但以理書 2
1 尼布甲尼撒在位第二年，他做了夢，心裏煩亂，不能睡覺。
In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign the king had dreams that upset him so much that he found it difficult to sleep.
2 王吩咐人將術士、用法術的、行邪術的，和迦勒底人召來，要他們將王的夢告訴王，他們就來站在王前。
So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood before him.
3 王對他們說：「我做了一夢，心裏煩亂，要知道這是甚麼夢。」
“I've had a dream that has really upset me,” he told them. “I need to know what it means.”
4 迦勒底人用亞蘭的言語對王說：「願王萬歲！請將那夢告訴僕人，僕人就可以講解。」
The astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “May Your Majesty the king live forever! Tell us your dream and we your servants will interpret it for you.”
5 王回答迦勒底人說：「夢我已經忘了，你們若不將夢和夢的講解告訴我，就必被凌遲，你們的房屋必成為糞堆；
“I can't recall it,” the king told the astrologers. “If you can't reveal the dream to me, and its meaning, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be totally destroyed!
6 你們若將夢和夢的講解告訴我，就必從我這裏得贈品和賞賜，並大尊榮。現在你們要將夢和夢的講解告訴我。」
But if you can tell me the dream and its meaning you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me the dream and what it means!”
7 他們第二次對王說：「請王將夢告訴僕人，僕人就可以講解。」
Again they said the same thing: “If Your Majesty the king would tell us his servants the dream, we will explain what it means.”
8 王回答說：「我准知道你們是故意遲延，因為你們知道那夢我已經忘了。
“It's obvious to me that you're just trying to buy time!” said the king. “You can see that I can't remember the dream.
9 你們若不將夢告訴我，只有一法待你們；因為你們預備了謊言亂語向我說，要等候時勢改變。現在你們要將夢告訴我，因我知道你們能將夢的講解告訴我。」
If you can't reveal the dream to me, you will all receive the same punishment! You have conspired against me, telling me lies, hoping things will change. So tell me what my dream was and then I'll know that you can explain what it means.”
10 迦勒底人在王面前回答說：「世上沒有人能將王所問的事說出來；因為沒有君王、大臣、掌權的向術士，或用法術的，或迦勒底人問過這樣的事。
The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth could tell the king what he dreamed! Never before has a king, however great and powerful, demanded this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!
11 王所問的事甚難。除了不與世人同居的神明，沒有人在王面前能說出來。」
What Your Majesty is asking is impossible! No one can tell Your Majesty what you dreamed, except the gods, and they do not live among us mortals.”
12 因此，王氣忿忿地大發烈怒，吩咐滅絕巴比倫所有的哲士。
This made the king extremely angry, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed.
13 於是命令發出，哲士將要見殺，人就尋找但以理和他的同伴，要殺他們。
The decree was issued. The wise men were about to be executed, and the king's men went looking for Daniel and his friends.
14 王的護衛長亞略出來，要殺巴比倫的哲士，但以理就用婉言回答他，
Daniel approached Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard, whom the king had put in charge of the order to execute all the wise men of Babylon. Wisely and tactfully
15 向王的護衛長亞略說：「王的命令為何這樣緊急呢？」亞略就將情節告訴但以理。
Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.
16 但以理遂進去求王寬限，就可以將夢的講解告訴王。
Daniel immediately went to see the king and asked for more time to explain the dream and its meaning to him.
17 但以理回到他的居所，將這事告訴他的同伴哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亞撒利雅，
Then Daniel went home and shared with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on.
18 要他們祈求天上的上帝施憐憫，將這奧祕的事指明，免得但以理和他的同伴與巴比倫其餘的哲士一同滅亡。
He told them to pray to the God of heaven, asking for help regarding this mystery, so that he and his friends would not be killed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 這奧祕的事就在夜間異象中給但以理顯明，但以理便稱頌天上的上帝。
That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven:
20 但以理說：「上帝的名是應當稱頌的！從亙古直到永遠，因為智慧能力都屬乎他。
“Praise the wonderful nature of God forever and ever, for he is wise and powerful.
21 他改變時候、日期，廢王，立王，將智慧賜與智慧人，將知識賜與聰明人。
He is in charge of time and history. He removes kings, and he sets kings in place. He gives wisdom to make people wise; he gives knowledge to people so they can understand.
22 他顯明深奧隱秘的事，知道暗中所有的，光明也與他同居。
He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.
23 我列祖的上帝啊，我感謝你，讚美你；因你將智慧才能賜給我，允准我們所求的，把王的事給我們指明。」
I give thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, for you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have revealed to me what we asked you; you have revealed to us the king's dream.”
24 於是，但以理進去見亞略，就是王所派滅絕巴比倫哲士的，對他說：「不要滅絕巴比倫的哲士，求你領我到王面前，我要將夢的講解告訴王。」
So Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon and told him, “Don't execute the wise men of Babylon! Take me to see the king and I will explain to him his dream.”
25 亞略就急忙將但以理領到王面前，對王說：「我在被擄的猶大人中遇見一人，他能將夢的講解告訴王。」
Arioch immediately took Daniel to the king and told him, “I've found one of the captives from Judah who can tell Your Majesty what your dream means.”
26 王問稱為伯提沙撒的但以理說：「你能將我所做的夢和夢的講解告訴我嗎？」
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”
27 但以理在王面前回答說：「王所問的那奧祕事，哲士、用法術的、術士、觀兆的都不能告訴王，
“No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.
28 只有一位在天上的上帝能顯明奧祕的事。他已將日後必有的事指示尼布甲尼撒王。你的夢和你在床上腦中的異象是這樣：
“But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came to your mind as you were lying in bed were these.
29 王啊，你在床上想到後來的事，那顯明奧祕事的主把將來必有的事指示你。
As Your Majesty lay there, your thoughts turned to the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what would take place.
30 至於那奧祕的事顯明給我，並非因我的智慧勝過一切活人，乃為使王知道夢的講解和心裏的思念。
It's not because I have any more wisdom than anyone else that this mystery has been revealed to me, but to explain to Your Majesty what you were thinking about so you could understand.
31 「王啊，你夢見一個大像，這像甚高，極其光耀，站在你面前，形狀甚是可怕。
Your Majesty, as you looked, there before you stood a great statue. The statue standing in front of you was huge, and blazingly bright. It looked terrifying!
32 這像的頭是精金的，胸膛和膀臂是銀的，肚腹和腰是銅的，
The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze,
33 腿是鐵的，腳是半鐵半泥的。
its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and baked clay.
34 你觀看，見有一塊非人手鑿出來的石頭打在這像半鐵半泥的腳上，把腳砸碎；
While you were watching, a stone was quarried, but not by human hands. It struck the iron and clay feet of the statue and smashed them to pieces.
35 於是金、銀、銅、鐵、泥都一同砸得粉碎，成如夏天禾場上的糠詷，被風吹散，無處可尋。打碎這像的石頭變成一座大山，充滿天下。
Then the rest of the statue—the bronze, the silver, and the gold—broke into pieces like the iron and clay. The wind blew them all away like chaff from the summer threshing floor, so that no trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 「這就是那夢；我們在王面前要講解那夢。
This was the dream, and now we will explain what it means to the king.
37 王啊，你是諸王之王。天上的上帝已將國度、權柄、能力、尊榮都賜給你。
Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, and power, strength, and glory.
38 凡世人所住之地的走獸，並天空的飛鳥，他都交付你手，使你掌管這一切。你就是那金頭。
He gave you control over all peoples, as well as the wild animals and birds. He made you ruler of all of them. You are the head of gold.
39 在你以後必另興一國，不及於你；又有第三國，就是銅的，必掌管天下。
But after you another kingdom will rise that is inferior to your kingdom and will replace yours. After that a third kingdom that is bronze will rise and rule over the whole world.
40 第四國，必堅壯如鐵，鐵能打碎剋制百物，又能壓碎一切，那國也必打碎壓制列國。
The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron and in the same way that iron crushes and smashes everything; it will crush and smash all others.
41 你既見像的腳和腳指頭，一半是窯匠的泥，一半是鐵，那國將來也必分開。你既見鐵與泥攙雜，那國也必有鐵的力量。
You saw the feet and toes made from iron and baked clay, and this indicates it will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron but mixed with clay.
42 那腳指頭，既是半鐵半泥，那國也必半強半弱。
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 你既見鐵與泥攙雜，那國民也必與各種人攙雜，卻不能彼此相合，正如鐵與泥不能相合一樣。
In the same way that you saw the iron mixed with ordinary clay, so the people will mix but they will not stick together just as iron and clay do not mix.
44 當那列王在位的時候，天上的上帝必另立一國，永不敗壞，也不歸別國的人，卻要打碎滅絕那一切國，這國必存到永遠。
During the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed or taken over by others. It will crush all these kingdoms, bringing them to an end, and it will last forever,
45 你既看見非人手鑿出來的一塊石頭從山而出，打碎金、銀、銅、鐵、泥，那就是至大的上帝把後來必有的事給王指明。這夢準是這樣，這講解也是確實的。」
in the same way that you saw the stone quarried from the mountain, but not by human hands, crush the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to Your Majesty what is to come. The dream is true, and the explanation is trustworthy.”
46 當時，尼布甲尼撒王俯伏在地，向但以理下拜，並且吩咐人給他奉上供物和香品。
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and worshiped him, and ordered offerings of grain and incense to be made to him.
47 王對但以理說：「你既能顯明這奧祕的事，你們的上帝誠然是萬神之神、萬王之主，又是顯明奧祕事的。」
The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, the revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
48 於是王高抬但以理，賞賜他許多上等禮物，派他管理巴比倫全省，又立他為總理，掌管巴比倫的一切哲士。
Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and gave him many expensive gifts, making him governor over the whole province of Babylon and head of all the wise men of Babylon.
49 但以理求王，王就派沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌管理巴比倫省的事務，只是但以理常在朝中侍立。
At Daniel's request, the king placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of Babylon, and Daniel remained at the king's court.
