rd

Daniel 4

Another dream of Nebuchad-nezzár , which Daniél declareth 29 The Prophet declareth how of a proud King he should become as a beast. 31 After, he confesseth the power of God and is restored to his former dignity.
1.I Nebuchad-nezzár being at arest in mine house, & flourishing in my palace,
2.Saw a bdream, which made me afraid, & the thoughts upon my bed, & the visions of mine head troubled me.
3.Therefore made I a decree, that they should bring all the wise men of Babél before me, that they might declare unto me the interpretation of the dream.
4.So came the enchanters, the astrologians, the Caldeans and the southsayers, to whom I told the dream, but cthey could not shewe me the interpretation thereof,
5.Til at the last Daniél came before me, (whose name was dBelteshazzár, according to the name of my god, which hath the spirit of the holy gods in him) and before him I told the dream,
6.O Belteshazzár, echief of the enchanters, because I know, that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tel me the visions of my dream, that I have seen and the interpretation thereof.
7.Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed. And behold, I saw a ftre in the middes of the earth and the height thereof was great:
8.A great tre and strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the ends of all the earth.
9.The boughs thereof were fair and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: it made a shadow under it for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh fed of it.
10.I Saw in the visions of mine head upon my bed, and behold, a gwatchman and an holy one came down from heaven,
11.And cryed aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tre, and break off his branches: shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit, that the beasts may flee from under it, & the fowls from his branches.
12.Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass bind it among the grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts among the grass of the field.
13.hLet his heart be changed from man’s nature, & let a beast’s heart be given unto him, and let seven times be passed over him
14.iThe sentence is according to the decree of the watchmen, and according to the word of the holy ones: the demand was answered, to the intent that living men may know, that the most high hath power over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, & appointeth over it the most abject among men.
15.This is the dream, that I King Nebuchad-nezzár have seen: therefore thou, ô Belteshazzár, declare the interpretation thereof: for all the wisemen of my kingdom are not able to shewe me the interpretation: but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee,
16.¶ Then Daniél (whose name was Belteshazzár) held his kpeace by the space of one hour, and his thoughts troubled him, and the King spake and said, Belteshazzár, let neither the dream, not the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belteshazzár answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
17.The tre that thou sawest, which was great and mighty, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof through all the world,
18.Whose leaves were fair and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all, under the which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven did sit,
19.It is thou, ô King, that art great and mighty: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the ends of the earth.
20.Where as the King saw a watchman, and an holy one, that came down from heaven, and said, Hew down the tre and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass bind it among the grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, ltil seven times pass over him,
21.This is the interpretation, ô King, and it is the decree of the most high, which is come upon my lord the King,
22.That they shal drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shalbe with the beasts of the field: they shal make thee to eat grass as the moxen, and they shal wet thee with the dew of heaven: and seven times shal pass over thee, til thou know, that nthe most high beareth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom soever he will.
23.Where as they said, that one should leave the stump of the tre roots, thy kingdom shal remain unto thee: after that, thou shalt know, that the heavens have the rule.
24.Wherefore, ô King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and obreak off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by mercy toward the poor: lo, let there be an phealing of thine error.
25.All these things shal come upon the King Nebuchad-nezzár.
26.¶ At the end of twelve qmonths, he walked in the royal palace of Babél.
27.And the King spake and said, Is not this great Babél, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
28.While the word was in the King’s mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchad-nezzár, to thee be it spoken, Thy kingdom is departed from thee,
29.And they shal drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shalbe with the beasts of the field: they shal make thee to eat grass, as the oxen, and seven times shal pass over thee, until thou knowest, that the most high beareth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it unto whom soever he will.
30.The very same hour was this thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzár , and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, til his hairs were grown as eagle’s feathers and his nails like bird’s clawes.
31.And at the end of these rdays I Nebuchad-nezzár lift up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding was restored unto me, and I gave thanks unto the most high, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, *whose power is an everlasting power, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
32.And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and according to his swill he worketh in the army of heaven, and in the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, nor say unto him, What doest thou?
33.At the same time was mine understanding restored unto me, and I returned to the honour of my kingdom: my glory and my beauty was restored unto me, and my counsellors tand my princes sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and my glory was augmented toward me.
34.Now therefore I Nebuchad-nezzár upraise, and extoll and magnify the King of heaven, whose works are all truth, and his ways judgement, & those that walk in pride, he is able to abase.

Notes

1-a.
There was no trouble that might cause me to dream, and therefore it came only of God.
2-b.
This was another dream besides that which he saw of the four empires: for Daniel both declared what that dream was, and what it meant: and here he only expounded the dream.
4-c.
In that that he sent aboard to others whose ignorance in times past he had experimented, and left Daniel which was ever ready at hand, it declares the nature of the ungodly, which never seek to the servants of God, but for very necessity, and then they spare no flatterings.
5-d.
This no doubt was a great grief to Daniel not only to have his name changed, but to be called by the name of a vile idol, which thing Nebuchad-nezzar did to make him forget the true religion of God.
6-e.
Which also was a great grief to the Prophet to be numbered among the sorcerers and men whose practices were wicked and contrary to God’s word.
7-f.
By the tree, is signified the dignity of a King, whom God ordained to be a defence for all kind of men, & whose state is profitable for mankind.
10-g.
Meaning, the Angel of God, which neither eats nor sleeps, but is ever ready to do God’s will and is not infect with man’s corruption but is ever holy: and in that that he commands to cut down this tree, he knew that it should not be cut down by man but by God.
13-h.
Hereby he means that Nebuchad-nezzar should not only for a time loose his kingdom, but be like a beast.
14-i.
God has decreed this judgement and the whole army of heaven have as it were subscribed unto it, like as also they desire the execution of his decree against all them that lift up themselves against God.
16-k.
He was troubled for the great judgement of God which he saw ordained against the King: and so the Prophets used on the one part to denounce God’s judgements for the zeal they bare to his glory, and on the other part to have compassion upon man, and also to consider that they should be subject to God’s judgements, if he did not regard them with pity.
20-l.
Whereby he means a long space, as seven years. Some interpret seven months, and others seven weeks: but it seems he meant of years.
22-m.
Not that his shape or form was changed into a beast, but that he was either stricken mad, and so avoided man’s company, or was cast out for his tyranny and so wandered among the beasts, & ate herbs & grass.
22-n.
Daniel shows the cause, why God thus punished him.
24-o.
Cease from provoking God to anger any longer by your sins, that he may mitigate his punishment, if you show by your upright life that you have true faith and repentance.
24-p.
Suffer the errors of your former life to be redressed.
26-q.
After that Daniel had declared this vision: and this his pride declared that it is not in man to convert to God except his Spirit move him, seeing that these terrible threatenings could not move him to repent.
31-*.
Ch. 7.14, Mic. 4.7, Luk. 1.33.
31-r.
When the term of these seven years was accomplished.
32-s.
He confesses God’s will to be the rule of all justice and a most perfect Law whereby he governs both men and Angels and devils, so that none ought to murmur, or ask a reason of his doings, but only to stand content therewith and give him the glory.
33-t.
By whom it seems that he had been put from his kingdom before.
34-u.
He does not only praise God for his deliverance, but also confesses his faute that God may only have the glory and man the shame, and that he may be exalted and man cast down.