A reading from the book of Daniel.

King Nebuchadnezzar to all people's nations and languages that dwell in all the earth,

peace be multiplied to you.

It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

How great are his signs.

How mighty his wonders.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion

endures from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house, and prospering

in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head

alarmed me, so I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon

should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them

the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. At last Daniel came in before me,

he who was named Beltasaschazer, after the name of my God, and in whom is the Spirit of the Holy Gods, and I told him the dream

saying, O Belta Shazer, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy

gods is in you, and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the visions of my dream

that I saw in their interpretation. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these. I saw and

behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong

in its top reach to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant.

And in it was food for all.

The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from

...