Daniel 2

1 Og i Nebukadnezars andet Regeringsaar drømte Nebukadnezar Drømme, og hans Aand blev bekymret, og det var forbi for ham med hans Søvn.

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream fled from him.

2 Da sagde Kongen, at de skulde kalde Spaamændene og Besværgerne og Troldkarlene og Kaldæerne for at forkynde Kongen hans Drømme; og de kom og stode for Kongens Ansigt.

Yet the king commanded that the seers, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be gathered together to reveal to the king his dreams. When they arrived, they stood in front of the king.

3 Og Kongen sagde til dem: Jeg drømte en Drøm, og min Aand blev bekymret, saa at jeg maa vide Drømmen.

And the king said to them, “I saw a dream, and, being confused in mind, I do not know what I saw.”

4 Da talte Kaldæerne til Kongen paa Syrisk: Kongen leve evindelig! sig dine Tjenere Drømmen, og vi skulle kundgøre Udtydningen.

And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac, “O king, live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”

5 Kongen svarede og sagde til Kaldæerne: Ordet fra mig staar fast: Dersom I ikke kundgøre mig Drømmen og Udtydningen derpaa, skulle I blive huggede i Stykker og eders Huse blive gjorte til en Møgdynge.

And in answer, the king said to the Chaldeans, “The memory of it has slipped away from me. Unless you reveal the dream to me, and its meaning, you will be put to death, and your houses will be confiscated.

6 Men dersom I kundgøre Drømmen og Udtydningen derpaa, da skulle I bekomme Skænk og Gave og stor Ære af mig; derfor kundgører mig Drømmen og Udtydningen derpaa!

But if you explain the dream and its meaning, you will receive from me rewards, and gifts, and great honor. Therefore, reveal to me the dream and its interpretation.”

7 De svarede anden Gang og sagde: Kongen sige sine Tjenere Drømmen, saa ville vi kundgøre Udtydningen.

They answered again and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”

8 Kongen svarede og sagde: Sandelig, jeg mærker, at I ville vinde Tid, efterdi I se, at Ordet fra mig staar fast;

The king answered and said, “I am certain that you are stalling for time because you know that the memory of it has slipped away from me.

9 dersom I ikke kundgøre mig Drømmen, da er der een Dom over eder, og I ere komne overens om at sige løgnagtig og fordærvelig Tale for mig, indtil Tiden forandrer sig; derfor siger mig Drømmen, saa kan jeg vide, at I kunne kundgøre mig Udtydningen derpaa.

Therefore, if you do not reveal to me the dream, there is only one conclusion to be reached about you, that the interpretation is likewise false, and packed full of deception, so as to speak before me until the time passes away. And so, tell me the dream, so that I will also know that the interpretation that you tell me is likewise true.”

10 Kaldæerne svarede Kongen og sagde: Der er intet Menneske paa Jorden, som kan kundgøre det, som Kongen forlanger, efterdi ingen stor og mægtig Konge har begæret saadan Ting af nogen Spaamand eller Besværger eller Kaldæer.

Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and they said, “There is no man on earth who can accomplish your word, O king. For neither has any king, however great and mighty, asked for an answer of this kind from every seer, and astrologer, and Chaldean.

11 Og den Ting, som Kongen begærer, er svar, og der er ingen anden, som kan kundgøre den for Kongen, uden Guderne, hvis Bolig ikke er hos Menneskene.

For the answer that you seek, O king, is very difficult. Neither can anyone be found who can reveal it in the sight of the king, except the gods, whose conversation is not with men.”

12 Over dette blev Kongen fortørnet og meget vred, og han befalede, at man skulde udrydde alle vise i Babel.

When he heard this, the king commanded, in fury and in great wrath, that all the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed.

13 Og Befalingen udgik, og de vise bleve ihjelslagne; og man ledte efter Daniel og hans Medbrødre, for at de kunde blive ihjelslagne.

And when the decree had gone forth, the wise men were put to death; and Daniel and his companions were sought, to be destroyed.

14 Da gav Daniel et klogt og forstandigt Svar til Ariok, Øversten for Kongens Livvagt, som var gaaet ud for at ihjelslaa de vise i Babel.

Then Daniel inquired, about the law and the sentence, of Arioch, the general of the king’s army, who had gone forth to execute the wise men of Babylon.

15 Han svarede og sagde til Ariok, Kongens mægtige Mand: Hvorfor kommer denne strenge Befaling fra Kongen? Saa gav Ariok Sagen til Kende for Daniel.

And he asked him, who had received the orders of the king, for what reason such a cruel sentence had gone forth from the face of the king. And so, when Arioch had revealed the matter to Daniel,

16 Og Daniel gik ind og begærede af Kongen, at han vilde give ham Tid, og at han maatte kundgøre Kongen Udtydningen.

Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would grant him time to reveal the solution to the king.

17 Da gik Daniel til sit Hus og kundgjorde Hanania, Misael og Asaria, sine Medbrødre, Sagen,

And he went into his house and explained the task to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,

18 og det, for at de skulde begære Barmhjertighed af Gud i Himmelen angaaende denne Hemmelighed, for at de ikke skulde udrydde Daniel og hans Medbrødre tillige med Resten af de vise i Babel.

so that they would seek mercy before the face of the God of heaven, about this mystery, and so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the other wise men of Babylon.

19 Da blev Hemmeligheden aabenbaret for Daniel i et Syn om Natten; da velsignede Daniel Himmelens Gud.

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,

20 Daniel svarede og sagde: Velsignet være Guds Navn fra Evighed og indtil Evighed; thi Visdommen og Kraften er hans.

and speaking aloud, he said, “May the name of the Lord be blessed by the present generation and forever; for wisdom and fortitude are his.

21 Og han forandrer Tider og Timer, han afsætter Konger og indsætter Konger; han giver de vise Visdom og de forstandige Kundskab.

And he alters the times and the ages. He takes away kingdoms and he establishes them. He gives wisdom to those who are wise and teaching skills to those who understand.

22 Han aabenbarer de dybe og skjulte Ting; han ved, hvad der er i Mørket, og Lyset bor hos ham.

He reveals deep and hidden things, and he knows what has been established in darkness. And the light is with him.

23 Dig, mine Fædres Gud! lover og priser jeg, thi du har givet mig Visdom og Styrke; og du har nu kundgjort mig det, vi begærede af dig, thi du har kundgjort os Kongens Sag.

To you, God of our fathers, I confess, and you, I praise. For you have given wisdom and fortitude to me, and now you have revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have uncovered for us the king’s thoughts.”

24 Derfor gik Daniel ind til Ariok, som Kongen havde befalet at udrydde de vise i Babel; han gik hen og sagde saaledes til ham: Udryd ikke de vise i Babel; før mig ind for Kongen, saa vil jeg kundgøre Kongen Udtydningen.

After this, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he spoke to him in this way, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will explain the solution to the king.”

25 Da førte Ariok Daniel hastelig: ind for Kongen og sagde saaledes til ham: Jeg har fundet iblandt det bortførte Folk af Juda en Mand, som vil kundgøre Kongen Udtydningen.

Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel to the king, and he said to him, “I have found a man of the sons of the transmigration of Judah, who would announce the solution to the king.”

26 Kongen svarede og sagde til Daniel, hvis Navn var Beltsazar: Er du i Stand til at kundgøre mig den Drøm, som jeg saa, og Udtydningen derpaa?

The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Do you really think that you can reveal to me the dream that I saw and its interpretation?”

27 Daniel svarede Kongen og sagde: Hemmeligheden som Kongen begærer, kunne de vise, Besværgerne, Spaamændene og Sandsigerne ikke kundgøre Kongen.

And Daniel, facing the king, answered and said, “The secret that the king seeks, the wise men, the seers, and the soothsayers are unable to reveal to the king.

28 Men der er en Gud i Himmelen, som aabenbarer hemmelige Ting, han har kundgjort Kong Nebukadnezar, hvad der skal ske i de sidste Dage; din Drøm og dit Hoveds Syner paa dit Leje ere disse:

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, who has revealed to you, king Nebuchadnezzar, what will happen in the latter times. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed, are such as these.

29 Du Konge! dine Tanker opstege paa dit Leje om, hvad der skulde ske herefter; og han, som aabenbarer hemmelige Ting, har kundgjort dig, hvad der skal ske.

You, O king, began to think, while in your blanket, about what will be hereafter. And he who reveals secrets showed you what will happen.

30 Og mig er denne Hemmelighed aabenbaret, ikke af den Visdom, som er i mig, fremfor alle dem, der leve; men for at Udtydningen skulde gives Kongen til Kende, og du maatte komme til at vide dit Hjertes Tanker.

To me, likewise, this mystery is revealed, not according to the wisdom that is in me more than in other living things, but so that the interpretation might be made manifest to the king, and so that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

31 Du, Konge! saa, og se, der var et højt Billede, samme Billede var stort, og dets Glans var herlig; det stod foran dig, og dets Udseende var forfærdeligt.

You, O king, saw, and behold, something like a great statue. This statue, which was great and high, stood exalted above you, and you considered how terrible it was.

32 Dette Billedes Hoved var af fint Guld, dets Bryst og dets Arme af Sølv, dets Bug og dets Lænder af Kobber,

The head of this statue was of the finest gold, but the breast and the arms were of silver, and further on, the belly and the thighs were of brass;

33 dets Ben vare af Jern, dets Fødder til Dels af Jern og til Dels af Ler.

but the shins were of iron, a certain part of the feet were of iron and another part were of clay.

34 Du saa, indtil der blev en Sten løsreven, og det ikke ved Hænder, og den slog Billedet paa dets Fødder, som vare af Jern og Ler, og knuste dem.

And so you looked until a stone was broken off without hands from a mountain, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were of iron and clay, and it shattered them.

35 Da blev Jernet, Leret, Kobberet, Sølvet og Guldet knuste paa een Gang og bleve ligesom Avner fra Tærskepladserne om Sommeren, og Vinden borttog dem, og intet Sted blev fundet for dem; men den Sten, som sønderslog Billedet, blev til et stort Bjerg og opfyldte hele Jorden.

Then the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and diminished like the ashes of a summer courtyard, and they were quickly taken away by the wind, and no place was found for them; but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 Det er Drømmen, og Udtydningen derpaa skulle vi sige Kongen.

This is the dream; we will also tell its interpretation before you, O king.

37 Du, Konge, Kongernes Konge, hvem Himmelens Gud har givet Riget, Magten og Styrken og Æren,

You are a king among kings, and the God of heaven has given to you a kingdom, and fortitude, and power, and glory,

38 og har allesteds, hvor Mennesker bo, Dyrene paa Marken og Fuglene under Himmelen, givet dem i din Haand og ladet dig herske over dem alle: Du selv er Guldholdet

and all the places wherein the sons of men and the beasts of the field dwell. He has likewise given the flying creatures of the air into your hand, and he has placed all things under your realm. Therefore, you are the head of gold.

39 Og efter dig skal opkomme et andet Rige, ringere end dit, og et tredje Rige endnu, af Kobber, som skal herske over hele Jorden.

And after you, another kingdom will rise up, inferior to you, of silver, and another third kingdom of brass, which will rule over the whole world.

40 Og et fjerde Rige skal være stærkt som Jernet; eftersom Jernet knuser og sønderslaar alt, skal det som Jernet der sønderslaar, knuse og sønderslaa alle hine.

And the fourth kingdom will be like iron. Just as iron shatters and conquers all things, so will it shatter and crush all these.

41 Men at du saa Fødderne og Tæerne til Dels at være af Pottemagerler og til Dels af Jern, betyder, at det skal blive et delt Rige, og at der skal blive noget af Jernets Styrke derudi, efterdi du saa, at Jernet var blandet med Leret.

Furthermore, because you saw the feet and the toes to be part of potter’s clay and part of iron, the kingdom will be divided, but still, from the slip of iron it will take its origin, since you saw the iron mingled with the earthenware from clay.

42 Og at Tæerne paa Fødderne vare til Dels af Jem og til Dels af Ler, betyder, at Riget for en Del skal være stærkt og for en Del skrøbeligt.

And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part will be crushed.

43 At du saa Jernet blandet med Leret, betyder, at de skulle blande sig ved Slægtskabsforbindelser, men dog ikke indbyrdes holde sammen; se, ligesom Jernet ikke kan blandes med Leret.

Yet, because you saw the iron mingled with pottery from the earth, they will indeed be combined together with the offspring of man, but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron cannot be mixed with earthenware.

44 Men i disse Kongers Dage skal Himmelens Gud oprette et Rige, som i al Evighed ikke skal forgaa, og hvis Regering ikke skal overlades til noget andet Folk; det skal knuse og tilintetgøre alle hine Riger; men selv skal det bestaa evindelig,

But in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will inspire a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and his kingdom will not be handed over to another people, and it will crush and will consume all these kingdoms, and this kingdom itself will stand in eternity.

45 efterdi du saa, at en Sten blev løsrevet fra Bjerget, og det ikke ved Hænder, og at den knuste Jernet, Kobberet, Leret, Sølvet og Guldet. Den store Gud har ladet Kongen vide, hvad der skal ske herefter, og Drømmen staar fast, og Udtydningen derpaa er vis.

In accordance with what you saw, because the stone was torn away from the mountain without hands, and it crushed the earthenware, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God has shown the king what will happen after this. And the dream is true, and its interpretation is faithful.”

46 Da faldt Kong Nebukadnezar paa sit Ansigt og nedbøjede sig for Daniel, og han befalede, at man skulde ofre ham Madofre og Røgelse.

Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and adored Daniel, and he commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense.

47 Kongen svarede Daniel og sagde: Sandt er det, at eders Gud, han er en Gud over Guder og en Herre ovør Konger, og Hemmeligheders Aabenbarer, efterdi du har kunnet aabenbare denne Hemmelighed.

And so the king spoke with Daniel and said, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and also a revealer of secrets, since you could uncover this mystery.”

48 Da gjorde Kongen Daniel stor og gav ham mange store Gaver og gjorde ham til Fyrste over hele Landskabet Babel og til øverste Forstander for alle de vise i Babel.

Then the king raised Daniel to a high rank and gave him many great gifts, and he appointed him as leader over all the provinces of Babylon and as chief of the magistrates over all the other wise men of Babylon.

49 Og Daniel begærede af Kongen, at han til Bestyrelsen over Landskabet Babel vilde beskikke Sadrak, Mesak og Abed-Nego; men Daniel blev ved Kongens Hof.

However, Daniel required of the king that he appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the works of the province of Babylon. But Daniel himself was at the king’s door.