10 “‘While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth.
11 The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see.
12 It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree.
13 “‘Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
14 The messenger shouted,“Cut down the tree and lop off its branches!Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit!Chase the wild animals from its shadeand the birds from its branches.
15 But leave the stump and the roots in the ground,bound with a band of iron and bronzeand surrounded by tender grass.Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field.
16 For seven periods of time,let him have the mind of a wild animalinstead of the mind of a human.