Chapter 79

¹ For if the glory of those set in high places is like dry leaves, that flourish for a little while and then at once wither away, what did that swollen utterance profit Nebuchadnezzar the king, when he said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I built for a royal house by the might of my strength, for the honor of my glory?”—when, driven into exile, he was eating grass with the beasts in the mountains?

² Where was that boldness, and all the arrogance of his words, and the great and terrible flame of the furnace, when he could not even master his own soul?

³ And for this reason the blessed Daniel became his counselor, like a good physician wishing to heal his wounds, saying: “Now let my counsel be pleasing to you, O king, and redeem your sins by almsgiving and your iniquities by mercies to the poor; perhaps he will be long-suffering toward your transgressions.”

⁴ Therefore, in interpreting the king’s dream, he became tearful and was grieved, and for about one hour he was struck dumb, and his thoughts troubled him, since he did not wish to send forth even a sound through his mouth, displaying the affection he had toward the king, so that by this the king too might be pierced to the heart and, doing what was spoken by the prophet, might be able to be saved.

⁵ So while Daniel stood speechless for one hour and a deep silence had fallen, all saw him troubled by his thoughts and his face altering: now becoming pale through fear of the interpretation—lest the king, hearing the things said about himself, should be angered and order him to be put to death—and now empowered by the Spirit and taking on the face of an angel, his countenance becoming fiery and his eyes shining like a flame of fire, so that by this also the king, astounded, might be afraid.

⁶ For if the sons of Israel could not look upon the face of the blessed Moses because of the glory of his face, how would the Babylonians then, seeing the face of Daniel altering, not have been afraid? At one moment he appeared as a man, and at another he was shown as an angel of God. And all stood speechless, awaiting the thoughts that came forth from his heart.

⁷ Then, having been calmed down from his great glory and agitation and having come back into the proper condition of human nature, he answered the king and said: “Let the dream be, O king, for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies.”

⁸ And thus beginning, he announced to him one by one what was going to befall him, and consoling him with words of comfort he again restored him to good hope concerning what was to come.

⁹ For he says to him: “And since the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, who said, ‘Cut down the tree and pluck off its leaves and shake off its branches, but leave the stock of the roots of the tree in the earth’—your kingdom will remain to you, O king, until you come to know the heavenly authority, that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he wills.”