1. King Nebuchadnezzar sent this letter to the many nations and language groups living around the world. Greetings:
2. I am very happy to tell you about the miracles and wonderful things that the Most High God did for me.
3. God has done amazing miracles! He has done powerful miracles! His kingdom continues forever; his rule will continue for all generations.
4. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at my palace. I was happy and successful.
5. I had a dream that made me afraid. I was lying on my bed, and I saw pictures and visions in my mind. These things made me very afraid.
6. So I gave an order that all the wise men of Babylon be brought to me to tell me what my dream meant.
7. When the men of magic and the Chaldeans came, I told them about the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant.
8. Finally, Daniel came to me. (I gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar to honor my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him.) I told him about my dream.
20-21. You saw a tree in your dream. The tree grew large and strong. Its top touched the sky, and it could be seen from all over the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, and it had plenty of fruit. The fruit gave plenty of food for everyone. It was a home for the wild animals, and its branches were nesting places for the birds. You saw that tree.
29-30. Twelve months after the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon. While on the roof, the king said, “Look at Babylon! I built this great city. It is my palace. I built this great place by my power. I built this place to show how great I am.”