< Daniel 2 >

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream fled from him.
拿步高在位第十二年,拿步高一連做了幾個夢,遂心神不寧,不能入睡。
2 Yet the king commanded that the seers, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be gathered together to reveal to the king his dreams. When they arrived, they stood in front of the king.
於是君王下令召巫師、術士、方士和占星者前來給君王詳夢;他們前來了,站在君王前,
3 And the king said to them, “I saw a dream, and, being confused in mind, I do not know what I saw.”
君王對他們說:「我做了一個夢,心神不寧,急於要知道這夢的究竟。」
4 And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac, “O king, live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”
占星者用【阿剌美語】回答君王說:「大王萬歲! 請大王給你的僕人們說出夢來,我們好給大王解釋那夢的意義。」
5 And in answer, the king said to the Chaldeans, “The memory of it has slipped away from me. Unless you reveal the dream to me, and its meaning, you will be put to death, and your houses will be confiscated.
君王答覆占星者說:「我是言出必行的,如果你們不告訴我那夢和夢的意義,你們必被萬刮凌遲,你們的家必成為廢墟。
6 But if you explain the dream and its meaning, you will receive from me rewards, and gifts, and great honor. Therefore, reveal to me the dream and its interpretation.”
但若你們告知我那夢和夢的意義,你們必獲得我的禮物、賞報和崇高的尊榮;為此你們告訴我那夢和夢的意義罷! 」
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”
他們又回答說:「請大王給你的僕人們說出夢來,好讓我們給大王解釋。」
8 The king answered and said, “I am certain that you are stalling for time because you know that the memory of it has slipped away from me.
君王回答說:「我明知你們是在想爭取時間,因為你們明知我是言出必行的;
9 Therefore, if you do not reveal to me the dream, there is only one conclusion to be reached about you, that the interpretation is likewise false, and packed full of deception, so as to speak before me until the time passes away. And so, tell me the dream, so that I will also know that the interpretation that you tell me is likewise true.”
如果你們不告訴我那夢,為你們只有一個判決。那麼,你們是想在我面前說謊欺騙,專待時機的轉變。現在你們要告訴我那夢,好使我知道你們能為我解釋那夢的意義。」
10 Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and they said, “There is no man on earth who can accomplish your word, O king. For neither has any king, however great and mighty, asked for an answer of this kind from every seer, and astrologer, and Chaldean.
占星者在君王面前回答說:「世上沒有一個人能說出大王所問的事,從來也沒有一位君王,不論他如何偉大,有勢力,向任何巫師、術士和占星者詢問過這樣的事。
11 For the answer that you seek, O king, is very difficult. Neither can anyone be found who can reveal it in the sight of the king, except the gods, whose conversation is not with men.”
大王詢問的,確是件難事,沒有誰能告訴大王,除非那不與血肉之軀同居的神祇。」
12 When he heard this, the king commanded, in fury and in great wrath, that all the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed.
君王因此生氣,大發雷霆,下令消滅巴比倫所有的智者。
13 And when the decree had gone forth, the wise men were put to death; and Daniel and his companions were sought, to be destroyed.
要殺智者的諭令發出之後,人們就搜索達尼爾和他的同伴,要將他們殺死。
14 Then Daniel inquired, about the law and the sentence, of Arioch, the general of the king’s army, who had gone forth to execute the wise men of Babylon.
君王的衛隊長阿黎約客出發,要殺巴比倫的智者之時,達尼爾機警明智地應付了他。
15 And he asked him, who had received the orders of the king, for what reason such a cruel sentence had gone forth from the face of the king. And so, when Arioch had revealed the matter to Daniel,
達尼爾問君王的全權大臣阿黎約客說:「君王發出的諭令,為什麼這樣迫切」﹖阿黎約客遂將事情告訴了達尼爾。
16 Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would grant him time to reveal the solution to the king.
達尼爾進去要求君王給他延長限期,好為君王詳解夢兆。
17 And he went into his house and explained the task to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
然後回到家裏,把事情告訴了自己的同伴阿納尼雅、米沙耳和阿匝黎雅,
18 so that they would seek mercy before the face of the God of heaven, about this mystery, and so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the other wise men of Babylon.
要他們為這秘密事,懇求上天的大主施恩,挽救達尼爾和他的同伴與巴比倫其餘的智者,免被殺害。
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,
於是在夜間的神視中,這個秘密就啟示給達尼爾了;達尼爾遂讚美上天的大主,
20 and speaking aloud, he said, “May the name of the Lord be blessed by the present generation and forever; for wisdom and fortitude are his.
說:「願天主的名,從永遠直到永遠受讚美,因為智慧和能力都屬於他。
21 And he alters the times and the ages. He takes away kingdoms and he establishes them. He gives wisdom to those who are wise and teaching skills to those who understand.
是他變更四時季節,是他廢黜君王,也興立君主,賜智者以智慧,賜識者以聰敏;
22 He reveals deep and hidden things, and he knows what has been established in darkness. And the light is with him.
是他啟示隱秘深奧之事,洞悉暗中的事,因為光明居於他內。
23 To you, God of our fathers, I confess, and you, I praise. For you have given wisdom and fortitude to me, and now you have revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have uncovered for us the king’s thoughts.”
我祖先的天主,我稱謝讚頌你,因為你賜給了我智慧和能力。我們祈求你的事,現在你已曉諭了我們,使我們知道了君王的秘密。」
24 After this, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he spoke to him in this way, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will explain the solution to the king.”
達尼爾遂去見君王委派殺戮巴比倫智者的阿黎約客,對他這樣說:「請暫且先不要殺害巴比倫的智者,帶我去見君王,我要給君王解夢。」
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel to the king, and he said to him, “I have found a man of the sons of the transmigration of Judah, who would announce the solution to the king.”
於是阿黎約客立刻引達尼爾去見君王,對君王說:「我從猶大被擄的子民中找得一人,他會給大王解夢。」
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Do you really think that you can reveal to me the dream that I saw and its interpretation?”
君王對名叫貝耳特沙匝的達尼爾說道:「你能告訴我,我所見的夢和夢的意義嗎﹖」
27 And Daniel, facing the king, answered and said, “The secret that the king seeks, the wise men, the seers, and the soothsayers are unable to reveal to the king.
達尼爾回答君王說:「大王所問的奧秘,不是智者、術士、巫師和占卜者所能告訴大王的;
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, who has revealed to you, king Nebuchadnezzar, what will happen in the latter times. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed, are such as these.
但是,在天上有一位啟示奧秘的大主! 他已將那日後要發生的事曉諭給大王。大王! 你在床上腦中所得的夢,所見的神視是這樣:
29 You, O king, began to think, while in your blanket, about what will be hereafter. And he who reveals secrets showed you what will happen.
大王你睡在床上忽然想到日後所要發生的事,啟示奧秘的那位,把要發生的事已曉諭給你。
30 To me, likewise, this mystery is revealed, not according to the wisdom that is in me more than in other living things, but so that the interpretation might be made manifest to the king, and so that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
這奧秘已啟示給我,並非因為我比任何活人更有智慧,而只是為把夢兆告訴大王,叫你知道你心心中的思念。」「
31 You, O king, saw, and behold, something like a great statue. This statue, which was great and high, stood exalted above you, and you considered how terrible it was.
大王! 你夢見一尊巨大的立像。這尊立像異常高大,非常光輝燦爛,立在君王面前,相貌可怕。
32 The head of this statue was of the finest gold, but the breast and the arms were of silver, and further on, the belly and the thighs were of brass;
這尊立像,頭是純金的,胸和臂是銀的,腹和股是銅的。
33 but the shins were of iron, a certain part of the feet were of iron and another part were of clay.
脛是鐵的,腳一部份是鐵,一部份是泥的。
34 And so you looked until a stone was broken off without hands from a mountain, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were of iron and clay, and it shattered them.
大王,你在觀望,忽有一塊石頭,未經手鑿即滾下,擊中了立像,把鐵泥的腳,打得粉碎;
35 Then the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and diminished like the ashes of a summer courtyard, and they were quickly taken away by the wind, and no place was found for them; but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
同時鐵、泥、銅、銀和金立即完全粉碎,有如夏天禾場上的糠秕,被風吹去,無蹤無影;那塊擊碎立像的石頭卻變成了一座大山,佔據了全地。」「
36 This is the dream; we will also tell its interpretation before you, O king.
夢是這樣的,現在我們要給大王解釋夢兆。
37 You are a king among kings, and the God of heaven has given to you a kingdom, and fortitude, and power, and glory,
大王! 你是王中之王,上天大主賜給了你領土、勢力、權威和尊榮,
38 and all the places wherein the sons of men and the beasts of the field dwell. He has likewise given the flying creatures of the air into your hand, and he has placed all things under your realm. Therefore, you are the head of gold.
凡有人居住的地方,田野的走獸,天空的飛鳥,都交在你手中,由你統治這一切,你便是那屬金的頭。
39 And after you, another kingdom will rise up, inferior to you, of silver, and another third kingdom of brass, which will rule over the whole world.
在你以後,將興起另一個比你稍弱的國家,以後興起第三個國家,屬銅,她要統轄大地;
40 And the fourth kingdom will be like iron. Just as iron shatters and conquers all things, so will it shatter and crush all these.
相繼而來的是第四個,堅強如鐵的國家,就如鐵能粉碎擊破一切,這個國家也要如鐵粉碎擊破一切,
41 Furthermore, because you saw the feet and the toes to be part of potter’s clay and part of iron, the kingdom will be divided, but still, from the slip of iron it will take its origin, since you saw the iron mingled with the earthenware from clay.
至於你見腳和趾,一部分是泥,一部分是鐵,表示這個國家必要分裂,然而國內仍有鐵的堅強,正如你見鐵與泥相混一樣。
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part will be crushed.
腳趾一部分是鐵,一部份是泥,表示這個國家一部分強,一部分弱。
43 Yet, because you saw the iron mingled with pottery from the earth, they will indeed be combined together with the offspring of man, but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron cannot be mixed with earthenware.
你見鐵與泥混合,是說他們要與其他人種相混合,但是彼此不能相合,就如鐵不能與泥相混合一樣。
44 But in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will inspire a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and his kingdom will not be handed over to another people, and it will crush and will consume all these kingdoms, and this kingdom itself will stand in eternity.
在這些君王時代,上天的大主必要興起一個永不滅亡的國家,她的王權也決不歸於其他民族,她要粉碎和毀滅這一切邦國,惟獨她永存弗替,
45 In accordance with what you saw, because the stone was torn away from the mountain without hands, and it crushed the earthenware, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God has shown the king what will happen after this. And the dream is true, and its interpretation is faithful.”
就如你所見那塊未經手鑿,即從山上滾下的石頭,把鐵、銅、泥、銀和金打得粉碎一樣。偉大的天主已曉諭了大王,今後將要發生的事。這夢是真實的,夢的解釋也是正確的。」
46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and adored Daniel, and he commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense.
拿步高於是俯首至地,叩拜達尼爾,下令給他奉上禮物和香品,
47 And so the king spoke with Daniel and said, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and also a revealer of secrets, since you could uncover this mystery.”
然後開口對達尼爾說:「的確,你們的天主是萬神的天主,萬王的主宰,奧秘的啟示者,因為你能啟示這個奧秘。」
48 Then the king raised Daniel to a high rank and gave him many great gifts, and he appointed him as leader over all the provinces of Babylon and as chief of the magistrates over all the other wise men of Babylon.
王遂擢升達尼爾,賞賜他很多珍貴的禮品,派他治理巴比倫全省,做巴比倫所有智者的首領。
49 However, Daniel required of the king that he appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the works of the province of Babylon. But Daniel himself was at the king’s door.
達尼爾要求君王委任沙得辣客、默沙客和阿貝得乃哥掌管巴比倫省的政務;達尼爾自己卻留在朝廷內。

< Daniel 2 >