Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar ^jto all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^ksigns and wonders that the ^lMost High God has done for me.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 ² I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream ⁿthat made me afraid. ^oAs I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 ^pSo 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 ^qthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—^rhe who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and ^sin whom is the spirit of the holy gods³—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^tchief of the magicians, because I know that ^uthe 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 ^vIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^wThe 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 ^xwatcher, a ^yholy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ^z‘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, ^ato the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and ^bgives 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.”

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar ^jto all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you!

7 The end of all things is ^bat hand; therefore be self-controlled and ^csober-minded ^dfor the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, ^ekeep loving one another earnestly, since love ^fcovers a multitude of sins. 9 ^gShow hospitality to one another ^hwithout grumbling. 10 ⁱAs each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good ^jstewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. ^kTo him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my ^blambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, ^c“Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the ^dthird time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, ^eyou know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but ^fwhen you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said ^gto show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ^h“Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, ⁱthe one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers¹ that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 ^jThis is the disciple who is ^kbearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that ^lhis testimony is true.

25 ^mNow there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.