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The
King Acknowledges God |
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Daniel 4:1
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Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples,
nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: "May your peace
abound! |
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Daniel 4:2
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"It has seemed good to me to declare the signs
and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. |
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Daniel 4:3
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"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. |
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The Vision of a Great Tree |
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Daniel 4:4
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"I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house
and flourishing in my palace. |
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Daniel 4:5
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"I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these
fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. |
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Daniel 4:6
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"So I gave orders to bring into my presence
all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation
of the dream. |
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Daniel 4:7
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"Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans
and the diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make
its interpretation known to me. |
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Daniel 4:8
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"But finally Daniel came in before me, whose
name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit
of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him, saying, |
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Daniel 4:9
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'O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since
I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery baffles you, tell
me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation. |
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Daniel 4:10
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'Now these were the visions in my mind as I
lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the
earth and its height was great. |
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Daniel 4:11
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'The tree grew large and became strong And its
height reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth. |
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Daniel 4:12
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'Its foliage was 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 sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves
from it. |
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Daniel 4:13
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'I was looking in the visions in my mind as
I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.
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Daniel 4:14
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'He shouted out and spoke as follows: "Chop
down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its
fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it And the birds from its branches. |
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Daniel 4:15
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"Yet leave the stump 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 him share with the beasts
in the grass of the earth. |
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Daniel 4:16
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"Let his mind be changed from that of a man
And let a beast's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over
him. |
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Daniel 4:17
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"This 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 know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it
on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men." |
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Daniel 4:18
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'This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none
of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation;
but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.' |
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Daniel Interprets the Vision |
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Daniel 4:19
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"Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar,
was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said,
'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar
replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation
to your adversaries! |
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Daniel 4:20
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'The tree that you saw, which became large and
grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth
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Daniel 4:21
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and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit
abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt
and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged-- |
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Daniel 4:22
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it is you, O king; for you have become great
and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and
your dominion to the end of the earth. |
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Daniel 4:23
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'In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a
holy one, descending from heaven and saying, "Chop down the tree and destroy it;
yet leave the stump 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 him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods
of time pass over him," |
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Daniel 4:24
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this is the interpretation, O king, and this
is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: |
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Daniel 4:25
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that you be driven away from mankind and your
dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat
like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time
will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm
of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. |
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Daniel 4:26
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'And in that it was commanded to leave the stump
with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize
that it is Heaven that rules. |
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Daniel 4:27
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'Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing
to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities
by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.' |
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The Vision Fulfilled |
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Daniel 4:28
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"All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
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Daniel 4:29
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"Twelve months later he was walking on the roof
of the royal palace of Babylon. |
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Daniel 4:30
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"The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon
the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power
and for the glory of my majesty?' |
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Daniel 4:31
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"While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice
came from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty
has been removed from you, |
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Daniel 4:32
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and you will be driven away from mankind, and
your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass
to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize
that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever
He wishes.' |
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Daniel 4:33
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"Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar
was fulfilled; and he was 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. |
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Daniel 4:34
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"But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most
High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. |
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Daniel 4:35
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"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted
as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among
the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What
have You done?' |
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Daniel 4:36
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"At that time my reason returned to me. And
my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my
counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty,
and surpassing greatness was added to me. |
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Daniel 4:37
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"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor
the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able
to humble those who walk in pride." |
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