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.

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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

2 Peter 1

New King James Version

Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and ^(A)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have ^[a]obtained ^(B)like^[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

²^(C)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³as His ^(D)divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ^(E)who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴^(F)by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the ^[c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

⁵But also for this very reason, ^(H)giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue ^(I)knowledge, ⁶to knowledge self-control, to self-control ^[d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷to godliness brotherly kindness, and ^(J)to brotherly kindness love. ⁸For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither ^[e]barren ^(K)nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For he who lacks these things is ^(L)shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent ^(M)to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s Approaching Death

¹²For this reason ^(N)I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, ^(O)though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³Yes, I think it is right, ^(P)as long as I am in this ^[f]tent, ^(Q)to stir you up by reminding you, ¹⁴^(R)knowing that shortly I must ^[g]put off my tent, just as ^(S)our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my ^[h]decease.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word^(T)

¹⁶For we did not follow ^(U)cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^(V)power and ^(W)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^(X)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^(Y)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^(Z)the holy mountain.

¹⁹^[i]And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^(AA)light that shines in a dark place, ^(AB)until ^(AC)the day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^(AD)hearts; ²⁰knowing this first, that ^(AE)no prophecy of Scripture is of any private ^[j]interpretation, ²¹for ^(AF)prophecy never came by the will of man, ^(AG)but ^[k]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

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Footnotes

2 Peter 1:1 received
2 Peter 1:1 faith of the same value
2 Peter 1:4 depravity
2 Peter 1:6 patience
2 Peter 1:8 useless
2 Peter 1:13 Body
2 Peter 1:14 Die and leave this body
2 Peter 1:15 Lit. exodus, departure
2 Peter 1:19 Or We also have the more sure prophetic word
2 Peter 1:20 Or origin
2 Peter 1:21 NU men spoke from God

Psalm 119:97-112

New King James Version

מ MEM

⁹⁷Oh, how I love Your law!
^(A)It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸You, through Your commandments, make me ^(B)wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers,
^(C)For Your testimonies are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰^(D)I understand more than the ^[a]ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
¹⁰¹I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
¹⁰²I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
¹⁰³^(E)How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.

נ NUN

¹⁰⁵^(F)Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
¹⁰⁶^(G)I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
¹⁰⁷I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
¹⁰⁸Accept, I pray, ^(H)the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me Your judgments.
¹⁰⁹^(I)My life is continually ^[b]in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
¹¹⁰^(J)The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
¹¹¹^(K)Your testimonies I have taken as a ^[c]heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
¹¹²I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.