Daniel 6
1 Darius fandt for godt at lægge Riget under 120 Satraper, fordelt over hele Riget;
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 og over dem satte han tre Rigsraader, af hvilke Daniel var den ene, for at Satraperne skulde aflægge Regnskab for dem, saa Kongen intet Tab led.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Da nu Daniel udmærkede sig fremfor de andre Rigsraader og Satraperne, eftersom der var en ypperlig Aand i ham, og Kongen derfor tænkte paa at sætte ham over hele Riget,
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 søgte Rigsraaderne og Satraperne at finde en eller anden Brøde i hans Embedsførelse; men de kunde ikke finde nogen Brøde eller Brist, da han var tro og der ingen Efterladenhed eller Brist var at finde hos ham.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Saa sagde disse Mænd: »Vi finder ingen Sag mod denne Daniel, medmindre vi kan finde noget i hans Gudsdyrkelse.«
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Derfor stormede disse Rigsraader og Satraper til Kongen og talte saaledes til ham: »Kong Darius leve evindelig!
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 Alle Rigsraaderne, Landshøvdingerne, Satraperne, Raadsherrerne og Statholderne er enedes om, at et Kongebud bør udstedes og et Forbud udgaa om, at enhver, som i tredive Dage beder en Bøn til nogen anden end dig, o Konge, det være sig til en Gud eller et Menneske, skal kastes i Løvekulen.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Derfor skal du, o Konge, udstede Forbudet og lade en Skrivelse udgaa, som efter Medernes og Persernes uryggelige Lov ikke kan tages tilbage.«
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Derfor lod Kong Darius en Skrivelse udgaa med dette Forbud.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Men saa snart Daniel fik at vide, at Skrivelsen var udgaaet, gik han ind i sit Hus; i dets Stue paa Taget havde han aabne Vinduer i Retning mod Jerusalem, og han faldt paa Knæ tre Gange om Dagen og bad og priste sin Gud, ganske som han tilforn havde gjort.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Da stormede hine Mænd ind og fandt Daniel i Færd med at bede og bønfalde sin Gud.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Saa gik de til Kongen og bragte det kongelige Forbud paa Tale, idet de spurgte: »Har du ikke udstedt et Forbud om, at enhver, som i tredive Dage beder til nogen anden end dig, o Konge, det være sig til en Gud eller et Menneske, skal kastes i Løvekulen?« Kongen svarede: »Sagen staar fast efter Medernes og Persernes uryggelige Lov.«
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Saa svarede de Kongen: »Daniel, en af de bortførte Judæere, ænser hverken dig, o Konge, eller Forbudet, du udstedte, men beder sin Bøn tre Gange om Dagen!«
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Da Kongen hørte dette, blev han saare nedslaaet og overvejede, hvorledes han kunde redde Daniel, og lige til Solens Nedgang søgte han at finde en Udvej til at hjælpe ham.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Men saa stormede hine Mænd til Kongen og sagde: »Vid, o Konge, at det er medisk og persisk Ret, at intet Forbud og ingen Lov, som Kongen udsteder, kan tages tilbage!«
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Da blev Daniel paa Kongens Bud hentet og kastet i Løvekulen; men Kongen sagde til Daniel: »Din Gud, som du vedblivende dyrker, redde dig!«
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 Saa blev der hentet en Sten og lagt over Kulens Aabning; og Kongen forseglede den med sin egen og sine Stormænds Seglring, at der ingen Ændring skulde ske i Daniels Sag.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Derpaa gik Kongen til sit Palads, hvor han fastede hele Natten. Han lod ingen Kvinder komme ind til sig, og Søvnen veg fra ham.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Ved Daggry, da det lysnede, stod han op og skyndte sig hen til Løvekulen.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Og da han nærmede sig den, raabte han klagende til Daniel. Kongen tog til Orde og sagde til Daniel: »Daniel, du den levende Guds Tjener! Mon din Gud, som du vedblivende dyrker, kunde redde dig fra Løverne?«
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Da svarede Daniel Kongen: »Kongen leve evindelig!
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Min Gud sendte sin Engel og lukkede Løvernes Gab, saa de ikke har gjort mig nogen Men, fordi jeg er fundet skyldfri for hans Aasyn og heller ikke har forbrudt mig imod dig, o Konge!«
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 Og Kongen blev saare glad og lod Daniel drage op af Kulen; og da det var sket, viste det sig, at han ikke havde lidt nogen som helst Men, eftersom han havde troet paa sin Gud.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Men hine Mænd, som havde bagtalt Daniel, blev paa Kongens Bud hentet og kastet i Løvekulen tillige med deres Børn og Hustruer, og næppe havde de naaet Kulens Bund, før Løverne kastede sig over dem og knuste alle Ben i dem.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Derpaa skrev Kong Darius til alle Folk, Stammer og Tungemaal paa hele Jorden: »Fred være med eder i rigt Maal!
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 Hermed byder jeg, at man, saa vidt mit Rige strækker sig, skal frygte og bæve for Daniels Gud. Thi han er den levende Gud og bliver i Evighed; hans Rige kan ikke forgaa, og hans Herredømme er uden Ende.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 Det er ham, der redder og udfrier, og han gør Tegn og Undere i Himmelen og paa Jorden, han, som reddede Daniel af Løvernes Vold!«
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Og Daniel vedblev at have Lykken med sig under Darius's og Perseren Kyros's Regering.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
