The Book of the Prophet Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you.

It hath seemed good unto me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God hath wrought toward me.

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.

I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.

I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

And I made 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.

Then came in the scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers; and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation of it.

But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name is 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:

O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret is too hard for thee, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, and the interpretation of it.

Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached unto the heavens, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.

Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all: the beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the heavens;

he cried aloud, and said thus: Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit; let the beasts get away from under it, and the birds from its branches.

Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

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.

This sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision by the word of the holy ones: that the living may know that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.