World English Bible · Babylon and the exile
Daniel 4
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the king, to all the peoples, nations, and , who in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that has worked toward me. How great are his signs! How mighty are his wonders! is an kingdom. His is from generation to generation. I, , was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a which made me afraid; and the on my bed and the of my head troubled me. Therefore I made a to bring in all men of before me, that they might make known to me the of the . Then the magicians, the enchanters, the , and the soothsayers came in; and I told them the , but they didn't make known to me its . But at last, came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar according to the name of my , and in whom is of the gods. I told the before him, saying, "Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that of the gods is in you and no secret troubles you, tell me the of my that I have seen, and its . These were the of my head on my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the middle of the earth; and its height was great. The tree grew and was strong. Its height reached to and its sight to the end of all the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, and it had much fruit, and in it was food for all. The animals of the field had shade under it, and the birds of lived in its , and was fed from it. "I saw in the of my head on my bed, and behold, a came down from . He cried aloud and said this: 'Cut down the tree, and its ! Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit! Let the animals get away from under it and the birds from its . Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the of . Let his be with the animals in the grass of the earth. Let be changed from man's, and let an animal's be given to him. Then let seven times pass over him. "'The sentence is by the of the and the demand by the word of the , to the intent that the living may know that rules in of men, and gives it to whomever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.' "This I, King , have seen; and you, Belteshazzar, declare the , because all men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the ; but you are able, for of the gods is in you." Then , whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his troubled him. The king answered, "Belteshazzar, don't let the or the , trouble you." Belteshazzar answered, "My , may the be for those who hate you, and its to your . The tree that you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to and its sight to all the earth; 21whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit plentiful, and in it was food for all; under which the animals of the field lived, and on whose the birds of had their habitation— it is you, O king, that have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown, and reaches to , and your to the end of the earth. "Whereas the king saw a coming down from and saying, 'Cut down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the of . Let his be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass over him.' "This is the , O king, and it is the of , which has come on my the king: You will be driven from men and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You will be made to eat grass as oxen, and will be wet with the of , and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that rules in of men, and gives it to whomever he will. Whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you know that rules. Therefore, O king, let my be acceptable to you, and break off your by , and your by showing mercy to . Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your tranquility." All this came on the King . At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of . The king spoke and said, "Is not this great , which I have built for the royal by the might of my and for the of my majesty?" While the word was in the king's , a voice came from , saying, "O King , to you it is spoken: ' has departed from you. You shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen. Seven times shall pass over you, until you know that rules in of men, and gives it to whomever he will.'" This was fulfilled the same hour on . He was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; and his body was wet with the of until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. At the end of the days I, , lifted up my eyes to , and my understanding returned to me; and I , and I praised and him who lives , for his is an , and from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the , and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stop his hand, or ask him, "What are you doing?" At the same time my understanding returned to me; and for the of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned to me. My and my lords sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me. Now I, , and extol and the King of ; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk in pride he is able to abase.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Babylon and the exile, 612 BC to 539 BC ›
Babylon replaces Assyria, Jerusalem and its temple are destroyed in 586 BC, and the leadership of Judah lives in Mesopotamia without a king, a temple, or a country.
- Babylon
- Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilds the city on a scale meant to be seen from a distance: the Ishtar Gate in glazed blue brick, the processional way, the ziggurat, and gardens later counted among the wonders of the world. Babylonian tablets record rations issued to the captive king Jehoiachin of Judah by name, which is one of the tidier points of contact between the Bible and the archives.
- Egypt
- Briefly resurgent. Pharaoh Neco marches north, kills King Josiah at Megiddo, and installs and deposes kings in Jerusalem, until Babylon beats him decisively at Carchemish in 605 BC. Jeremiah spends his career saying that betting on Egypt is suicide, and is proved right.
- Judah
- Deported in stages, then destroyed. The temple is burned, the walls broken, and the leadership marched to Mesopotamia. What happens next is one of the strangest survivals in history: a people keeps its identity without land, king, or sanctuary, and comes out of it with its scriptures more central than before.
- Further afield
- An extraordinary century for ideas everywhere at once. Thales and the first Greek philosophers, Solon's reforms at Athens, the Buddha in India, Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, and Zoroaster in Persia all fall within a few generations of the exile.