like birds'.

³⁴And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the skies, and my knowledge returned to me; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and glorified the living one forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom lasts from generation to generation.

³⁵And all the inhabitants of the land are counted as nothing, and he does as he wishes among the host of the skies and the inhabitants of the land, and there is no one who can hinder his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

³⁶At that very time my understanding returned to me, and for the honor of my kingdom, my majesty and my radiance returned to me. My counselors and my nobles sought me, and I was established over my kingdom, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of the heavens, whose work is all truly, and His ways are court, and who is able to humble those who walk in pride.