Daniel 4:10-12

4:10 Here are the visions of my mind ¹  while I was on my bed.

While I was watching,

there was a tree in the middle of the land. ² 

It was enormously tall. ³ 

4:11 The tree grew large and strong.

Its top reached far into the sky;

it could be seen ⁴  from the borders of all the land. ⁵ 

4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;

on it there was food enough for all.

Under it the wild animals ⁶  used to seek shade,

and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.

All creatures ⁷  used to feed themselves from it.

[4:10]  ¹ tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.

[4:10]  ² tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.

[4:10]  ³ tn Aram “its height was great.”

[4:11]  ⁴ tn Aram “its sight.” So also v. 17.

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”

[4:12]  ⁶ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[4:12]  ⁷ tn Aram “all flesh.”