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.
[One night] during the second year that Nebuchadnezzar ruled, he had a dream. The dream worried him very much; and [as a result] he could not sleep.
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.
[The next morning] he summoned his men who worked magic, fortune-tellers, those who worked sorcery, and those who studied the stars. [Because he had forgotten what he had dreamed, ] he insisted that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood there 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.
he said, “I had a dream [last night] that worries me. [Tell me what I dreamed, because] I want to know what the dream [means].”
4 Da talte Kaldæerne til Kongen paa Syrisk: Kongen leve evindelig! sig dine Tjenere Drømmen, og vi skulle kundgøre Udtydningen.
The men who studied the stars replied to the king, speaking in the Aramaic [language]. They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we hope that you will live a long time! Tell us what you dreamed, and [then] we will tell you what it means!”
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.
But the king replied, “I have firmly decided that you must tell me the dream, and [also tell me] what it means. If you do not do that, I will [order my soldiers to] cut you into pieces, and to cause your houses to become only piles of stones!
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 tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will reward you. I will give you wonderful gifts and greatly honor you. So tell me what I dreamed and what it means!”
7 De svarede anden Gang og sagde: Kongen sige sine Tjenere Drømmen, saa ville vi kundgøre Udtydningen.
But again they said, “Tell us what you dreamed, and [then] we will tell you what it means.”
8 Kongen svarede og sagde: Sandelig, jeg mærker, at I ville vinde Tid, efterdi I se, at Ordet fra mig staar fast;
The king replied, “I know that you are just trying to get more time, because you know that I will do to you what I said that I would do.
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.
If you do not tell me what I dreamed, you will be punished. [I think that] you have all agreed to tell me lies and [other] wicked things, because you hope that I will change ([my mind/what I am thinking]). But tell me the dream, and [then] I will know that you can [also] tell me what it means.”
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.
The men who studied the stars replied, “There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, [even] a great and mighty king, who has [ever] asked his men who work magic or his fortune-tellers or men who study the stars to do something like that!
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.
What you are asking [us to do] is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!”
12 Over dette blev Kongen fortørnet og meget vred, og han befalede, at man skulde udrydde alle vise i Babel.
The king was very angry when he heard that, so he commanded [his soldiers] that they execute all such wise men in Babylon.
13 Og Befalingen udgik, og de vise bleve ihjelslagne; og man ledte efter Daniel og hans Medbrødre, for at de kunde blive ihjelslagne.
And because of what the king commanded, they sent some men to find me and my [three] friends, to execute us [also].
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.
Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, came to kill us. But I spoke to him very wisely and tactfully/skillfully.
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.
I asked Arioch, “Why has the king made such a harsh/terrible decree?” So Arioch told me all that had happened [because of the king’s dream].
16 Og Daniel gik ind og begærede af Kongen, at han vilde give ham Tid, og at han maatte kundgøre Kongen Udtydningen.
I [immediately] went to talk to the king and requested that the king give me some time, so that I could find out [what the dream was and] what the dream meant.
17 Da gik Daniel til sit Hus og kundgjorde Hanania, Misael og Asaria, sine Medbrødre, Sagen,
Then I went home, and I told my friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened.
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.
I urged them to ask God, who lives/rules in heaven, to have mercy on us by telling us the secret [meaning of what the king dreamed], in order that we and the other wise men in Babylon would not be executed.
19 Da blev Hemmeligheden aabenbaret for Daniel i et Syn om Natten; da velsignede Daniel Himmelens Gud.
And that night [God] gave to me a vision in which he revealed the secret. Then I praised God,
20 Daniel svarede og sagde: Velsignet være Guds Navn fra Evighed og indtil Evighed; thi Visdommen og Kraften er hans.
saying, “We should praise God [MTY] forever, because [only] he truly is wise and powerful.
21 Og han forandrer Tider og Timer, han afsætter Konger og indsætter Konger; han giver de vise Visdom og de forstandige Kundskab.
He determines what events will happen through the years. He removes [some] kings and gives their authority to [new] kings. He is the one who causes people to become wise and enables those who study to understand [many] things.
22 Han aabenbarer de dybe og skjulte Ting; han ved, hvad der er i Mørket, og Lyset bor hos ham.
He reveals things that are very mysterious; he is surrounded by light, but he knows things that are hidden [as though they were] in the darkness.
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.
God, whom my ancestors [worshiped], I thank you and I praise you, because you have caused me to be wise and made me strong. You have told me what my friends and I asked you to tell us; and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know.”
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.
Then I went to Arioch, the man whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men in Babylon. I said to him, “Do not kill those wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what his dream means.”
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.
So Arioch quickly took me to the king. He said to the king, “I have found [this man], one of the men whom we brought from Judah who [says he can] can tell you what your dream means!”
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 said to me, whose [new] name was Belteshazzar, “[Is this true]? Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”
27 Daniel svarede Kongen og sagde: Hemmeligheden som Kongen begærer, kunne de vise, Besværgerne, Spaamændene og Sandsigerne ikke kundgøre Kongen.
I replied, “There are no wise men or fortune-tellers or men who work magic or men who work sorcery who can tell such things to you.
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 secrets. And he has shown in [your dream] what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what you dreamed, the vision you saw [as you were lying] on your bed.
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.
O King, while you were sleeping, you dreamed about events that will happen in the future. The one who reveals mysteries has shown you what is going to 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.
And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else on earth that I know the meaning of this mysterious dream. It is because God wanted you to understand what you were thinking.
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.
O King, [in your vision] you saw in front of you a huge and terrifying statue [of a man. It was] shining very brightly, and it was frightening and awesome.
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 the statue was [made] of pure gold. Its chest and arms [were made of] silver. Its belly and thighs [were made of] bronze.
33 dets Ben vare af Jern, dets Fødder til Dels af Jern og til Dels af Ler.
Its legs [were made of] iron, and its feet were a mixture of clay and iron.
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.
As you watched, something cut a rock [from a mountain, but it was] not a human [who cut it]. The rock [tumbled down and] smashed the feet of the statue, feet [that were made of] iron and clay. It smashed them to bits.
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 rest of the statue collapsed into a big heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces of the statue were as small as bits of chaff on the ground where it is threshed, and the wind blew away all the tiny pieces. There was nothing left. But the rock that smashed the statue became a large mountain that covered the whole earth.
36 Det er Drømmen, og Udtydningen derpaa skulle vi sige Kongen.
That was what you dreamed. Now I will tell you what it means.
37 Du, Konge, Kongernes Konge, hvem Himmelens Gud har givet Riget, Magten og Styrken og Æren,
You are a king [who rules] over [many other] kings. The God who rules in heaven has caused you to rule over them and has given you great power [DOU] and has honored you.
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
He has caused you to be the ruler over all people, and [even] the animals and birds are controlled by you. [So] the head [of the statue] represents you.
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.
But after your [kingdom/rule] ends, there will be another [great] kingdom, [but it] will not be as great as yours. [The silver parts of the statue represent that kingdom]. Then there will be a third [great] kingdom [whose king] will rule over the whole earth. The bronze parts [of the statue represent] that kingdom.
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.
After that kingdom ends, there will be a fourth [great] kingdom. The iron [parts of the statue represent that kingdom]. [The army of] that kingdom will smash the previous kingdoms, just like iron smashes everything that it strikes.
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.
The feet and toes of the statue that you saw, that were a mixture of iron and clay, indicate that the kingdom they represent will [later] be divided.
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.
Some parts of that kingdom will be as strong as iron, but some parts will not remain together, just as iron and clay do not stick together.
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.
The mixture of iron and clay [in the statue] shows also that the rulers of those kingdoms that separate from each other will try to form alliances with each other as a result of members of the royal families of those kingdoms marrying each other. But that will not succeed, just as iron and clay do not stick together.
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 while those kings are ruling, God who rules in heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. No one will ever defeat its king. He will completely destroy all those kingdoms, but his kingdom will remain forever.
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.
That is the meaning of the rock that something cut from the mountain, the rock that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, silver, and gold. O king, the great God has shown you what will truly happen in the future. And you can trust [what I told you about] the meaning of the dream.”
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 prostrated himself in front of me [in great respect]. He commanded [his people] that they burn incense and burn an offering of grain to honor me.
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.
The king said to me, “[Your God has enabled] you to tell me the meaning of this dream/mystery, so now I truly know that your God is greater than all the other gods and all other kings. He reveals [to people] things that they cannot know.”
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 gave many gifts to me, and he [also] appointed me to rule over the entire province of Babylon, and [also] to be the boss of all his wise men.
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.
I asked the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to [also] have important positions in Babylon province, and the king did what I asked him to do. But [I did my work while] I stayed at the king’s palace.
