Dan 4, Dan 9 | ESV | STEP | King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples , nations , and languages , that dwell in all the earth : Peace be multiplied to you!

1 ^{▼▼Ch 3:31 in Aramaic} King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^bpeoples, nations, and languages, ^cthat dwell in all the earth: ^dPeace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^esigns and wonders that the ^fMost High God has done for me.

3 How great are ^ghis signs,
how mighty his ^hwonders!
ⁱHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
^jand his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 ^{▼▼Ch 4:1 in Aramaic} I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^lthe visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So ^mI made a decree that ⁿall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then ^othe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^pthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^qBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^rthe spirit of the holy gods ^{▼▼Or Spirit of the holy God; also verses 9, 18}—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^tchief of the magicians, because I know that ^uthe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^vmystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^wthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 ^xThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^ybehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 ^zThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ^aaIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^abThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^acthe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in ^adthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^aea watcher, ^afa holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He ^agproclaimed aloud and said thus: ^ah‘Chop down the tree and ^ailop off its branches, ^ajstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^akLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; ^aland let seven periods of time ^ampass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of ^anthe watchers, the decision by the word of ^aothe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^aprules the kingdom of men ^aqand gives it to whom he will and ^arsets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^asBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^atall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^authe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was ^avBelteshazzar, was ^awdismayed for a while, and ^axhis thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^aymay the dream be for those who hate you ^azand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 ^baThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^bbwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^bcit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^bdYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^beand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^bfa watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^bg‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^bhseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^bithat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^bjto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^bkseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^blyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded ^bmto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by ^bnpracticing righteousness, ^boand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ^bpthat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, ^bq“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^brmy mighty power as a royal residence and for ^bsthe glory of my majesty?” 31 ^btWhile the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 ^buand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^bvuntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^bwHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 ^bxAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^bymy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^bzhim who lives forever,

^cafor his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and ^cbhis kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 ^ccall the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and ^cdhe does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
^ceand none can stay his hand
or ^cfsay to him, “What have you done?”
36 At the same time ^cgmy reason returned to me, and for ^chthe glory of my kingdom, ^cimy majesty and splendor returned to me. ^cjMy counselors and ^ckmy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^cladded to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^cmpraise and extol and honor the ^cnKing of heaven, ^cofor all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^cpthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 9

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

1 ^cqIn the first year of ^crDarius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a ^csMede, who was made king over the realm of the ^ctChaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ^cuthe word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^cvprayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and ^cwmade confession, saying, ^cx“O Lord, the ^cygreat and awesome God, who ^czkeeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 ^dawe have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^dband rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 ^dcWe have not listened to ^ddyour servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^deour kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, ^dfO Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^dgthose who are near and ^dhthose who are far away, in ^diall the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^djthe treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^dkwe have sinned against you. 9 ^dlTo the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 ^dmand have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^dnhis servants the prophets. 11 ^doAll Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^dprefusing to obey your voice. ^dqAnd the curse and oath ^drthat are written in the Law of ^dsMoses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^dtwe have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^duour rulers who ruled us, ^{▼▼Or our judges who judged us} by ^dwbringing upon us a great calamity. ^dxFor under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 ^dyAs it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^dzturning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 ^eaTherefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^ebfor the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^ecwe have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^edwith a mighty hand, and ^eehave made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^efwe have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, ^egaccording to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^ehyour holy hill, ^eibecause for our sins, and for ^ejthe iniquities of our fathers, ^ekJerusalem and your people have become ^ela byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, ^{▼▼Hebrew for the Lord’s sake} ^enmake your face to shine upon ^eoyour sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 ^epO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^eqour desolations, and ^erthe city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^esDelay not, ^etfor your own sake, O my God, because ^euyour city and ^evyour people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

20 ^ewWhile I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^exthe holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^eyGabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^ezcame to me in swift flight at ^fathe time of the evening sacrifice. 22 ^fbHe made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^fcinsight and understanding. 23 ^fdAt the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^feand I have come to tell it to you, for ^ffyou are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^fgand understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

24 ^fh“Seventy weeks ^{▼▼Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26} are decreed about your people and ^fjyour holy city, to finish ^fkthe transgression, to put an end to sin, ^fland to atone for iniquity, ^fmto bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^fnto anoint a most holy place. ^{▼▼Or thing, or one} 25 ^fpKnow therefore and understand that ^fqfrom the going out of the word to restore and ^frbuild Jerusalem to the coming of an ^fsanointed one, a ^ftprince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again ^{▼▼Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again} with squares and moat, ^fvbut in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^fwbe cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^fxshall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^fyIts ^{▼▼Or His} end shall come with a flood, ^gaand to the end there shall be war. ^gbDesolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, ^{▼▼Or seven; twice in this verse} and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^gdAnd on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^gethe decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”