The Skeptics Annotated Bible (668 page)

21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:

22
It is thou
, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

(4.20-22)
“The tree that thou sawest … whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth … it is thou.”

23 And whereas
the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender 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, till seven times pass over him;

(4.23) “The king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender 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, till seven times pass over him.”

24
This is the interpretation
, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

25 That they shall drive thee from men, and
thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee
, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

(4.24-25)
“This is the interpretation … Thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee.”

26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.

(4.28-33) And it all happened just like Daniel said it would. Nebuchadnezzar lived with the animals and ate grass like an ox. His hair was like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

28
All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

(4.28)
“All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.”

29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

(4.31-32) While Nebuchadnezzar is busy eating grass, a “voice from heaven” falls from the sky repeating the same shit that Daniel said.

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth,
there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee
.

(4.31)
“There fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.”

32 And
they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

(4.32)
“They shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”

33
The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws
.

(4.33)
“The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.”

(4.34-37) After going through a rather bizarre ordeal, inflicted upon him by God, Nebuchadnezzar heaps praise upon him— in whose eyes “all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.”

34 And
at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven
, and mine understanding returned unto me,
and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him
that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

(4.34)
“At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven … and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him.”

35 And
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

(4.35)
“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”

36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.

37
Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven
, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

(4.37)
“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven.”

(5.1-2,11,18, 22) Apparently, the author of Daniel knew of only two Babylonian kings during the period of the exile: Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, who he wrongly thought was the son of Nebuchadnezzar. But Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BCE and was succeeded by his son, Awel-Marduk (referred to in the bible as “Evilmerodach” [2 Kg 25.27 and Jer 52.31]). In 560 BCE, Amel-Marduk was assassinated by his brother-in-law, Nergal-shar-usur. The next and last king of Babylon was Nabonidus who reigned from 556 to 539, when Babylon was conquered by Cyrus. It was Nabonidus, and not Belshazzar, who was the last of the Babylonian kings. Belshazzar was the son and viceroy of Nabonidus. But he was not a king, and was not the son (or any other relation) of Nebuchadnezzar.

5
Belshazzar the king
made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

(5.1)
“Belshazzar the king”

2
Belshazzar
, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which
his father Nebuchadnezzar
had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.