1. I, King Nebuchadnezzar, am writing this letter. I am sending it to you people from every nation and language in the whole world. May you have great success!
2. I am pleased to tell you what has happened. The Most High God has done miraculous signs and wonders for me.
3. His miraculous signs are great. His wonders are mighty. His kingdom will last forever. His rule will never end.
4. I was at home in my palace. I was content and very successful.
5. But I had a dream that made me afraid. I was lying on my bed. Then dreams and visions passed through my mind. They terrified me.
6. So I commanded that all of the wise men in Babylon be brought to me. I wanted them to tell me what my dream meant.
7. Those who try to figure things out by using magic came. So did those who study the heavens. I told all of them what I had dreamed. But they couldn't tell me what it meant.
8. Finally, Daniel came to me. He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him. I told him my dream.
9. I said, "Belteshazzar, you are chief of the magicians. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. No mystery is too hard for you to figure out. Here is my dream. Tell me what it means.
10. "Here are the visions I saw while I was lying on my bed. I looked up and saw a tree standing in the middle of the land. It was very tall.
11. It had grown to be large and strong. Its top touched the sky. It could be seen anywhere on earth.