Daniel 4:1-37
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
2 I thoughta it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath 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 mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was 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 thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw,b and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:
12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
14 He cried aloud,c and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengtheningd of thy tranquillity.
28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of twelve months he walked ine the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
The Men who were Loyal to God
Daniel
Robert Bryce
Chapter 4
v1 I, King Nebuchadnezzar, send this message to everyone in the world. I am writing to the people in every country who speak every language. I pray that you all have happy and successful lives.
v2 It pleases me to tell you what the great God has done for me.
God has done extraordinary and wonderful things for me.
v3 The things that he does are wonderful and very great.
God’s *kingdom will never end. He rules for all time.
Verses 1-3 Nebuchadnezzar wanted to tell everybody in the world how great God is. This does not sound like the same Nebuchadnezzar.
He had met Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1:18-20). He discovered that they were wiser than all the other wise men. Maybe he knew that they gave honour to the real God. This did not make him give honour to the real God. He was still an evil man.
Later God helped Daniel to understand Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:19). Daniel told the king the dream and what it meant. Then the king said that Daniel’s God was greater than all gods. He said that God rules over kings. Still Nebuchadnezzar did not give honour to the real God. He was still an evil man.
Later, Nebuchadnezzar put Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire (Daniel 3:21). God saved them. Nebuchadnezzar told people to give honour to the real God. He would punish anyone who did not obey (Daniel 3:29). But he was still an evil man.
Now Nebuchadnezzar had changed. Something had happened to change him.
Nebuchadnezzar told the story.
v4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace. I was comfortable and I was happy. v5 Then I had a dream that scared me. I lay on my bed and the thoughts in my head frightened me.
Verses 4-5 Nebuchadnezzar was comfortable. He was happy. He was the most powerful man in the whole world. He thought that he could do anything. He thought that he did not need God. But God had plans for Nebuchadnezzar. God gave him a dream.
Many people are like Nebuchadnezzar. They think that they do not need God. Perhaps they only pray when things go wrong. We do not just speak to our friends when we need them. That would not be polite. We talk to friends at all times. God wants us to be his friends. He wants us to talk to him all the time.
v6 So I ordered all the wise men in Babylon to come to me. I wanted them to tell me what the dream meant.
v7 When the *magicians, *enchanters, *astrologers and *diviners came, I told them the dream. But none of them could tell me what the dream meant. v8 Finally, Daniel came to me. I call him Belteshazzar like my god’s name. The spirit of the holy gods is in this man, Daniel. So I told him the dream.
v9 ‘Belteshazzar’, I said, ‘you are the chief of the wise men. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. I know also that no mystery is too difficult for you. So, here is the dream that I saw. Tell me what it means.’
Verses 6-9 Nebuchadnezzar called his wise men. He wanted them to tell him what his dream meant. This time he told them his dream. But they could not tell him what it meant. This is strange. The king had a dream before (Daniel 2:1). Then the wise men made a promise. If the king told them the dream, they would tell him the meaning (Daniel 2:7). This time he did tell them the dream. But still they could not tell him what it meant. God told Daniel the king’s first dream. Daniel told the king the dream. And he told him what it meant. But Nebuchadnezzar only called for Daniel last. We do not know why the wise men did not tell the king the meaning of the dream. We do not know why the king called for Daniel. The king probably knew that God gave him the dream. He knew that he was an evil man. He knew that God would tell him bad news. He may have guessed what the dream meant. He did not want to hear bad news. The wise men probably knew all this too. They did not want to tell the king bad news.
v10 ‘This is what I saw in my mind. I saw it while I was asleep. I saw a tree in the middle of the earth and it was very tall. v11 The tree grew taller and stronger. Its top touched the sky, so everyone in the world could see it. v12 It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruit. There was enough food on it for everyone. It was a shelter for the animals and the birds lived in it. Every living thing ate its food.’
Verses 10-12 So Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel the dream. In his dream, he saw a tree. The tree was tall and it grew taller. The tree gave food to all people and animals. It was a shelter for the animals and birds.
v13 ‘While I was still sleeping, I saw an *angel. He was holy and he came from heaven. v14 He shouted aloud. “Chase away the animals that are under the tree”, he shouted. “Chase away the birds that are in its branches. Cut down the tree. Cut off its branches. Tear off its leaves. Scatter its fruit. v15 But leave the roots of the tree in the ground. Tie it up with iron and *bronze. Then leave it in the grass.
Make him wet with *dew from the sky. Make him live in the fields with the animals. v16 Take his own mind away from him, and give him the mind of an animal for 7 years.
v17 This is the command of the *angels who watch human people. And it is the decision of the holy *angels. So now everyone will know that God rules in the *kingdoms of men. He can give *kingdoms to anyone that he wants to. He can make men who are not important into kings.”
v18 This was my dream’, I said to Belteshazzar. ‘Now, you tell me what it means. None of the wise men in any of my countries can tell me its meaning. But you can tell me, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
Verses 13-18 The king also saw an *angel in his dream. The *angel gave orders to destroy the tree. These were God’s orders. Birds could not live in the tree. The animals ran away. People could not eat its fruit. But part of the tree remained. The roots stayed in the ground.
Then the *angel spoke in a different way. He gave orders about a man. This man must lose his mind. He would get the mind of an animal for 7 years. We have translated the words of the *angel as 7 years. Actually, in the original language, the words mean 7 times. This probably means 7 years.
Then the *angel talked about *kingdoms. God rules over kings. He can give *kingdoms to anyone. The *angel also talked about God. God had given Nebuchadnezzar a message in a dream before (Daniel 2:28). Now Nebuchadnezzar would have known that the dream was about him.
Nebuchadnezzar knew that Daniel could tell him its meaning. He knew that Daniel would tell him the truth.
v19 Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, was uneasy for a time. His thoughts made him anxious. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or what it means make you anxious.’ Then Belteshazzar answered the king. ‘Sir, I wish that the dream was about your enemies and not about you. v20 You saw a tree that grew. And it grew taller and stronger until its top touched the sky. Everyone in the world could see it. v21 It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruit. There was enough food on it for everyone. It was a home for the animals and the birds built their nests in it. v22 You, the king, are like that tree. You have become stronger and more powerful. You have become very great so that they have heard about you in heaven. You have power over the whole world.
v23 Then you saw an *angel. He was holy and he came from heaven. “Cut down the tree and destroy it”, he said. “But leave the tree’s roots in the ground. Tie it up with iron and *bronze. Then leave it in the grass.
Make him wet with *dew from the sky. Make him live in the fields like the animals for 7 years.” ’
Verses 19-23 When Daniel heard the dream, he was uneasy for a time. He knew that God was telling Nebuchadnezzar bad news. Perhaps Daniel liked Nebuchadnezzar, although Nebuchadnezzar was evil. Perhaps Daniel felt sorry for Nebuchadnezzar. He did not want to give him the bad news.
Daniel told the king that he, Nebuchadnezzar, was like the tree. He was a very powerful king. He had power over the whole earth.
v24 ‘This is what the dream means. The real God has given a command about the king. v25 People will chase you away, so that you will have to live with the animals. And you will eat grass as cows do. *Dew from the sky will make you wet. And this situation will last for 7 years. Then you will know that God rules in the *kingdoms of men. He can give *kingdoms to anyone that he wants to give them to. v26 The *angel ordered, “Leave the tree’s roots.” This means that you will be king again later. But only when you agree that God rules the world. v27 Therefore, my king, I hope that you will accept my advice. Stop doing bad things. Start doing what is right. Do not do evil things. But be kind to the people who suffer. Then, perhaps, you will continue to live happily.’
Verses 24-27 The *angel gave the orders, but they were God’s orders. God would punish Nebuchadnezzar. He would take away Nebuchadnezzar’s power and his mind. He would give the king the mind of an animal. He would make Nebuchadnezzar live like an animal.
One day, Nebuchadnezzar would agree that God rules over kings. Then Nebuchadnezzar would get his proper mind back. God would make him king again.
Daniel knew that God does not like to punish people. So he advised the king to stop doing evil things. He advised him to do good things. The dream would still come true. But maybe Nebuchadnezzar would be happy for a longer time.
v28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. v29 One year later, he was walking on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. v30 Then the king spoke aloud and he said, ‘Look how great Babylon is. I have built this city for my palace by my power. It shows how great and powerful I am.’
Verses 28-30 If Nebuchadnezzar listened to Daniel, he soon forgot. For many months, the dream did not come true. Nebuchadnezzar probably thought that it would never come true.
A year later, the king was on the roof of his palace. He was proud of all that he had done. He was the most powerful man in the world. He could do whatever he wanted to do. Or that is what he thought! He thought that he did not need God. But God spoke to him.
v31 While he was still speaking proudly, he heard a voice from heaven. ‘I am speaking to you, king Nebuchadnezzar’, the voice said. ‘I have taken your royal power away from you. v32 People will chase you away. You will live with the animals. And you will eat grass as cows do. This situation will last for 7 years. Then you will know that God rules the *kingdoms of men. And he can give *kingdoms to anyone that he wants to give them to.’
v33 Then it all happened to Nebuchadnezzar as he had dreamed. People chased him away. And he ate grass as cows do. *Dew from the sky made his body wet. His hair grew long so that it seemed like the feathers of a large bird. And his nails seemed like bird’s feet.
Verses 31-33 Then the dream came true. God told Nebuchadnezzar what would happen. God took away his royal power. People chased him away. God made him live with the animals. The great Nebuchadnezzar had to eat grass. His hair and his nails grew long. Then he seemed like an animal.
v34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up towards heaven and I prayed. I got my proper mind back and I thanked the real God. I gave honour to him who never dies.
His *kingdom will never end
because he rules always and for all time.
v35 All the people on the earth are worth nothing.
He does what he wants with the *angels in heaven.
And he does what he wants with the people on the earth.
Nobody can stop him.
Nobody can say to him, ‘You should not be doing that.’
v36 When I got my proper mind back, I also got my power back. People respected me. My officials and important men came back to me. So I became the king again. And I became greater than I was before. v37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give honour to the King of heaven and I thank him. He does what is right all the time. He is always fair. And he can make proud people become humble people.
Verses 34-37 Nebuchadnezzar had the mind of an animal. But, when the time was right, he was able to think about God. One day he gave honour to God. He agreed that God rules over everything. He agreed that God was more powerful than any king. Then he got his own mind back.
When he gave honour to God, God gave him his power back. He became king again. God made him greater than he was before.
So Nebuchadnezzar did change (Daniel 4:1-3). God changed him.
kingdom ~ the place or territory or land where a king rules.magicians ~ these people do magic. They seem to do things that are impossible. Such practices were part of many ancient religions. Kings often chose magicians to be their advisers. But the Bible teaches that such magic does not come from God. Any powers that magicians may have, come from evil spirits.
enchanter ~ a kind of magician.
magicians ~ these people do magic. They seem to do things that are impossible. Such practices were part of many ancient religions. Kings often chose magicians to be their advisers. But the Bible teaches that such magic does not come from God. Any powers that magicians may have, come from evil spirits.
astrologer ~ astrologers looked at the stars; then they tried to say what would happen in the future.
diviner ~ a diviner tried to find out things by magic (see magician).
magicians ~ these people do magic. They seem to do things that are impossible. Such practices were part of many ancient religions. Kings often chose magicians to be their advisers. But the Bible teaches that such magic does not come from God. Any powers that magicians may have, come from evil spirits.
angel ~ God’s servant in heaven, who brings messages from God.
bronze ~ a bright, hard metal, which is a usually a mixture of yellow metal and tin; it is less precious than gold or silver.
dew ~ the water drops that appear on the plants and on the ground in the morning when the air is cool.
dew ~ the water drops that appear on the plants and on the ground in the morning when the air is cool.