“That is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means. None of the wise men in my kingdom can tell me what that dream means. But Belteshazzar, you can interpret the dream because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
I said, “Belteshazzar, you are the most important of all the men of magic. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. I know there is no secret that is too hard for you to understand. This was what I dreamed. Tell me what it means.
The king is asking something that is too hard to do. Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don’t live with people.”
“Announce this to all nations! Lift up a flag and announce the message! Speak the whole message and say, ‘The nation of Babylon will be captured. The god Bel will be put to shame. The god Marduk will be very afraid. Babylon’s idols will be put to shame. Her gods will be filled with terror.’
Then they remembered what happened long ago. They remembered Moses and those with him. So where is the one who brought them through the sea along with the shepherds who led his flock? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to live among them?
The Lord says, “Bel has fallen to the ground. Nebo is kneeling before me. “Men put those idols on the backs of animals. They are only heavy burdens that must be carried. They do nothing but make people tired.
And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t worship my gods? And is it true that you didn’t bow down and worship the gold idol I have set up?
I myself will plant it on a high mountain in Israel. That branch will grow into a tree. It will grow branches and make fruit and become a beautiful cedar tree. Many birds will sit on its branches and live in the shadows under its branches.