4:4 「我尼布甲尼撒安居在宮中，平順在殿內。
4:5 我做了一夢，使我懼怕。我在床上的思念，並腦中的異象，使我驚惶。
4:6 所以我降旨召巴比倫的一切哲士到我面前，叫他們把夢的講解告訴我。
4:7 於是那些術士、用法術的、迦勒底人、觀兆的都進來，我將那夢告訴了他們，他們卻不能把夢的講解告訴我。
4:8 末後那照我神的名，稱為伯提沙撒的但以理來到我面前，他裡頭有聖神的靈，我將夢告訴他說：
4:9 『術士的領袖伯提沙撒啊，因我知道你裡頭有聖神的靈，甚麼奧祕的事都不能使你為難。現在要把我夢中所見的異象和夢的講解告訴我。』
4:10 「我在床上腦中的異象是這樣：我看見地當中有一棵樹，極其高大。
4:11 那樹漸長，而且堅固，高得頂天，從地極都能看見，
4:12 葉子華美，果子甚多，可作眾生的食物；田野的走獸臥在蔭下，天空的飛鳥宿在枝上；凡有血氣的都從這樹得食。
4:13 「我在床上腦中的異象，見有一位守望的聖者從天而降。
4:14 大聲呼叫說：『伐倒這樹！砍下枝子！搖掉葉子！拋散果子！使走獸離開樹下，飛鳥躲開樹枝。
4:15 樹墩卻要留在地內，用鐵圈和銅圈箍住，在田野的青草中讓天露滴濕，使他與地上的獸一同吃草，
4:16 使他的心改變，不如人心；給他一個獸心，使他經過七期（期：或譯年；本章同）。
4:17 這是守望者所發的命，聖者所出的令，好叫世人知道至高者在人的國中掌權，要將國賜與誰就賜與誰，或立極卑微的人執掌國權。』
4:18 「這是我─尼布甲尼撒王所做的夢。伯提沙撒啊，你要說明這夢的講解；因為我國中的一切哲士都不能將夢的講解告訴我，惟獨你能，因你裡頭有聖神的靈。」
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my
house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I
lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 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. 7 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. 8 At last Daniel
came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods —and I told him the dream, saying, 9
"O Belteshazzar, 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 and their interpretation. 10 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. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and
its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12
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.
13 "I saw in the visions of my head as
I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He
proclaimed aloud and said thus: 'Chop down the tree and lop off its branches,
strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it
and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the
earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the
field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the
beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's, and
let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over
him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word
of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules
the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest
of men. ' 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar,
tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able
to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the
holy gods is in you."
********
在古時人對夢境不了解，常常把它拿來當成預測未來的根據，尤其是權力大的人，對未來越是不安，對夢境看重的程度更是超過其他人，所以尼布甲尼撒王對自己得夢境十分重視非得要人解開或詮釋。
也因此，上帝安排但以理來向尼布甲尼撒王說話，讓上帝的作為顯明。但是，在今日上帝已經將聖經賜給我們，我們就以聖經為上帝的話語來與上帝相交，不再透過夢境。不過，解說與詮釋上帝話語的人還是需要，因為人常常會隨己意曲解聖經。
因此，我們要虛心學習釋經的原則，也要求上帝給我們智慧，讓握們可以勝盪且準確的應用聖經在我們的情境中，這也是為甚麼需要有講道的人來傳講上帝的話語。
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