Daniel 4

1 Rong Nebukadnezar til alle Folk, Stammer og Tungemaal, som bo paa den ganske Jord: Eders Fred være mangfoldig!

Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you.

2 Det behager mig at forkynde de Tegn og de underfulde Gerninger, som den højeste Gud har gjort imod mig;

It hath seemed good unto me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God hath wrought toward me.

3 Hans Tegn — hvor store! og hans underfulde Gerninger — hvor mægtige! hans Rige er et evigt Rige og hans Herredømme fra Slægt til Slægt!

How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

4 Jeg Nebukadnezar var tryg i mit Hus og livsfrisk i mit Palads.

I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.

5 Jeg saa en Drøm, og den forfærdede mig, og Tanker paa mit Leje og mit Hoveds Syner forvirrede mig.

I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

6 Derfor blev givet Befaling af mig, at man skulde føre alle vise i Babel ind for mig, for at de skulde kundgøre mig Drømmens Udtydning.

And I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.

7 Da kom Spaamændene, Besværgerne, Kaldæerne og Sandsigerne ind; og jeg sagde dem Drømmen, men de kunde ikke kundgøre mig Udtydningen derpaa.

Then came in the scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers; and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation of it.

8 Men til sidst kom Daniel, som kaldes Beltsazar efter min Guds Navn, og i hvem de hellige Guders Aand er, ind for mig; og jeg sagde ham Drømmen.

But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and before him I told the dream:

9 Beltsazar, du Øverste for Spaamændene! efterdi jeg ved, at de hellige Guders Aand er i dig, og at ingen Hemmelighed er dig vanskelig: Sig mig Synerne i min Drøm, som jeg saa, og Udtydningen derpaa.

O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret is too hard for thee, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, and the interpretation of it.

10 Og mit Hoveds Syner paa mit Leje vare: Jeg saa og se, der var et Træ midt i Landet, og det var meget højt.

Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

11 Træet blev stort og stærkt, og dets Højde rakte til Himmelen, og man kunde se det indtil hele Jordens Ende.

The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached unto the heavens, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.

12 Løvet derpaa var dejligt, og der var megen Frugt derpaa, og der var Føde for alt, som var derpaa; under det fandt Dyrene paa Marken Skygge, og i Grenene derpaa boede Himmelens Fugle, og alt Kød nærede sig deraf.

Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all: the beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 Jeg saa i mit Hoveds Syner paa mit Leje, og se, en Vægter, det er en hellig, for ned fra Himmelen.

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the heavens;

14 Han raabte med Vælde og sagde saaledes: Hugger Træet om og afhugger dets Grene, afriver dets Løv og spreder dets Frugt; Dyrene flygte fra dets Læ og Fuglene fra dets Grene!

he cried aloud, and said thus: Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit; let the beasts get away from under it, and the birds from its branches.

15 Dog lader Stubben med dens Rødder blive tilbage i Jorden, men i Baand af Jern og Kobber, i Markens Græs; og lad ham vædes med Himmelens Dug, og hans Del være med Dyrene af Urterne paa Jorden!

Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

16 Hans Hjerte skal forandres, saa at det ikke er et Menneskes, og et Dyrs Hjerte skal gives ham; og syv Tider skulle omskiftes over ham.

Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

17 Tingen er i Vægternes besluttede Raad, og Sagen er de helliges Befaling, paa det de, som leve, kunne kende, at den Højeste har Magt over Menneskens Rige og giver det til hvem, han vil, og ophøjer den ringe iblandt Menneskene over det.

This sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision by the word of the holy ones: that the living may know that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

18 Denne Drøm saa jeg, Kong Nebukadnezar; men du, Beltsazar! sig Udtydningen, efterdi alle vise i mit Rige ikke kunne kundgøre Udtydningen, men du kan det, fordi de hellige Guders Aand er i dig.

This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and thou, Belteshazzar, tell the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

19 Da stod Daniel, hvis Navn er Beltsazar, en Stund forskrækket, og hans Tanker forfærdede ham; men Kongen svarede og sagde: Beltsazar! lad Drømmen og Udtydningen ikke forfærde dig; Beltsazar svarede og sagde: Min Herre! Drømmen gælde dine Hadere og dens Udtydning dine Fjender!

Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, nor its interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and its interpretation to thine enemies!

20 Træet, som du saa, og som blev stort og stærkt, og hvis Højde rakte til Himmelen, og som saas over al Jorden,

The tree that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto the heavens, and the sight of it to all the earth;

21 og hvorpaa der var dejligt Løv og megen Frugt og Føde for alt, som var derpaa, under hvilket Dyrene paa Marken boede, og i hvis Grene Himmelens Fugle byggede:

whose leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitation:

22 Dette er dig selv, o Konge! i thi du er bleven stor og stærk; og din Magt er bleven stor og rækker til Himmelen og dit Herredømme til Jordens Ende.

it is thou, O king, who art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

23 Men at Kongen saa en Vægter, det er en hellig, fare ned fra Himmelen og sige: Hugger Træet om og ødelægger det, dog lader Stubben med dens Rødder blive tilbage i Jorden, men i Baand af Jern og Kobber, i Markens Græs; og lad ham vædes af Himmelens Dug og hans Del være med Dyrene paa Marken, indtil syv Tider omskiftes over ham,

And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from the heavens, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him:

24 da er dette Udtydningen, o Konge! og dette er den Højestes besluttede Raad, som skal komme over min Herre, Kongen:

this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which cometh upon my lord the king:

25 Nemlig, man skal støde dig ud fra Folk, og din Bolig skal være hos Dyrene paa Marken, og man skal lade dig æde Urter som Øksne og vædes af Himmelens Dug, og syv Tider skulle omskiftes over dig, indtil du kender, at den Højeste har Magt over Menneskens Rige og giver det til, hvem han vil.

They shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and thou shalt be bathed with the dew of heaven; and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

26 Men at der sagdes: Man skulde lade Træets Stub med dens Rødder blive tilbage, det betyder, at dit Rige skal overdrages dig igen fra den Tid, du erkender, at Himlene ere mægtige.

And whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall remain unto thee, after that thou shalt know that the heavens do rule.

27 Derfor, o Konge! lad mit Raad behage dig, og afbryd dine Synder ved Retfærdighed og dine Misgerninger ved Barmhjertighed imod de elendige, dersom din Fred skal have Varighed.

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.

28 Alt dette kom over Kong Nebukadnezar.

All this came upon king Nebuchadnezzar.

29 Der tolv Maaneder vare til Ende, gik han omkring paa det kongelige Palads i Babel.

At the end of twelve months he was walking upon the royal palace of Babylon:

30 Kongen svarede og sagde: Er dette ikke det store Babel, som jeg har bygget til et kongeligt Hus ved min Styrkes Magt og til min Herligheds Ære?

the king spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?

31 Da Ordet endnu var i Kongens Mund, faldt der en Røst af Himmelen: Det være dig sagt, Kong Nebukadnezar! Riget er gaaet bort fra dig.

While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from the heavens: King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee;

32 Og man skal støde dig ud fra Folk, og din Bolig skal være hos Dyrene paa Marken, man skal lade dig æde Urter som Øksne, og syv Tider skulle omskiftes over dig, indtil du kender, at den Højeste har Magt over Menneskens Rige og giver det til, hvem han vil.

and they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 I samme Stund gik Ordet i Opfyldelse over Nebukadnezar, og han blev udstødt fra Menneskene og aad Urter som Øksne, og hans Legeme blev vædet af Himmelens Dug, indtil hans Haar voksede som Ørnefjer og hans Negle som Fuglekløer.

The same hour was the word fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen; and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, till his hair grew like eagles' [feathers], and his nails like birds' [claws].

34 Men der disse Dage vare til Ende, opløftede jeg, Nebukadnezar, mine Øjne til Himmelen, og min Forstand kom til mig igen, og jeg lovede den Højeste og priste og ærede ham, som lever evindelig; thi hans Herredømme er et evigt Herredømme, og hans Rige varer fra Slægt til Slægt.

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto the heavens, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.

35 Og alle, som bo paa Jorden, ere som intet at regne, efter sin Villie gør han med Himmelens Hær og med dem, som bo paa Jorden; og der er ingen, som kan hindre hans Haand og sige ham: Hvad gør du?

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

36 Paa samme Tid kom min Forstand til mig igen, og til mit Kongedømmes Ære kom min Herlighed og Glans til mig igen, og mine Raadsherrer og mine Fyrster søgte mig; og jeg blev indsat i mit Rige, og større Herlighed blev mig tillagt.

At the same time mine understanding returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my nobles sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added unto me.

37 Nu priser og ophøjer og ærer jeg, Nebukadnezar, Himmelens Konge; thi alle hans Gerninger ere Sandhed, og hans Stier ere Retfærdighed, og han kan ydmyge dem, som vandre i Hovmodighed.

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of the heavens, all whose works are truth, and his paths judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.