Daniel 4

New American Standard Bible

The King Acknowledges God

4 ^[a]Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[b]languages who live in all the earth: “May your ^[c]^(A)peace be great! ²I am pleased to declare the signs and miracles that the ^(B)Most High God has done for me.

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

The Vision of a Great Tree

⁴“^[d]I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and ^(E)happy in my palace. ⁵I saw a ^(F)dream and it startled me; and these appearances as I lay on my bed and the ^(G)visions ^[e]in my mind kept alarming me. ⁶So I gave orders to ^(H)bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷Then the ^(I)soothsayer priests, the sorcerers, the ^[f]Chaldeans, and the diviners came in and I related the dream ^[g]to them, but they could not make its ^(J)interpretation known to me. ⁸But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is ^(K)Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is ^[h]^(L)a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream ^[i]to him, saying, ⁹‘Belteshazzar, ^(M)chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that ^(N)a spirit of the holy gods is in you and ^(O)no secret baffles you, ^(P)tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

¹⁰‘Now these were the ^(Q)visions ^[j]in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a ^(R)tree in the middle of the ^[k]earth and its height was great.

¹¹The tree grew large and became strong
And its height ^(S)reached to the sky,
And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
¹²Its foliage was ^(T)beautiful and its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The ^(U)animals of the field ^[l]found ^(V)shade under it,
And the ^(W)birds of the sky lived in its branches,
And all ^[m]living creatures fed from it.

¹³‘I was looking in the ^(X)visions ^[n]in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, ^(Y)an angelic watcher, a ^(Z)holy one, descended from heaven.

¹⁴He shouted out and spoke as follows:
“^(AA)Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the ^(AB)animals flee from under it
And the birds from its branches.
¹⁵Yet ^(AC)leave the stump ^[o]with its roots in the ground,
But with a band of iron and bronze around it
In the new grass of the field;
And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And let ^[p]him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.
¹⁶Let his ^[q]mind change from that of a human
And let an animal’s ^[r]mind be given to him,
And let ^(AD)seven ^[s]periods of time pass over him.
¹⁷This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers,
And the decision is a command of the holy ones,
In order that the living may ^(AE)know
That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,
And ^(AF)He grants it to whomever He wishes
And sets over it the ^(AG)lowliest of people.”

¹⁸This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the ^(AH)wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a ^(AI)spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

Daniel Interprets the Vision

¹⁹“Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his ^(AJ)thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not ^(AK)let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘^(AL)My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to ^(AM)your adversaries! ²⁰The ^(AN)tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, ²¹and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky settled— ²²it is ^(AO)you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your ^[t]majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your ^(AP)dominion to the end of the earth. ²³And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “^(AQ)Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump ^[u]with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let ^[v]him share with the animals of the field until ^(AR)seven ^[w]periods of time pass over him,” ²⁴this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has ^(AS)come upon my lord the king: ²⁵that you be ^(AT)driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven ^[x]periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the ^(AU)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and ^(AV)bestows it on whomever He wishes. ²⁶And in that it was commanded to ^(AW)leave the stump ^[y]with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will ^[z]remain as yours after you recognize that it is ^(AX)Heaven that rules. ²⁷Therefore, O king, may my ^(AY)advice be pleasing to you: ^(AZ)wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by ^(BA)showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a ^(BB)prolonging of your prosperity.’

The Vision Fulfilled

²⁸“All of this ^(BC)happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. ²⁹^(BD)Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰The king began speaking and was saying, ‘Is this not Babylon the ^(BE)great, which I myself have built as a royal ^[aa]residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?’ ³¹While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice ^[ab]came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: ^[ac]sovereignty has been removed from you, ³²and ^(BF)you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and ^(BG)seven ^[ad]periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the ^(BH)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ ³³Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was ^(BI)driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

³⁴“But at the end of ^[ae]that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my ^[af]reason returned to me, and I blessed the ^(BJ)Most High and praised and honored ^(BK)Him who lives forever;

For His dominion is an ^(BL)everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
³⁵^(BM)All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account,
But ^(BN)He does according to His will among the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And ^(BO)no one can ^[ag]fend off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘^(BP)What have You done?’

³⁶At that time my ^[ah]^(BQ)reason returned to me. And my majesty and ^(BR)splendor were ^[ai]restored to me for the honor of my kingdom, and my state counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my ^[aj]sovereignty, and surpassing ^(BS)greatness was added to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of ^(BT)heaven, for ^(BU)all His works are ^[ak]true and His ways ^[al]just; and He is able to humble those who ^(BV)walk in pride.”

Footnotes

Daniel 4:1 Ch 3:31 in Aram
Daniel 4:1 Lit tongues
Daniel 4:1 Or welfare; or prosperity
Daniel 4:4 Ch 4:1 in Aram
Daniel 4:5 Lit of my head
Daniel 4:7 Probably master astrologers, diviners, etc.
Daniel 4:7 Lit before
Daniel 4:8 Or possibly the Spirit of the holy God, and so throughout the ch
Daniel 4:8 Lit before
Daniel 4:10 Lit of my head
Daniel 4:10 Or land, and so throughout the ch
Daniel 4:12 Or dwelt under it
Daniel 4:12 Lit flesh
Daniel 4:13 Lit of my head
Daniel 4:15 Lit of
Daniel 4:15 Lit his share be with
Daniel 4:16 Lit heart
Daniel 4:16 Lit heart
Daniel 4:16 I.e., years
Daniel 4:22 Lit greatness
Daniel 4:23 Lit of
Daniel 4:23 Lit his share be with
Daniel 4:23 I.e., years
Daniel 4:25 I.e., years
Daniel 4:26 Lit of
Daniel 4:26 Lit be enduring to you
Daniel 4:30 Lit house
Daniel 4:31 Lit fell
Daniel 4:31 Or kingdom
Daniel 4:32 I.e., years
Daniel 4:34 Lit the days
Daniel 4:34 Lit understanding
Daniel 4:35 Lit strike against
Daniel 4:36 Lit understanding
Daniel 4:36 Lit returning
Daniel 4:36 Or kingdom
Daniel 4:37 Lit truth
Daniel 4:37 Lit justice

Hebrews 1-2

New American Standard Bible

God’s Final Word in His Son

1 God, after He ^(A)spoke long ago to the fathers in ^(B)the prophets in many portions and ^(C)in many ways, ²^[a]^(D)in these last days ^(E)has spoken to us ^[b]in His ^(F)Son, whom He appointed ^(G)heir of all things, ^(H)through whom He also made the ^[c]^(I)world. ³^[d]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact ^(J)representation of His nature, and ^[e]^(K)upholds all things by ^[f]the word of His power. When He had made ^(L)purification of sins, He ^(M)sat down at the right hand of the ^(N)Majesty on high, ⁴having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent ^(O)name than they.

⁵For to which of the angels did He ever say,

“^(P)You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”?

And again,

“^(Q)I will be a Father to Him
And He will be a Son to Me”?

⁶And ^[g]when He again ^(R)brings the firstborn into ^[h]^(S)the world, He says,

“^(T)And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

⁷And regarding the angels He says,

“^(U)He makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”

⁸But regarding the Son He says,

“^(V)Your throne, God, is forever and ever,
And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of ^[i]His kingdom.
⁹^(W)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
^(X)Therefore God, Your God, has ^(Y)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your companions.”

¹⁰And,

“^(Z)You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
¹¹^(AA)They will perish, but You remain;
^(AB)And they all will ^[j]wear out like a garment,
¹²^(AC)And like a robe You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are ^(AD)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”

¹³But to which of the angels has He ever said,

“^(AE)Sit at My right hand,
^(AF)Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet”?

¹⁴Are they not all ^(AG)ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will ^(AH)inherit ^(AI)salvation?

Pay Attention

2 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to ^[k]what we have heard, so that ^(AJ)we do not drift away from it. ²For if the word ^(AK)spoken through ^(AL)angels proved ^[l]unalterable, and ^(AM)every violation and act of disobedience received a just ^[m]^(AN)punishment, ³^(AO)how will we escape if we neglect so great a ^(AP)salvation? ^[n]After it was at first ^(AQ)spoken through the Lord, it was ^(AR)confirmed to us by those who heard, ⁴God also testifying with them, both by ^(AS)signs and wonders, and by ^(AT)various ^[o]miracles and by ^[p]^(AU)gifts of the Holy Spirit ^(AV)according to His own will.

Earth Subject to Man

⁵For He did not subject to angels ^[q]^(AW)the world to come, about which we are speaking. ⁶But someone has testified ^(AX)somewhere, saying,

“^(AY)What is man, that You think of him?
Or a son of man, that You are concerned about him?
⁷^(AZ)You have made him ^[r]for a little while lower than angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor^[s];
⁸^(BA)You have put everything in subjection under his feet.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now ^(BB)we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

Jesus Briefly Humbled

⁹But we do see Him who was ^(BC)made ^[t]for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, ^(BD)because of His suffering death ^(BE)crowned with glory and honor, so that ^(BF)by the grace of God He might ^(BG)taste death ^(BH)for everyone.

¹⁰For ^(BI)it was fitting for Him, ^(BJ)for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to ^(BK)perfect the ^[u]^(BL)originator of their salvation through sufferings. ¹¹For both He who ^(BM)sanctifies and those who ^(BN)are ^[v]sanctified are all ^(BO)from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them ^(BP)brothers and sisters, ¹²saying,

“^(BQ)I will proclaim Your name to My brothers,
In the midst of the assembly I will sing Your praise.”

¹³And again,

“^(BR)I will put My trust in Him.”

And again,

“^(BS)Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”

¹⁴Therefore, since the children share in ^[w]^(BT)flesh and blood, ^(BU)He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that ^(BV)through death He might destroy ^(BW)the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and free those who through ^(BX)fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶For clearly He does not ^[x]give help to angels, but He gives help to the ^[y]descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore, in all things He ^[z]had ^(BY)to be made like His brothers so that He might ^(BZ)become a merciful and faithful ^(CA)high priest in ^(CB)things pertaining to God, to ^(CC)make ^[aa]propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸For since He Himself was ^[ab]^(CD)tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are ^[ac]tempted.

Footnotes

Hebrews 1:2 Or at the end of these days
Hebrews 1:2 Or in the person of a Son; lit in Son
Hebrews 1:2 Lit ages
Hebrews 1:3 Lit Who being
Hebrews 1:3 Lit upholding
Hebrews 1:3 Or His word of power
Hebrews 1:6 Or again when He brings
Hebrews 1:6 Lit the inhabited earth
Hebrews 1:8 Late mss Your
Hebrews 1:11 Or become old
Hebrews 2:1 Lit the things that have been heard
Hebrews 2:2 Or steadfast
Hebrews 2:2 Lit retribution
Hebrews 2:3 Lit Which was
Hebrews 2:4 Or works of power
Hebrews 2:4 Lit distributions
Hebrews 2:5 Lit the inhabited earth
Hebrews 2:7 Or ...him a little lower than...
Hebrews 2:7 One early ms continues, and have appointed him over the works of Your hands
Hebrews 2:9 Or a little lower
Hebrews 2:10 Or leader
Hebrews 2:11 Or being sanctified
Hebrews 2:14 Lit blood and flesh
Hebrews 2:16 Lit take hold of angels, but He takes hold of
Hebrews 2:16 Lit seed
Hebrews 2:17 Lit was obligated to be
Hebrews 2:17 I.e., reconciliation with God by atoning for the sins
Hebrews 2:18 Or tested
Hebrews 2:18 Or tested

Psalm 106:1-12

New American Standard Bible

Israel’s Rebelliousness and the Lord’s Help.

106 ^[a]Praise ^[b]the Lord!
Oh ^(A)give thanks to the Lord, for He ^(B)is good;
For ^(C)His mercy is everlasting.
²Who can speak of the ^(D)mighty deeds of the Lord,
Or can proclaim all His praise?
³How blessed are those who maintain ^[c]justice,
^[d]Who ^(E)practice righteousness at all times!

⁴Remember me, Lord, in Your ^(F)favor ^[e]toward Your people.
Visit me with Your salvation,
⁵So that I may see the ^(G)prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may ^(H)rejoice in the joy of Your nation,
That I may ^(I)boast with Your ^[f]inheritance.

⁶^(J)We have sinned ^[g]^(K)like our fathers,
We have gone astray, we have behaved wickedly.
⁷Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your ^[h]wonders;
They ^(L)did not remember ^[i]Your abundant kindnesses,
But ^(M)rebelled by the sea, at the ^[j]Red Sea.
⁸Nevertheless He saved them ^(N)for the sake of His name,
So that He might ^(O)make His power known.
⁹So He ^(P)rebuked the ^[k]Red Sea and it ^(Q)dried up,
And He ^(R)led them through the mighty waters, as through the wilderness.
¹⁰So He ^(S)saved them from the ^[l]hand of one who hated them,
And ^(T)redeemed them from the ^[m]hand of the enemy.
¹¹^(U)The waters covered their adversaries;
Not one of them was left.
¹²Then they ^(V)believed His words;
They ^(W)sang His praise.

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Footnotes

Psalm 106:1 Or Hallelujah!
Psalm 106:1 Heb Yah
Psalm 106:3 Or judgment
Psalm 106:3 Many Heb mss The one who performs
Psalm 106:4 Lit of
Psalm 106:5 I.e., people
Psalm 106:6 Lit with
Psalm 106:7 I.e., wonderful acts
Psalm 106:7 Lit the multitude of Your kindnesses
Psalm 106:7 Lit Sea of Reeds
Psalm 106:9 Lit Sea of Reeds
Psalm 106:10 Or power
Psalm 106:10 Or power

Proverbs 14:30-31

New American Standard Bible

³⁰A ^(A)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But jealousy is ^(B)rottenness to the bones.
³¹One ^(C)who oppresses the poor taunts ^(D)his Maker,
But one who is gracious to the needy honors Him.