< Daniel 4 >

1 Kong Nebukadnezar til alle Folk, Stammer og Tungemaal, som bor paa hele Jorden: Fred være med eder i rigt Maal!
'Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages, who are dwelling in all the earth: Your peace be great!
2 De Tegn og Undere, den højeste Gud har øvet imod mig, finder jeg for godt at kundgøre.
The signs and wonders that God Most High hath done with me, it is good before me to shew.
3 Hvor store er dog hans Tegn, hvor vældige dog hans Undere! Hans Rige er et evigt Rige, hans Herredømme fra Slægt til Slægt.
His signs how great! and His wonders how mighty! His kingdom [is] a kingdom age-during, and His rule [is] with generation and generation.
4 Jeg, Nebukadnezar, levede tryg i mit Slot og livsglad i mit Palads.
'I, Nebuchadnezzar, have been at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace:
5 Men da skuede jeg et Drømmesyn, og det slog mig med Rædsel, og Tankebilleder paa mit Leje og mit Hoveds Syner forfærdede mig.
a dream I have seen, and it maketh me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, do trouble me.
6 Derfor paabød jeg, at alle Babels Vismænd skulde føres frem for mig, for at de skulde tyde mig Drømmen.
And by me a decree is made, to cause all the wise men of Babylon to come up before me, that the interpretation of the dream they may cause me to know.
7 Saa kom Drømmetyderne, Manerne, Kaldæerne og Stjernetyderne ind, og jeg sagde dem Drømmen, men de kunde ikke tyde mig den.
Then coming up are the scribes, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and the dream I have told before them, and its interpretation they are not making known to me.
8 Men til sidst traadte Daniel, som har faaet Navnet Beltsazzar efter min Guds Navn, og i hvem hellige Guders Aand er, frem for mig, og jeg sagde ham Drømmen:
And at last come up before me hath Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar — according to the name of my god — and in whom [is] the spirit of the holy gods, and the dream before him I have told:
9 Beltsazzar, du Øverste for Drømmetyderne, i hvem jeg ved, at hellige Guders Aand er, og hvem ingen Hemmelighed er for svar! Hør, hvad jeg saa i Drømme, og tyd mig det!
'O Belteshazzar, master of the scribes, as I have known that the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee, and no secret doth press thee, the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation, tell.
10 Dette var mit Hoveds Syner paa mit Leje: Jeg skuede, og se, et Træ stod midt paa Jorden, og det var saare højt.
As to the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and lo, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height [is] great:
11 Træet voksede og blev vældigt, dets Top naaede Himmelen, og det saas til Jordens Ende;
become great hath the tree, yea, strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to the end of the whole land;
12 dets Løv var fagert, dets Frugter mange, saa der var Føde til alle derpaa; under det fandt Markens Dyr Skygge, i dets Grene boede Himmelens Fugle, og alt Kød fik Næring deraf.
its leaves [are] fair, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it: under it take shade doth the beast of the field, and in its boughs dwell do the birds of the heavens, and of it fed are all flesh.
13 Og videre skuede jeg i mit Hoveds Syner paa mit Leje, og se, en Vægter, en Hellig, kom ned fra Himmelen.
'I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and lo, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down.
14 Han raabte med høj Røst: »Fæld Træet, hug Grenene af, afriv Løvet og spred Frugterne; Dyrene skal fly fra deres Bo derunder og Fuglene fra dets Grene!
He is calling mightily, and thus hath said, Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, and scatter its budding, move away let the beast from under it, and the birds from off its branches;
15 Dog skal I lade Stubben med Rødderne blive i Jorden, men bundet med en Kæde af Jern og Kobber i Markens Græs; af Himmelens Dug skal han vædes, og som Dyrene skal han æde Markens Urter;
but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens is it wet, and with the beasts [is] his portion in the herb of the earth;
16 hans Menneskehjerte skal fratages ham og et Dyrehjerte gives ham, og syv Tider skal gaa hen over ham.
his heart from man's is changed, and the heart of a beast is given to him, and seven times pass over him;
17 Saaledes er det fastsat ved Vægternes Raad, og ved de Helliges Bud er Sagen afgjort, for at de levende maa sande, at den Højeste er Herre over Menneskenes Rige og kan give det, til hvem han vil, og ophøje den ringeste blandt Menneskene til Hersker over det!«
by the decree of the sifters [is] the sentence, and by the saying of the holy ones the requirement, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it, and the lowest of men He doth raise up over it.
18 Det var dette Drømmesyn, som jeg, Kong Nebukadnezar, skuede, og du, Beltsazzar, tyd mig det! Thi ingen af mit Riges Vismænd kan tyde mig det; du derimod evner det, thi i dig bor hellige Guders Aand.
'This dream I have seen, I king Nebuchadnezzar; and thou, O Belteshazzar, the interpretation tell, because that all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to cause me to know the interpretation, and thou [art] able, for the spirit of the holy gods [is] in thee.
19 Saa stod Daniel, som havde faaet Navnet Beltsazzar, en Stund rædselslagen, og hans Tanker forfærdede ham. Men Kongen tog til Orde og sagde: »Beltsazzar, lad ikke Drømmen og dens Udtydning forfærde dig!« Men Beltsazzar svarede: »Herre, maatte Drømmen gælde dine Fjender og dens Udtydning dine Avindsmænd!
'Then Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, hath been astonished about one hour, and his thoughts do trouble him; the king hath answered and said, O Belteshazzar, let not the dream and its interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar hath answered and said, My lord, the dream — to those hating thee, and its interpretation — to thine enemies!
20 Det Træ, du saa, og som voksede og blev vældigt, saa Toppen naaede Himmelen og det saas over hele Jorden,
The tree that thou hast seen, that hath become great and strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to all the land,
21 hvis Løv var fagert, og hvis Frugter var mange, det, som alle fik Næring af, under hvilket Markens Dyr fandt Bo, og i hvis Grene Himmelens Fugle byggede Rede,
and its leaves [are] fair, and its budding great, and food for all [is] in it, under it dwell doth the beast of the field, and on its boughs sit do the birds of the heavens.
22 det er dig selv, o Konge, som er blevet stor og mægtig, hvis Storhed er vokset, saa den naar Himmelen, og hvis Herredømme rækker til Jordens Ende.
'Thou it [is], O king, for thou hast become great and mighty, and thy greatness hath become great, and hath reached to the heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth;
23 Og naar Kongen saa, at en Vægter, en Hellig, steg ned fra Himmelen og bød: Fæld Træet og ødelæg det! Dog skal I lade Stubben med Rødderne blive i Jorden, men bundet med en Kæde af Jern og Kobber i Markens Græs; af Himmelens Dug skal han vædes, og med Markens Dyr skal han dele Lod, indtil syv Tider er gaaet hen over ham —
and that which the king hath seen — a sifter, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, and he hath said, Cut down the tree, and destroy it; but the stump of its roots leave in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens it is wet, and with the beast of the field [is] his portion, till that seven times pass over him.
24 saa betyder det, o Konge, og det er den Højestes Raad, som er udgaaet over min Herre Kongen:
'This [is] the interpretation, O king, and the decree of the Most High it [is] that hath come against my lord the king:
25 Du skal udstødes af Menneskenes Samfund og bo blandt Markens Dyr; Urter skal du have til Føde som Kvæget, og af Himmelens Dug skal du vædes; og syv Tider skal gaa hen over dig, til du skønner, at den Højeste er Herre over Menneskenes Rige og kan give det, til hvem han vil.
and they are driving thee away from men, and with the beast of the field is thy dwelling, and the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and by the dew of the heavens they are wetting thee, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it.
26 Men naar der blev givet Paabud om at levne Træets Stub med Rødderne, saa betyder det, at dit Rige atter skal blive dit, saa snart du skønner, at Himmelen har Magten.
And that which they said — to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom for thee abideth, after that thou knowest that the heavens are ruling.
27 Derfor, o Konge, lad mit Raad være dig til Behag. Gør Ende paa dine Synder med Retfærd og paa dine Misgerninger med Barmhjertighed mod de fattige, om din Lykke maaske kunde vare!«
'Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and thy sins by righteousness break off, and thy perversity by pitying the poor, lo, it is a lengthening of thine ease.
28 Alt dette ramte nu Kong Nebukadnezar.
'All — hath come on Nebuchadnezzar the king.
29 Tolv Maaneder senere, da Kongen vandrede paa Taget af det kongelige Palads i Babel,
'At the end of twelve months, on the palace of the kingdom of Babylon he hath been walking;
30 udbrød han: »Er dette ikke det store Babel, som jeg byggede til Kongesæde ved min vældige Magt, min Herlighed til Ære?«
the king hath answered and said, Is not this that great Babylon that I have built, for the house of the kingdom, in the might of my strength, and for the glory of mine honour?
31 Men før Kongen endnu havde talt ud, lød en Røst fra Himmelen: »Det gives dig til Kende, Kong Nebukadnezar, at dit Kongedømme er taget fra dig!
'While the word is [in] the king's mouth a voice from the heavens hath fallen: To thee they are saying: O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom hath passed from thee,
32 Af Menneskenes Samfund skal du udstødes og bo blandt Markens Dyr; Urter skal du have til Føde som Kvæget; og syv Tider skal gaa hen over dig, til du skønner, at den Højeste er Herre over Menneskenes Rige og kan give det, til hvem han vil!«
and from men they are driving thee away, and with the beast of the field [is] thy dwelling, the herb as oxen they do cause thee to eat, and seven times do pass over thee, till that thou knowest that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He willeth He giveth it.
33 I samme Stund fuldbyrdedes Ordet paa Nebukadnezar; han blev udstødt af Menneskenes Samfund og aad Græs som Kvæget, og hans Legeme vædedes af Himmelens Dug, til hans Haar blev langt som Ørnefjer og hans Negle som Fuglekløer.
'In that hour the thing hath been fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and from men he is driven, and the herb as oxen he eateth, and by the dew of the heavens his body is wet, till that his hair as eagles' hath become great, and his nails as birds.'
34 Men da Tiden var omme, løftede jeg, Nebukadnezar, mine Øjne til Himmelen og fik min Forstand igen, og jeg priste den Højeste og lovede og ærede ham, som lever evindelig, hvis Herredømme er evigt, og hvis Rige staar fra Slægt til Slægt.
'And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, mine eyes to the heavens have lifted up, and mine understanding unto me returneth, and the Most High I have blessed, and the Age-during Living One I have praised and honoured, whose dominion [is] a dominion age-during, and His kingdom with generation and generation;
35 Alle, som bor paa Jorden, er for intet at regne; han handler efter sit Tykke med Himmelens Hær og med dem, som bor paa Jorden, og ingen kan holde hans Haand tilbage og sige til ham: »Hvad gør du?«
and all who are dwelling on the earth as nothing are reckoned, and according to his will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that doth clap with his hand, and saith to Him, What hast Thou done?
36 I samme Stund fik jeg min Forstand igen; jeg fik ogsaa min Herlighed og Glans igen, mit Rige til Ære; mine Raadsherrer og Stormænd søgte mig, jeg blev genindsat i mit Rige, og endnu større Magt blev mig givet.
'At that time my understanding doth return unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honour and my brightness doth return unto me, and to me my counsellors and my great men do seek, and over my kingdom I have been made right, and abundant greatness hath been added to me.
37 Nu lover, ophøjer og ærer jeg, Nebukadnezar, Himmelens Konge: Alle hans Gerninger er Sandhed, hans Veje Retfærd, og han kan ydmyge dem, som vandrer i Hovmod.
'Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honouring the King of the heavens, for all His works [are] truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.'

< Daniel 4 >