Daniel 4

New King James Version

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 Nebuchadnezzar the king,

^(A)To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

²I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders ^(B)that the Most High God has worked for me.

³^(C)How great are His signs,
And how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is ^(D)an everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.

⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I saw a dream which made me afraid, ^(E)and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head ^(F)troubled me. ⁶Therefore I issued 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^(G)Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. ⁸But at last Daniel came before me ^(H)(his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; ^(I)in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: ⁹“Belteshazzar, ^(J)chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

¹⁰“These were the visions of my head while on my bed:

I was looking, and behold,
^(K)A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.
¹¹The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
¹²Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
^(L)The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.

¹³“I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was ^(M)a watcher, ^(N)a holy one, coming down from heaven. ¹⁴He cried ^[a]aloud and said thus:

^(O)‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
^(P)Let the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.
¹⁵Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and bronze,
In the tender grass of the field.
Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let him graze with the beasts
On the grass of the earth.
¹⁶Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a beast,
And let seven ^(Q)times^[b] pass over him.

¹⁷‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order ^(R)that the living may know
^(S)That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
^(T)Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the ^(U)lowest of men.’

¹⁸“This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, ^(V)since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, ^(W)for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

Daniel Explains the Second Dream

¹⁹Then Daniel, ^(X)whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts ^(Y)troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”

Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may ^(Z)the dream ^[c]concern those who hate you, and its interpretation ^[d]concern your enemies!

²⁰^(AA)“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, ²¹whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— ²²^(AB)it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, ^(AC)and your dominion to the end of the earth.

²³^(AD)“And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, ^(AE)and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven ^[e]times pass over him’; ²⁴this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵They shall ^(AF)drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you ^(AG)eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven ^[f]times shall pass over you, ^(AH)till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and ^(AI)gives it to whomever He chooses.

²⁶“And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that ^(AJ)Heaven^[g] rules. ²⁷Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; ^(AK)break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. ^(AL)Perhaps there may be ^(AM)a ^[h]lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

²⁸All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹At the end of the twelve months he was walking ^[i]about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰The king ^(AN)spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

³¹^(AO)While the word was still in the king’s mouth, ^(AP)a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³²And ^(AQ)they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven ^[j]times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

³³That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

³⁴And ^(AR)at the end of the ^[k]time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him ^(AS)who lives forever:

For His dominion is ^(AT)an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
³⁵^(AU)All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
^(AV)He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
^(AW)No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, ^(AX)“What have You done?”

³⁶At the same time my reason returned to me, ^(AY)and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was ^(AZ)restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was ^(BA)added to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^(BB)praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, ^(BC)all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. ^(BD)And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

Footnotes

Daniel 4:14 Lit. with strength
Daniel 4:16 Possibly years
Daniel 4:19 be for
Daniel 4:19 for
Daniel 4:23 Possibly years
Daniel 4:25 Possibly years
Daniel 4:26 God
Daniel 4:27 prolonging
Daniel 4:29 Or upon
Daniel 4:32 Possibly years
Daniel 4:34 Lit. days

Jeremiah 52:31-34

New King James Version

Jehoiachin Released from Prison^(A)

³¹^(B)Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that ^[a]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, ^(C)lifted^[b] up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. ³²And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ³³So ^[c]Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, ^(D)and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. ³⁴And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk; lit. The Man of Marduk
Jeremiah 52:31 Showed favor to
Jeremiah 52:33 Lit. he

Daniel 7-8

New King James Version

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(A)Daniel ^[a]had a dream and ^(B)visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling ^[b]the main facts.

²Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. ³And four great beasts ^(C)came up from the sea, each different from the other. ⁴The first was ^(D)like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a ^(E)man’s heart was given to it.

⁵^(F)“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

⁶“After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had ^(G)four heads, and dominion was given to it.

⁷“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, ^(H)a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, ^(I)and it had ten horns. ⁸I was considering the horns, and ^(J)there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes ^(K)of a man, ^(L)and a mouth speaking ^[c]pompous words.

Vision of the Ancient of Days

⁹“I^(M) watched till thrones were ^[d]put in place,
And ^(N)the Ancient of Days was seated;
^(O)His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
^(P)Its wheels a burning fire;
¹⁰^(Q)A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
^(R)A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
^(S)The ^[e]court was seated,
And the books were opened.

¹¹“I watched then because of the sound of the ^[f]pompous words which the horn was speaking; ^(T)I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. ¹²As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

¹³“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, ^(U)One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
¹⁴^(V)Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all ^(W)peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is ^(X)an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

¹⁵“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit ^[g]within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four ^[h]kings which arise out of the earth. ¹⁸But ^(Y)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

¹⁹“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; ²⁰and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke ^[i]pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

²¹“I was watching; ^(Z)and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, ²²until the Ancient of Days came, ^(AA)and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

²³“Thus he said:

‘The fourth beast shall be
^(AB)A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
²⁴^(AC)The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
²⁵^(AD)He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall ^(AE)persecute^[j] the saints of the Most High,
And shall ^(AF)intend to change times and law.
Then ^(AG)the saints shall be given into his hand
^(AH)For a time and times and half a time.

²⁶‘But^(AI) the court shall be seated,
And they shall ^(AJ)take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
²⁷Then the ^(AK)kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
^(AL)His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
^(AM)And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

²⁸“This is the end of the ^[k]account. As for me, Daniel, ^(AN)my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I ^(AO)kept the matter in my heart.”

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In^[l] the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me ^(AP)the first time. ²I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in ^(AQ)Shushan,^[m] the ^[n]citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. ³Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was ^(AR)higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. ⁴I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could ^[o]withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, ^(AS)but he did according to his will and became great.

⁵And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable ^(AT)horn between his eyes. ⁶Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. ⁷And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, ^[p]attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

⁸Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it ^(AU)four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. ⁹^(AV)And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, ^(AW)toward the east, and toward the ^(AX)Glorious Land. ¹⁰^(AY)And it grew up to ^(AZ)the host of heaven; and ^(BA)it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. ¹¹^(BB)He even exalted himself as high as ^(BC)the Prince of the host; ^(BD)and by him ^(BE)the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of ^[q]His sanctuary was cast down. ¹²Because of transgression, ^(BF)an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast ^(BG)truth down to the ground. He ^(BH)did all this and prospered.

¹³Then I heard ^(BI)a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression ^[r]of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

¹⁴And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred ^[s]days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

Gabriel Interprets the Vision

¹⁵Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and ^(BJ)was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me ^(BK)one having the appearance of a man. ¹⁶And I heard a man’s voice ^(BL)between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ^(BM)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” ¹⁷So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and ^(BN)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

¹⁸^(BO)Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; ^(BP)but he touched me, and stood me upright. ¹⁹And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; ^(BQ)for at the appointed time the end shall be. ²⁰The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹And the ^[t]male goat is the ^[u]kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes ^(BR)is the first king. ²²^(BS)As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

²³“And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
^(BT)Having fierce ^[v]features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
²⁴His power shall be mighty, ^(BU)but not by his own power;
He shall destroy ^[w]fearfully,
^(BV)And shall prosper and thrive;
^(BW)He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

²⁵“Through^(BX) his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his ^[x]rule;
^(BY)And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
^(BZ)He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be ^(CA)broken without human ^[y]means.

²⁶“And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
^(CB)Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”

²⁷^(CC)And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was ^[z]astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.