< Daniel 5 >
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his nobles, and drank wine before the thousand.
貝耳沙匝王為大員千人擺設了盛筵,並與千人宴飲。
2 Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink in them.
貝耳沙匝乘著酒興,命人將他父親拿步高從耶路撒冷殿中劫掠的金銀器皿取來,給君王和他的大員並自己的妻妾用來飲酒。
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, drank in them.
於是人把從耶路撒冷天主殿宇聖所內劫掠的金銀器皿取來,給君王和他的大員並妻妾用來飲酒;
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
大家一面飲酒,一面讚揚自己用金、銀、銅、鐵、木、石製的神像。
5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
正在此時,忽然出現了一個人的手指,在燈台後面王宮的粉牆上寫字,君王也看見了那寫字的手掌。
6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
當時君王的面色立即改變,心意煩亂,兩腰關節鬆弛,兩膝互相碰擊,
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
君王遂大聲喊叫,命召術士、占星者和占卜者來;君王就向巴比倫的智者說:不論誰,如能閱讀這些字,給我解說其中的意義,就必身被絳袍,帶上金項鏈,位居全國第三。
8 Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.
巴比倫所有的智者都來了,卻沒有一個人能閱讀那些文字,也不能給君王說明所含有的意義。
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his nobles were confounded.
因此貝耳沙匝王極其驚慌,面色大變,他的大臣也都不知所措。
10 — The queen, by reason of the words of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet-house. The queen spoke and said, O king, live for ever! let not thy thoughts trouble thee, neither let thy countenance be changed.
太后聽到了君王和大臣們的喧嘩聲,遂進入坐席的大廳,啟奏說:「大王萬歲! 你不要心慌意亂,面容也不必改變;
11 There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, [even] the king thy father, made him master of the scribes, magicians, Chaldeans, [and] astrologers;
你國內現有一個人,具有至聖神明的精神,你父親在日,已發見他具有真知灼見,智慧如神。你父親拿步高王,曾立他為所有巫師、術士、占星者和占卜者的首領,
12 forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and solving of problems, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
就因為在他身上具有一種卓越的精神、學識和聰敏,能詳解夢境,釋謎破惑;君王就將他達尼爾的名字改作貝耳特沙匝。現在就召達尼爾前來,他必能說出其中的意義。」
13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spoke and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?
於是達尼爾被引到王前,問達尼爾說:「你就是我父王昔日由猶大擄來的猶大俘虜中的達尼爾嗎﹖
14 And I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and [that] light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
我聽說你有神的精神,具有真知灼見,和卓越的智慧。
15 And now the wise men, the magicians, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing.
方纔智者和術士被引至我前,要他們念這些文字,給我說明其中的意義,但是他們卻都不能給我解釋這些文字的意義。
16 But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and solve problems. Now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
我聽說你能解釋疑難,現在你若能念這些文字,給我說明其中的意義,你就要身披絳袍,帶上金項鏈,位居全國第三。」
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet will I read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
達尼爾回答君王說:「你的禮物仍歸你所有,你的酬報可賞給他人,至於我,我仍要給大王念這些文字,使大王得知其中的含義。
18 O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty;
大王! 至高者天主曾將國家、威權、光榮和尊嚴賞賜了你的父親拿步高;
19 and for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he exalted, and whom he would he humbled.
由於天主賞賜了他這樣大的威權,各民族,各邦國,各異語人民,在他面前無不震驚害怕;他願意殺的就殺,他願意活的就活,他願意升的就升,他願意貶的就貶。
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened unto presumption, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him;
但在他心高氣傲,目空一切的時候,便從王位上被推下來,喪失了自己的光榮,
21 and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the Most High God ruleth over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
由人間被驅逐,他的心相似獸心,與野驢為為伍,吃草如同牛一樣;他的身體為露水浸濕,直到他承認至高者天主統治世人的國度,他願意給誰統治,就給誰。
22 And thou, Belshazzar, his son, hast not humbled thy heart, although thou knewest all this;
貝耳沙匝! 你是他的兒子,雖然你知道這一切,但是你仍不低首下心,
23 but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of the heavens; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy nobles, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
反而自高自大,抵抗上天的大主,命人將他殿宇的器皿給你拿來,供你和你的大臣並你的妻妾用來飲酒,並且你讚美那些不能看,不能聽,不能知的金、銀、銅、鐵、木、石製的神像,卻不知尊崇那掌握你的氣息,註定你一切命途的天主。
24 then from before him was sent the part of the hand, and this writing hath been written.
為此,他使一隻手掌出現,寫了這些字。
25 And this is the writing that is written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
寫出來的這些字是:「默乃,默乃,特刻耳,培勒斯。」
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it;
這些字的含義是:「默乃:」天主數了你的國祚,使它完結;「
27 TEKEL, Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting;
特刻耳:」你在天秤上被衡量了,不夠分量;「
28 PERES, Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
培勒斯:」你的國被瓜分了,給了瑪待人和波斯人。」
29 Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and [put] a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
於是貝耳沙匝下令,給達尼爾披上絳袍,帶上金項鏈,並宣布他位居全國第三。
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
當夜加色丁王貝耳沙匝即為人所殺。
31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, [being] about sixty-two years old.
瑪待人達理阿承受了王位,那時他約六十二歲。