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he says, having covered the whole world. Previously, then, things were shown to him through an image, but now through a tree. For why did he not send Daniel to say these things? Because in this way the account was going to be more trustworthy, and more fearsome, with the events brought before his eyes, that you may learn that the one who makes the plants grow, this one also [grows] the kingdom secretly, and without our knowing. I was watching in a vision of the night upon my bed, and behold, a watcher, and a holy one came down from heaven with might, and spoke thus: Cut down the tree, strip off its branches, and shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts be shaken from under it, and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump of its roots in the earth; and in a band of iron and bronze, and in the grass 56.216 outside, and in the dew of heaven it shall lodge, and with the beasts its portion will be in the grass of the earth; his heart shall be changed from that of men, and the heart of a beast shall be given to him, and seven times shall pass over him. By the decree of a watcher is the word, and the request is by the word of the holy ones, that the living may know that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom, and to whomever he wishes, he will give it, and will raise up over it the lowliest of men. See; he says a watcher is a great light, and a brilliance. And a holy one came down from heaven, and cried out with might, so as to startle him. And he spoke thus: Cut down the tree, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth. But since the stump is often accustomed to decay, thus, Leave it, he says, as in a band of iron and bronze. And seven times, he says, shall pass over him, and with the beasts will be his dwelling. For that these things were about a man, the latter parts revealed. And the heart, he says, of a beast shall be given to him. That, By the decree of a watcher is the word; not able to be enlightened from this itself, he says, but needs the one who interprets. And the word, he says, of the holy ones is the request; and the holy ones will be able to say this. Either he says this, or that, that to give the question, and the reason for which these things happen, and through an answer he was enlightened. That the living may know, he says, that the Most High is Lord of the kingdom of men. This is the reason. Do you see how God provides for men? how his rule was not confined to the Jews? This is the dream that I, king Nebuchadnezzar, saw, and you, Belteshazzar, tell the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to declare its interpretation to me. But you are able, because a holy spirit of God is in you. That all the wise men of my kingdom are not able. He knew that this again gladdened Daniel, that all confessed to be defeated, not for his own glory, but because the power of God was proclaimed again. But you are able, he says, tell me. Why? Because the spirit of God is in you. See him beginning from this point, and ending at this point. The tree that you saw, which grew great and strong, whose height reached to the heaven, and its canopy to all the earth, and its leaves were flourishing, and its fruit abundant, and food for all was in it; under it dwelt the wild beasts 56.217, and in its branches the birds of the heaven roosted, you are that, O king, because you have grown great and strong, and your greatness has grown, and has reached to the heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And that the king saw a watcher, and a holy one coming down from heaven, and said: Strip the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and in a band of iron and bronze, and in the grass outside, and in the dew of heaven it shall lodge, and with the wild beasts its portion, until seven times pass over him; this is its interpretation, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king; and they shall drive you out from among men, and with the beasts will be your dwelling, and they shall feed you grass like an ox, and your body shall be drenched by the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and to whomever he wishes

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λέγει, πᾶσαν ἐπισχοῦσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. Πρότερον μὲν οὖν δι' εἰκόνος, νῦν δὲ διὰ δένδρου δείκνυται αὐτῷ τὰ πρά γματα. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μὴ ἔπεμψε τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐροῦντα ταῦτα; Ὅτι οὕτως ἀξιοπιστότερος ὁ λόγος ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, καὶ φοβερώτερος, ὑπ' ὄψιν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀγομένων, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ὁ αὔξων τὰ φυτὰ, οὗτος καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν λανθανόντως, καὶ οὐκ εἰδότων ἡμῶν. Ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης μου, καὶ ἰδοὺ εἲρ, καὶ ἅγιος ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ κατέβη ἐν ἰσχύϊ, καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν· Ἐκκόψατε τὸ δένδρον, ἐκτίλατε τοὺς κλάδους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτινάξατε τὰ φύλλα αὐτοῦ, καὶ διασκορπίσατε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ. Σαλευθήτωσαν τὰ θηρία ὑποκάτωθεν αὐ τοῦ, καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα ἀπὸ τῶν κλάδων αὐτοῦ. Πλὴν τὴν φυὴν τῶν ῥιζῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐάσατε· καὶ ἐν δεσμῷ σιδηρῷ καὶ χαλκῷ, καὶ ἐν τῇ χλόῃ τῇ 56.216 ἔξω, καὶ ἐν τῇ δρόσῳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται, καὶ μετὰ τῶν θηρίων ἡ μερὶς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ χόρτῳ τῆς γῆς· ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλ λοιωθήσεται, καὶ καρδία θηρίου δοθήσεται αὐτῷ, καὶ ἑπτὰ καιροὶ ἀλλαγήσονται ἐπ' αὐτόν. ∆ιὰ συγκρίματος εἲρ ὁ λόγος, καὶ ῥῆμα ἁγίων τὸ ἐπερώτημα, ἵνα γνῶσιν οἱ ζῶντες, ὅτι Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ ὕψιστος τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν δόξῃ, δώσει αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐξουθένημα ἀνθρώπων ἀνα στήσει ἐπ' αὐτήν. Ὅρα· φησὶν Εἲρ φῶς μέγα, καὶ λαμπηδόνα. Καὶ ἅγιος ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ κατέβη, καὶ ἐφώνησεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ, ὥστε τοῦτον ἐκπλῆξαι. Καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν· Ἐκκόψατε τὸ δένδρον, πλὴν τὴν φυὴν τῶν ῥιζῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐάσατε. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ φθείρεσθαι εἴωθεν ἡ φυὴ πολλάκις, οὕτως Ἐάσατε, φησὶ, ὡς ἐν δεσμῷ σιδηρῷ καὶ χαλκῷ. Καὶ ἑπτὰ καιροὶ, φησὶ, ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἀλλαγήσονται, καὶ μετὰ τῶν θηρίων ἡ κατοίκησις αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ ἀνθρώπου ταῦτα ἦν, τὰ ὕστερα ἐδήλωσεν Καὶ καρ δία, φησὶ, θηρίου δοθήσεται αὐτῷ. Ὅτι ∆ιὰ συγκρί ματος εἲρ ὁ λόγος· αὐτόθεν οὐ δυνατὸς φωτισθῆ ναι, φησὶ, ἀλλὰ δεῖ τοῦ ἑρμηνεύοντος. Καὶ ῥῆμα, φησὶ, ἁγίων τὸ ἐπερώτημα· καὶ ἅγιοι δυνήσονται τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Ἢ τοῦτο λέγει, ἢ ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι τὴν ἐρώ τησιν δοῦναι, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ταῦτα γίνεται, καὶ διὰ ἀποκρίσεως ἐφωτίσθη. Ἵνα γνῶσι, φησὶ, οἱ ζῶντες, ὅτι Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ ὕψιστος τῆς βασι λείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Αὕτη ἡ αἰτία. Ὁρᾷς πῶς προ νοεῖ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ Θεός; πῶς οὐκ εἰς Ἰουδαίους συγκέκλειστο αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀρχή; Τοῦτο τὸ ἐνύπνιον εἶδον ἐγὼ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ σὺ Βαλτάσαρ σύγκριμα εἰπὲ, ὅτι πάντες οἱ σοφοὶ τῆς βασιλείας μου οὐ δύνανται τὸ σύγκριμα αὐτοῦ δηλῶσαί μοι. Σὺ δὲ δύνασαι, ὅτι πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἅγιον ἐν σοί. Ὅτι πάντες οἱ σοφοὶ τῆς βασιλείας μου οὐ δύνανται. Ἤδει τοῦτο πάλιν εὐφραῖνον τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, τὸ πάντας ὁμολογῆσαι ἡττῆ σθαι, οὐ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν κηρύττεσθαι πάλιν. Σὺ δὲ δύνασαι, φησὶ, εἰπέ. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐν σοί. Ὅρα ἐντεῦθεν ἀρχόμενον, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν λήξαντα. Τὸ δέν δρον, ὃ εἶδες, τὸ μεγαλυνθὲν καὶ τὸ ἰσχυκὸς, οὗ τὸ ὕψος ἔφθασεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸ κύτος αὐτοῦ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὰ φύλλα αὐτοῦ εὐθαλῆ, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς αὐτοῦ πολὺς, καὶ τροφὴ πᾶσιν ἐν αὐτῷ· ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ κατῴκει τὰ θηρία 56.217 τὰ ἄγρια, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ κατεσκήνουν τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, σὺ εἶ, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι ἐμε γαλύνθης καὶ ἴσχυσας, καὶ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη σου ἐμεγαλύνθη, καὶ ἔφθασεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ ἡ κυρία σου εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ὅτι εἶδεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἲρ, καὶ ἅγιον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐκτίλατε τὸ δένδρον καὶ δια φθείρατε αὐτὸ, πλὴν τὴν φυὴν τῶν ῥιζῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐάσατε, καὶ ἐν δεσμῷ σιδηρῷ καὶ χαλκῷ, καὶ ἐν χλόῃ τῇ ἔξω, καὶ ἐν τῇ δρόσῳ τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ αὐλισθήσεται, καὶ μετὰ θηρίων ἀγρίων ἡ μερὶς αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἑπτὰ καιροὶ ἀλλαγῶσιν ἐπ' αὐ τόν· τοῦτο ἡ σύγκρισις αὐτοῦ, βασιλεῦ, καὶ σύγκριμα Ὑψίστου ἐστὶν ὃ ἔφθασεν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα· καί σε ἐκδιώξουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ μετὰ θηρίων ἔσται ἡ κατοικία σου, καὶ χόρτον ὡς βοῦν ψωμιοῦσί σε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βαφήσεται τὸ σῶμά σου, καὶ ἑπτὰ καιροὶ ἀλλαγήσονται ἐπὶ σοὶ, ἕως οὗ γνῷς ὅτι κυριεύει ὁ Ὕψιστος τῆς βασιλείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν δόξῃ