< 但以理書 2 >
1 拿步高在位第十二年,拿步高一連做了幾個夢,遂心神不寧,不能入睡。
And, in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, —and his spirit, was troubled, and, his sleep, had gone from him.
2 於是君王下令召巫師、術士、方士和占星者前來給君王詳夢;他們前來了,站在君王前,
So the king gave word to call for the sacred scribes and for the magicians, and for the users of incantations, and for the Chaldeans, that they might tell the king his dreams, —they came in therefore, and stood before the king.
3 君王對他們說:「我做了一個夢,心神不寧,急於要知道這夢的究竟。」
And the king, said to them, A dream, have I dreamed, —and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
4 占星者用【阿剌美語】回答君王說:「大王萬歲! 請大王給你的僕人們說出夢來,我們好給大王解釋那夢的意義。」
Then spake the Chaldeans to the king, in Aramaic, —O king, to the ages, live! Tell the dream to thy servants, and, the interpretation, we will declare.
5 君王答覆占星者說:「我是言出必行的,如果你們不告訴我那夢和夢的意義,你們必被萬刮凌遲,你們的家必成為廢墟。
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word from me, is unalterable: If ye shall not make known to me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and, your houses, into a dunghill, shall be turned;
6 但若你們告知我那夢和夢的意義,你們必獲得我的禮物、賞報和崇高的尊榮;為此你們告訴我那夢和夢的意義罷! 」
but, if, the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye will declare, gifts and a present and great dignity, shall ye receive from before me, —therefore, the dream and the interpretation thereof, declare ye unto me.
7 他們又回答說:「請大王給你的僕人們說出夢來,好讓我們給大王解釋。」
They answered again and said, —Let, the king, tell, the dream, to his servants, and, the interpretation thereof, we will declare.
8 君王回答說:「我明知你們是在想爭取時間,因為你們明知我是言出必行的;
The king answered and said, Of a certainty, I know, that, time, ye, would gain, —merely because ye see that, unalterable, from me, is the word:
9 如果你們不告訴我那夢,為你們只有一個判決。那麼,你們是想在我面前說謊欺騙,專待時機的轉變。現在你們要告訴我那夢,好使我知道你們能為我解釋那夢的意義。」
That, if, the dream, ye shall not make known to me, one and the same, is the decree, and, a lying and wicked word, have ye agreed to speak before me, that meanwhile the time may be changed, —therefore, the dream, tell ye me, so shall I know that, the interpretation thereof, ye can declare for me.
10 占星者在君王面前回答說:「世上沒有一個人能說出大王所問的事,從來也沒有一位君王,不論他如何偉大,有勢力,向任何巫師、術士和占星者詢問過這樣的事。
The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth, who can declare, the matter of the king, —although indeed, there is no king, chief ruler who, a thing like this, hath asked of any sacred scribe or magician or Chaldean;
11 大王詢問的,確是件難事,沒有誰能告訴大王,除非那不與血肉之軀同居的神祇。」
and, the thing which the king hath asked, is difficult, and, none other, is there, who can declare it before the king, —saving the gods whose dwelling is, not with flesh.
12 君王因此生氣,大發雷霆,下令消滅巴比倫所有的智者。
For this cause, the king, was provoked and exceedingly indignant, —and gave word to destroy all the wise men of Babylon;
13 要殺智者的諭令發出之後,人們就搜索達尼爾和他的同伴,要將他們殺死。
and, the decree, went forth, that, the wise men, should be slain, —and they sought Daniel and his companions that they might be slain.
14 君王的衛隊長阿黎約客出發,要殺巴比倫的智者之時,達尼爾機警明智地應付了他。
Immediately, Daniel, made answer with prudence and discretion, to Arioch, chief of the executioners of the king, —who had come forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15 達尼爾問君王的全權大臣阿黎約客說:「君王發出的諭令,為什麼這樣迫切」﹖阿黎約客遂將事情告訴了達尼爾。
he began to speak and said to Arioch the king’s captain, —For what cause, is the decree raging forth from before the king? Then did Arioch make the matter known unto Daniel.
16 達尼爾進去要求君王給他延長限期,好為君王詳解夢兆。
So Daniel entered in, and desired of the king, —that, an appointed time, he would give him, and then, the interpretation, he would declare unto the king.
17 然後回到家裏,把事情告訴了自己的同伴阿納尼雅、米沙耳和阿匝黎雅,
Then Daniel, to his own house, departed, —and, to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, made the matter known;
18 要他們為這秘密事,懇求上天的大主施恩,挽救達尼爾和他的同伴與巴比倫其餘的智者,免被殺害。
that, tender compassion, they might seek from before the God of the heavens, concerning this secret, —that Daniel and his companions, might not be destroyed, with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 於是在夜間的神視中,這個秘密就啟示給達尼爾了;達尼爾遂讚美上天的大主,
Then, unto Daniel—in a vision of the night, the secret was revealed, —whereupon, Daniel, blessed the God of the heavens:
20 說:「願天主的名,從永遠直到永遠受讚美,因為智慧和能力都屬於他。
Daniel responded, and said, Let the name of God be blessed from age to age, —in that wisdom and might, to him belong;
21 是他變更四時季節,是他廢黜君王,也興立君主,賜智者以智慧,賜識者以聰敏;
And, he, changeth times and seasons, removeth kings, and setteth up kings, —giving wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them who are skilled in understanding:
22 是他啟示隱秘深奧之事,洞悉暗中的事,因為光明居於他內。
He, revealeth the deep things, and the hidden, —knoweth what is in the darkness, and, light, with him, doth dwell.
23 我祖先的天主,我稱謝讚頌你,因為你賜給了我智慧和能力。我們祈求你的事,現在你已曉諭了我們,使我們知道了君王的秘密。」
Unto the, O God of my fathers, do I render thanks and praise, in that, wisdom and might, thou hast given unto me, —yea, already, hast thou made known to me that which we desired of thee, for, the matter of the king, hast thou made known unto us.
24 達尼爾遂去見君王委派殺戮巴比倫智者的阿黎約客,對他這樣說:「請暫且先不要殺害巴比倫的智者,帶我去見君王,我要給君王解夢。」
Therefore, Daniel entered in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, —he went in, and, thus, he said unto him, The wise men of Babylon, do not thou destroy, bring me in before the king, and, the interpretation—unto the king, will I declare.
25 於是阿黎約客立刻引達尼爾去見君王,對君王說:「我從猶大被擄的子民中找得一人,他會給大王解夢。」
Thereupon, Arioch—with haste, brought in Daniel before the king, —and, thus, he said to him—I have found a man of the sons of the exile of Judah, who, the interpretation—unto the king, will make known.
26 君王對名叫貝耳特沙匝的達尼爾說道:「你能告訴我,我所見的夢和夢的意義嗎﹖」
The king answered and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, —Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 達尼爾回答君王說:「大王所問的奧秘,不是智者、術士、巫師和占卜者所能告訴大王的;
Daniel answered before the king, and said, —The secret which the king hath asked, the wise men, the magicians, the sacred scribes, the astrologers, are not able to declare unto the king;
28 但是,在天上有一位啟示奧秘的大主! 他已將那日後要發生的事曉諭給大王。大王! 你在床上腦中所得的夢,所見的神視是這樣:
but there is a God in the heavens, who revealeth secrets, and hath made known to King Nebuchadnezzar, what shall come to pass, in the afterpart of the days: Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are, these: —
29 大王你睡在床上忽然想到日後所要發生的事,啟示奧秘的那位,把要發生的事已曉諭給你。
As for thee, O king, thy thoughts upon thy bed, arose regarding what should come to pass hereafter; and, he that revealeth secrets, made known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 這奧秘已啟示給我,並非因為我比任何活人更有智慧,而只是為把夢兆告訴大王,叫你知道你心心中的思念。」「
But, as for me—not for any wisdom that is in me, more than any of the living, is, this secret, revealed to me, —therefore, it is in order that, the interpretation—unto the king, they should make known, and that, the thoughts of thy heart, thou shouldst get to know.
31 大王! 你夢見一尊巨大的立像。這尊立像異常高大,非常光輝燦爛,立在君王面前,相貌可怕。
As for thee, O king, thou wast looking, when lo! a great image, this image, being mighty, and the brightness thereof surpassing, was standing before thee, —and, the appearance thereof, was terrible.
32 這尊立像,頭是純金的,胸和臂是銀的,腹和股是銅的。
As for this image, its head, was of fine gold, its breast and its arms, were of silver, —its belly and its thighs, of bronze;
its legs, of iron, —and, its feet, part of them, of iron, and, part of them, of clay.
34 大王,你在觀望,忽有一塊石頭,未經手鑿即滾下,擊中了立像,把鐵泥的腳,打得粉碎;
Thou didst look, until that a stone tare itself away, not by the aid of hands, and smote the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, —and they were broken in pieces.
35 同時鐵、泥、銅、銀和金立即完全粉碎,有如夏天禾場上的糠秕,被風吹去,無蹤無影;那塊擊碎立像的石頭卻變成了一座大山,佔據了全地。」「
Then were broken in pieces at once, the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, and became like chaff out of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind, carried them away, and, no place, was found for them, —but, the stone that smote the image, became a mighty rock, and filled all the land.
This, is the dream, and, the interpretation thereof, we will tell before the king.
37 大王! 你是王中之王,上天大主賜給了你領土、勢力、權威和尊榮,
Thou, O king, art the king of kings, —for, the God of the heavens, hath given unto thee, the kingship, the might, the power and the dignity;
38 凡有人居住的地方,田野的走獸,天空的飛鳥,都交在你手中,由你統治這一切,你便是那屬金的頭。
and, wheresoever the sons of men do dwell, the wild beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou, art the head of gold.
39 在你以後,將興起另一個比你稍弱的國家,以後興起第三個國家,屬銅,她要統轄大地;
And, after thee, shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee, —and another—a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall bear rule throughout all the earth.
40 相繼而來的是第四個,堅強如鐵的國家,就如鐵能粉碎擊破一切,這個國家也要如鐵粉碎擊破一切,
And, the fourth kingdom, shall be hard as iron, —in like manner as iron breaketh in pieces and crusheth all things, —even as iron which bringeth to ruins all these, shall it break in pieces and bring to ruins.
41 至於你見腳和趾,一部分是泥,一部分是鐵,表示這個國家必要分裂,然而國內仍有鐵的堅強,正如你見鐵與泥相混一樣。
And, whereas thou sawest the feet and the toes, part of them of potter’s clay, and part of them of iron, the kingdom, shall be, divided, and, of the hardness of the iron, shall there be in it, —forasmuch as thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay;
42 腳趾一部分是鐵,一部份是泥,表示這個國家一部分強,一部分弱。
and, the toes of the feet, part of them, iron, and, part, of clay, —some part of the kingdom, shall be strong, but, a part thereof, shall be brittle;
43 你見鐵與泥混合,是說他們要與其他人種相混合,但是彼此不能相合,就如鐵不能與泥相混合一樣。
and, whereas thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay, they shall be combined with the seed of men, but shall not cleave firmly one to another, —lo! as iron is not to be combined with clay.
44 在這些君王時代,上天的大主必要興起一個永不滅亡的國家,她的王權也決不歸於其他民族,她要粉碎和毀滅這一切邦國,惟獨她永存弗替,
And, in the days of those kings, shall the God of the heavens, set up, a kingdom which, to the ages, shall not be destroyed, and, the kingdom, to another people, shall not be left, —it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but, itself, shall stand to the ages.
45 就如你所見那塊未經手鑿,即從山上滾下的石頭,把鐵、銅、泥、銀和金打得粉碎一樣。偉大的天主已曉諭了大王,今後將要發生的事。這夢是真實的,夢的解釋也是正確的。」
Forasmuch as thou sawest that, out of the rock, a stone tare itself away, but not with hands, and brake in pieces the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold, the mighty God, hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. Exact then is the dream, and trusty its interpretation.
46 拿步高於是俯首至地,叩拜達尼爾,下令給他奉上禮物和香品,
Then, King Nebuchadnezzar, fell upon his face, and, unto Daniel, paid adoration; and, a present and sweet odours, gave he word to pour out unto him.
47 然後開口對達尼爾說:「的確,你們的天主是萬神的天主,萬王的主宰,奧秘的啟示者,因為你能啟示這個奧秘。」
The king answered Daniel, and said—Of a truth, your God, is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, —seeing thou wast able to reveal this secret.
48 王遂擢升達尼爾,賞賜他很多珍貴的禮品,派他治理巴比倫全省,做巴比倫所有智者的首領。
Then, the king, exalted, Daniel, and, many large presents, gave he unto him, and set him to be ruler over all the province of Babylon, —and chief of the nobles, over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 達尼爾要求君王委任沙得辣客、默沙客和阿貝得乃哥掌管巴比倫省的政務;達尼爾自己卻留在朝廷內。
And, Daniel, desired of the king, and he appointed—over the business of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —but, Daniel himself, was in the gate of the king.