Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^mpeoples, nations, and languages, ⁿthat dwell in all the earth: ^oPeace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the ^psigns and wonders that the ^qMost 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 that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and ^sthe visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So ^tI made a decree that ^uall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then ^vthe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but ^wthey could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named ^xBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ^ythe spirit of the holy gods³—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, ^zchief of the magicians, because I know that ^ythe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no ^amystery is too difficult for you, tell me ^sthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 ^sThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and ^bbehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 ^cThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ^dIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. ^eThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ^ethe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in ^sthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, ^fa watcher, ^ga holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He ^hproclaimed aloud and said thus: ⁱ‘Chop down the tree and ^jlop off its branches, ^jstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. ^jLet 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; ^kand let seven periods of time ^lpass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of ^fthe watchers, the decision by the word of ^gthe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High ^mrules the kingdom of men ⁿand gives it to whom he will and ^osets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O ^pBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because ^qall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for ^rthe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar to all ^mpeoples, nations, and languages, ⁿthat dwell in all the earth: ^oPeace be multiplied to you!

7 ⁿThe end of all things is at hand; therefore ^obe self-controlled and sober-minded ^pfor the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^qlove covers a multitude of sins. 9 ^rShow hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 ^sAs each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, ^tas good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks ^uoracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves ^vby the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything ^wGod may be glorified through Jesus Christ. ^xTo him belong glory and ^ydominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had ^ufinished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ^v“Simon, ^wson of John, ^xdo you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed ^ymy lambs.” 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, ^z“Tend ^ymy sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him ^athe third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, ^byou know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed ^cmy sheep. 18 ^dTruly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, ^eyou used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when 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 to show ^fby what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ^g“Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw ^hthe 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 ^juntil ^kI come, what is that to you? ^lYou follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among ^mthe 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 This is the disciple ⁿwho is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and ^owe know ^pthat his testimony is true.

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