The Dream and the King’s Search for an Interpreter

4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was content in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 And I saw a dream and a revelation on my bed and it frightened me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 6 And a decree was ⌊sent out⌋,[fn] ordering that all the wise men of Babylon were to be brought in before me so that they may make known to me the explanation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians,[fn] the conjurers,[fn] the ⌊astrologers⌋[fn] and the diviners came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its explanation.[fn] 8 Then ⌊at last⌋[fn] Daniel came before me ⌊whose name was⌋[fn] Belteshazzar, ⌊according to⌋[fn] the name of my god, and ⌊in whom was the spirit of the holy gods⌋,[fn] ⌊and I related the dream to him⌋.[fn]

9 “ ‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians,[fn] I myself know that the spirit[fn] of the holy gods is in you, and ⌊no mystery is too difficult⌋[fn] for you. Now tell me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its explanation.[fn] 10 Now these were the visions of my head as I was lying on my bed: I was ⌊gazing⌋[fn] and, look, a tree was in the midst of the earth, and its height was exalted.

• 11 The tree grew and it became strong, and its height reached to heaven,[fn]
• and it was visible to the end of the whole earth .[fn]
• 12 Its foliage was beautiful, and its fruit abundant,
• and in it was provision for all.
• Under it the animals[fn] of the field sought shade,
  • and in its branches the birds of heaven[fn] nested,
  • and from it all the living beings were fed.
  
  

13 “ ‘I was looking in the vision of my head as I lay on my bed,and, look, a watcher,[fn] and a holy one, came down from heaven.

14 He cried ⌊aloud⌋[fn] and so he said:

• “Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
  • shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit.
• Let the animals flee from under it,
  • and the birds from its branches.
  • 15 But the stump of its roots leave in the earth,
• along with[fn] a band of iron and bronze;
  • leave it in the grass of the field.
• And in[fn] the dew of heaven
  • let it[fn] be watered,
• and with the animals[fn]
  • let his lot be in the grass of the earth.
  • 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human,[fn] and let the mind of an animal be given to him,
  • and let seven times pass over him.
  • 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision by the command of the holy ones,
• in order that[fn] the living will know
  • that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind,
• and to whomever[fn] he wills he gives it,
  • and he even sets the humblest of men over it.”
  
  

18 “ ‘This is the dream that I, Nebuchadnezzar the king, saw. Now[fn] you, Belteshazzar, declare its explanation, ⌊for⌋[fn] all of the wise men of my kingdom were not able to make the explanation known to me, but you are able because the spirit of holy gods is in you.’