Daniel 4

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

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

2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has wrought toward me.

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

3 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told the dream before them, but they did not make the interpretation of it known to me.

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

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

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.

9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubles thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

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.

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

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

11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height of it reached to heaven, and the sight of it to the end of all the earth.

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

12 The leaves of it were fine, and the fruit of it much, and food was in it for all. The beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in the branches of it. And all flesh was fed from it.

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.

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

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

14 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 fowls from its branches.

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!

15 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 wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

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!

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

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.

17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.

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.

18 This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. And thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, inasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation. But thou are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

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.

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream be to those who hate thee, and the interpretation of it to thine adversaries.

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!

20 The tree that thou saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached to heaven, and the sight of it to all the earth,

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

21 whose leaves were fine, and the fruit of it much, and in it was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitation,

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:

22 it is thou, O king, who have grown and become strong. For thy greatness has grown, and reaches to heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

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.

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

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,

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

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

25 That thou shall be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And thou shall be made to eat grass as oxen, and shall be wet with the dew of heaven. And seven times shall pass over thee till thou know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.

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.

26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, thy kingdom shall be sure to thee, after thou shall have known that the heavens do rule.

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.

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.

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.

28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

Alt dette kom over Kong Nebukadnezar.

29 At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon.

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

30 The king spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?

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?

31 While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice from heaven fell, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee.

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.

32 And thou shall be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. Thou shall be made to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.

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.

33 The same hour the thing was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen. And his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair was grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

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.

34 And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation.

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.

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay his hand, or say to him, What are thou doing?

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?

36 At the same time my understanding returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned to me, and my counselors and my lords sought to me. And I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me.

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.

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways justice. And he is able to abase those who walk in pride.

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.