Daniel 2

1 I sit andet Regeringsaar drømte Nebukadnezar, og hans Sind blev uroligt, saa han ikke kunde sove.

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, on account of which his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.

2 Saa lod Kongen Drømmetyderne, Manerne, Sandsigerne og Kaldæerne kalde, for at de skulde sige ham, hvad han havde drømt. Og de kom og traadte frem for Kongen.

Then the king commanded to call the scribes, and the magicians, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldaeans, that they might show the king his dreams; and they came and stood before the king.

3 Da sagde Kongen til dem: »Jeg har haft en Drøm, og mit Sind falder ikke til Ro, før jeg faar at vide, hvad den betyder.«

And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

4 Kaldæerne svarede Kongen (paa Aramaisk): »Kongen leve evindelig! Sig dine Trælle Drømmen, saa skal vi tyde den.«

And the Chaldaeans said to the king in Aramaean, O king, live forever! Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

5 Men Kongen svarede Kaldæerne: »Mit Ord staar fast! Hvis I ikke baade kundgør mig Drømmen og tyder den, skal I hugges sønder og sammen og eders Huse gøres til Skarndynger;

The king answered and said to the Chaldaeans: The word has gone from me. If ye will not make known to me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

6 men gengiver I mig Drømmen og tyder den, faar I Skænk og Gave og stor Ære af mig. Gengiv mig, derfor Drømmen og tyd den!«

But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive from me gifts, and rewards, and great honor. Therefore show me the dream, and its interpretation!

7 De svarede atter: »Kongen sige sine Trælle Drømmen, saa skal vi tyde den.«

They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.

8 Kongen svarede: »Nu ved jeg for vist, at I kun søger at vinde Tid, fordi I ser, mit Ord staar fast,

The king answered and said, I know of a certain, that ye seek to gain time, because ye see that the word hath gone forth from me.

9 saa eders Dom kun kan blive een, hvis I ikke kundgør mig Drømmen, og at I derfor er blevet enige om at lyve for mig og føre mig bag Lyset, til der kommer andre Tider. Sig mig derfor Drømmen, saa jeg kan vide, at I ogsaa kan tyde mig den.«

For if ye do not make known to me the dream, this alone is your purpose, and ye have prepared lying and deceitful words to speak before me till the time be changed. Tell me therefore the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.

10 Kaldæerne svarede Kongen: »Der findes ikke et Menneske paa Jorden, som kan sige, hvad Kongen ønsker at vide; aldrig har jo heller nogen Konge, hvor stor og mægtig han end var, krævet sligt af nogen Drømmetyder, Maner eller Kaldæer;

The Chaldaeans answered before the king, and said: There is not a man upon the earth who can show what the king requireth; on which account no king, however great and powerful, hath asked such things of any scribe, or magician, or Chaldaean.

11 hvad Kongen kræver, er umuligt, og der er ingen, som kan sige Kongen det, undtagen Guderne, og de bor ikke hos de dødelige.«

It is a hard thing which the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with men.

12 Herover blev Kongen vred og saare harmfuld, og han bød, at alle Babels Vismænd skulde henrettes.

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 Da nu Befalingen var udgaaet, og man skulde til at slaa Vismændene ihjel, ledte man ogsaa efter Daniel og hans Venner for at slaa dem ihjel.

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows, to slay them.

14 Da henvendte Daniel sig med kloge og vel overvejede Ord til Arjok, Øversten for Kongens Livvagt, som var draget ud for at slaa Babels Vismænd ihjel.

Then Daniel answered with understanding and wisdom to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.

15 Han tog til Orde og spurgte Arjok, Kongens Høvedsmand: »Hvorfor er saa skarp en Befaling udgaaet fra Kongen?« Og da Arjok havde sat ham ind i Sagen,

He answered and said to Arioch, the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 gik Daniel ind til Kongen og bad ham give sig en Frist, saa skulde han tyde Kongen Drømmen.

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

17 Saa gik Daniel hjem og satte sine Venner Hananja, Misjael og Azarja ind i Sagen,

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions;

18 og han paalagde dem at bede Himmelens Gud om Barmhjertighed, saa han aabenbarede Hemmeligheden, for at ikke Daniel og hans Venner skulde blive henrettet med Babels andre Vismænd.

that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven, concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish, with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Da blev Hemmeligheden aabenbaret Daniel i et Nattesyn; og Daniel priste Himmelens Gud,

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

20 tog til Orde og sagde: »Lovet være Guds Navn fra Evighed og til Evighed, thi ham tilhører Visdom og Styrke!

Daniel spake and said: Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever! for wisdom and might are his.

21 Han lader Tider og Stunder skifte, afsætter og indsætter Konger, giver de vise deres Visdom og de indsigtsfulde deres Viden;

And he changeth times and seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding.

22 han aabenbarer det dybe og lønlige; han ved, hvad Mørket gemmer, og Lyset bor hos ham.

He revealeth deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in darkness, and light dwelleth with him.

23 Dig, mine Fædres Gud, takker og priser jeg, fordi du gav mig Visdom og Styrke, og nu har du kundgjort mig, hvad vi bad dig om; thi hvad Kongen vil vide, har du kundgjort os!«

I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known to me now what we desired of thee; for thou hast now made known to us the king's matter.

24 Derfor gik Daniel til Arjok, hvem Kongen havde paalagt at henrette Babels Vismænd, og sagde til ham: »Henret ikke Babels Vismænd, men før mig frem for Kongen, saa vil jeg tyde ham Drømmen!«

Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.

25 Saa førte Arjok i Hast Daniel frem for Kongen og sagde til ham: »Jeg har blandt de bortførte Judæere fundet en Mand, som vil tyde Kongen Drømmen!«

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him: I have found a man of the captives of Judah that will make known to the king the interpretation.

26 Kongen tog til Orde og spurgte Daniel, som havde faaet Navnet Beltsazzar: »Er du i Stand til at kundgøre mig den Drøm, jeg har haft, og tyde den?«

The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel svarede Kongen: »Den Hemmelighed, Kongen ønsker at vide, kan Vismænd, Manere, Drømmetydere og Stjernetydere ikke sige Kongen;

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded, the wise men, the scribes, the magicians, the astrologers cannot show to the king;

28 men der er en Gud i Himmelen, som aabenbarer Hemmeligheder, og han har kundgjort Kong Nebukadnezar, hvad der skal ske i de sidste Dage:

but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the days to come. Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed were these.

29 Du tænkte, o Konge, paa dit Leje over, hvad der skal ske i Fremtiden, og han, som aabenbarer Hemmeligheder, kundgjorde dig, hvad der skal ske.

Thy thoughts, O king, came into thy mind, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

30 Og mig er denne Hemmelighed aabenbaret, ikke ved nogen Visdom, som jeg har forud for alle andre levende Væsener, men for at Drømmen kan blive tydet Kongen, saa du kan kende dit Hjertes Tanker.

But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me through any wisdom which I have more than all the living, but to the end that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

31 Du saa, o Konge, for dig en vældig Billedstøtte; denne Billedstøtte var stor og dens Glans overmaade stærk; den stod foran dig, og dens Udseende var forfærdeligt.

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, a great image. This image, which was high and of surpassing brightness, stood before thee; and its form was terrible.

32 Billedstøttens Hoved var af fint Guld, Bryst og Arme af Sølv, Bug og Lænder af Kobber,

The head of this image was of fine gold; his breast and his arms of silver; his belly and his thighs of brass;

33 Benene af Jern og Fødderne halvt af Jern og halvt af Ler.

his legs of iron; his feet, part of iron and part of clay.

34 Saaledes skuede du, indtil en Sten reves løs, dog ikke ved Menneskehænder, og ramte Billedstøttens Jern— og Lerfødder og knuste dem;

Thou sawest till a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

35 og paa een Gang knustes Jern, Ler, Kobber, Sølv og Guld og blev som Avner fra Somrens Tærskepladser, og Vinden bar det sporløst bort; men Stenen, som ramte Billedstøtten, blev til et stort Bjerg, der fyldte hele Jorden.

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36 Saaledes var Drømmen, og nu vil vi tyde Kongen den:

This is the dream, and now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.

37 Du, o Konge, Kongernes Konge, hvem Himmelens Gud gav Kongedømme, Magt, Styrke og Ære,

Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and strength and glory.

38 i hvis Haand han gav Menneskene, saa vide de bor, Markens Dyr og Himmelens Fugle, saa han gjorde dig til Hersker over dem alle, — du er Hovedet, som var af Guld.

And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art the head of gold.

39 Men efter dig skal der komme et andet Rige, ringere end dit, og derpaa atter et tredje Rige, som er af Kobber, og hvis Herredømme skal strække sig over hele Jorden.

And after thee shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40 Siden skal der komme et fjerde Rige, stærkt som Jern; thi Jern knuser og søndrer alt; og som Jern sønderslaar, skal det knuse og sønderslaa alle hine Riger.

And a fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; even as iron, that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41 Men naar du saa Fødderne og Tæerne halvt af Pottemagerler og halvt af Jern, betyder det, at det skal være et Rige uden Sammenhold; dog skal det have noget af Jernets Fasthed, thi du saa jo, at Jern var blandet med Ler.

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42 Og at Tæerne var halvt af Jern og halvt af Ler, betyder, at Riget delvis skal være stærkt, delvis svagt.

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken.

43 Og naar du saa, at Jernet var blandet med Ler, betyder det, at de skal indgaa Ægteskaber med hverandre, men dog ikke indbyrdes holde sammen, saa lidt som Jern kan blandes med Ler.

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by marriage, but they shall not cleave to each other, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44 Men i hine Kongers Dage vil Himmelens Gud oprette et Rige, som aldrig i Evighed skal forgaa, og Herredømmet skal ikke gaa over til noget andet Folk; det skal knuse og tilintetgøre alle hine Riger, men selv staa i al Evighed;

But in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall be left to no other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever;

45 thi du saa jo, at en Sten reves løs fra Klippen, dog ikke ved Menneskehænder, og knuste Jern, Ler, Kobber, Sølv og Guld. En stor Gud har kundgjort Kongen, hvad der skal ske herefter; og Drømmen er sand og Tydningen troværdig.«

even as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46 Saa faldt Kong Nebukadnezar paa sit Ansigt og bøjede sig for Daniel, og han bød, at man skulde bringe ham Ofre og Røgelse.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors to him.

47 Og Kongen tog til Orde og sagde til Daniel: »I Sandhed, eders Gud er Gudernes Gud og Kongernes Herre, og han kan aabenbare Hemmeligheder, siden du har kunnet aabenbare denne Hemmelighed.«

The king answered Daniel and said, Of a truth, your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets, since thou couldst reveal this secret.

48 Derpaa ophøjede Kongen Daniel og gav ham mange store Gaver, og han satte ham til Herre over hele Landsdelen Babel og til Overherre over alle Babels Vismænd.

Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Men paa Daniels Bøn overdrog Kongen Sjadrak, Mesjak og Abed-Nego at styre Landsdelen Babel, medens Daniel selv blev i Kongens Gaard.

Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the gate of the king.