1. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, content and prosperous.
2. I had a terrifying dream as I lay in bed, and the images and my visions frightened me.
3. So I issued a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me to give the interpretation of the dream.
4. When the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners had come in, I related the dream before them; but none of them could tell me its meaning.
5. Finally there came before me Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods. I repeated the dream to him:
6. “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is too difficult for you; this is the dream that I saw, tell me its meaning.
7. “These were the visions I saw while in bed: I saw a tree of great height at the center of the earth.
8. It was large and strong, with its top touching the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of the earth.
9. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, providing food for all. Under it the wild beasts found shade, in its branches the birds of the air nested; all flesh ate of it.
10. In the vision I saw while in bed, a holy watcher came down from heaven
11. and cried aloud in these words:‘Cut down the tree and lop off its branches,strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit;Let the beasts flee from beneath it, and the birds from its branches,
12. but leave its stump in the earth.Bound with iron and bronze,let him be fed with the grass of the fieldand bathed with the dew of heaven;let his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
13. Let his mind be changed from a human one;let the mind of a beast be given him,till seven years pass over him.