Daniel 2

1 And, in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, —and his spirit, was troubled, and, his sleep, had gone from him.

I sit andet Regeringsaar drømte Nebukadnezar, og hans Sind blev uroligt, saa han ikke kunde sove.

2 So the king gave word to call for the sacred scribes and for the magicians, and for the users of incantations, and for the Chaldeans, that they might tell the king his dreams, —they came in therefore, and stood before the king.

Saa lod Kongen Drømmetyderne, Manerne, Sandsigerne og Kaldæerne kalde, for at de skulde sige ham, hvad han havde drømt. Og de kom og traadte frem for Kongen.

3 And the king, said to them, A dream, have I dreamed, —and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

Da sagde Kongen til dem: »Jeg har haft en Drøm, og mit Sind falder ikke til Ro, før jeg faar at vide, hvad den betyder.«

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king, in Aramaic, —O king, to the ages, live! Tell the dream to thy servants, and, the interpretation, we will declare.

Kaldæerne svarede Kongen (paa Aramaisk): »Kongen leve evindelig! Sig dine Trælle Drømmen, saa skal vi tyde den.«

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word from me, is unalterable: If ye shall not make known to me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and, your houses, into a dunghill, shall be turned;

Men Kongen svarede Kaldæerne: »Mit Ord staar fast! Hvis I ikke baade kundgør mig Drømmen og tyder den, skal I hugges sønder og sammen og eders Huse gøres til Skarndynger;

6 but, if, the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye will declare, gifts and a present and great dignity, shall ye receive from before me, —therefore, the dream and the interpretation thereof, declare ye unto me.

men gengiver I mig Drømmen og tyder den, faar I Skænk og Gave og stor Ære af mig. Gengiv mig, derfor Drømmen og tyd den!«

7 They answered again and said, —Let, the king, tell, the dream, to his servants, and, the interpretation thereof, we will declare.

De svarede atter: »Kongen sige sine Trælle Drømmen, saa skal vi tyde den.«

8 The king answered and said, Of a certainty, I know, that, time, ye, would gain, —merely because ye see that, unalterable, from me, is the word:

Kongen svarede: »Nu ved jeg for vist, at I kun søger at vinde Tid, fordi I ser, mit Ord staar fast,

9 That, if, the dream, ye shall not make known to me, one and the same, is the decree, and, a lying and wicked word, have ye agreed to speak before me, that meanwhile the time may be changed, —therefore, the dream, tell ye me, so shall I know that, the interpretation thereof, ye can declare for me.

saa eders Dom kun kan blive een, hvis I ikke kundgør mig Drømmen, og at I derfor er blevet enige om at lyve for mig og føre mig bag Lyset, til der kommer andre Tider. Sig mig derfor Drømmen, saa jeg kan vide, at I ogsaa kan tyde mig den.«

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth, who can declare, the matter of the king, —although indeed, there is no king, chief ruler who, a thing like this, hath asked of any sacred scribe or magician or Chaldean;

Kaldæerne svarede Kongen: »Der findes ikke et Menneske paa Jorden, som kan sige, hvad Kongen ønsker at vide; aldrig har jo heller nogen Konge, hvor stor og mægtig han end var, krævet sligt af nogen Drømmetyder, Maner eller Kaldæer;

11 and, the thing which the king hath asked, is difficult, and, none other, is there, who can declare it before the king, —saving the gods whose dwelling is, not with flesh.

hvad Kongen kræver, er umuligt, og der er ingen, som kan sige Kongen det, undtagen Guderne, og de bor ikke hos de dødelige.«

12 For this cause, the king, was provoked and exceedingly indignant, —and gave word to destroy all the wise men of Babylon;

Herover blev Kongen vred og saare harmfuld, og han bød, at alle Babels Vismænd skulde henrettes.

13 and, the decree, went forth, that, the wise men, should be slain, —and they sought Daniel and his companions that they might be slain.

Da nu Befalingen var udgaaet, og man skulde til at slaa Vismændene ihjel, ledte man ogsaa efter Daniel og hans Venner for at slaa dem ihjel.

14 Immediately, Daniel, made answer with prudence and discretion, to Arioch, chief of the executioners of the king, —who had come forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

Da henvendte Daniel sig med kloge og vel overvejede Ord til Arjok, Øversten for Kongens Livvagt, som var draget ud for at slaa Babels Vismænd ihjel.

15 he began to speak and said to Arioch the king’s captain, —For what cause, is the decree raging forth from before the king? Then did Arioch make the matter known unto Daniel.

Han tog til Orde og spurgte Arjok, Kongens Høvedsmand: »Hvorfor er saa skarp en Befaling udgaaet fra Kongen?« Og da Arjok havde sat ham ind i Sagen,

16 So Daniel entered in, and desired of the king, —that, an appointed time, he would give him, and then, the interpretation, he would declare unto the king.

gik Daniel ind til Kongen og bad ham give sig en Frist, saa skulde han tyde Kongen Drømmen.

17 Then Daniel, to his own house, departed, —and, to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, made the matter known;

Saa gik Daniel hjem og satte sine Venner Hananja, Misjael og Azarja ind i Sagen,

18 that, tender compassion, they might seek from before the God of the heavens, concerning this secret, —that Daniel and his companions, might not be destroyed, with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

og han paalagde dem at bede Himmelens Gud om Barmhjertighed, saa han aabenbarede Hemmeligheden, for at ikke Daniel og hans Venner skulde blive henrettet med Babels andre Vismænd.

19 Then, unto Daniel—in a vision of the night, the secret was revealed, —whereupon, Daniel, blessed the God of the heavens:

Da blev Hemmeligheden aabenbaret Daniel i et Nattesyn; og Daniel priste Himmelens Gud,

20 Daniel responded, and said, Let the name of God be blessed from age to age, —in that wisdom and might, to him belong;

tog til Orde og sagde: »Lovet være Guds Navn fra Evighed og til Evighed, thi ham tilhører Visdom og Styrke!

21 And, he, changeth times and seasons, removeth kings, and setteth up kings, —giving wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them who are skilled in understanding:

Han lader Tider og Stunder skifte, afsætter og indsætter Konger, giver de vise deres Visdom og de indsigtsfulde deres Viden;

22 He, revealeth the deep things, and the hidden, —knoweth what is in the darkness, and, light, with him, doth dwell.

han aabenbarer det dybe og lønlige; han ved, hvad Mørket gemmer, og Lyset bor hos ham.

23 Unto the, O God of my fathers, do I render thanks and praise, in that, wisdom and might, thou hast given unto me, —yea, already, hast thou made known to me that which we desired of thee, for, the matter of the king, hast thou made known unto us.

Dig, mine Fædres Gud, takker og priser jeg, fordi du gav mig Visdom og Styrke, og nu har du kundgjort mig, hvad vi bad dig om; thi hvad Kongen vil vide, har du kundgjort os!«

24 Therefore, Daniel entered in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, —he went in, and, thus, he said unto him, The wise men of Babylon, do not thou destroy, bring me in before the king, and, the interpretation—unto the king, will I declare.

Derfor gik Daniel til Arjok, hvem Kongen havde paalagt at henrette Babels Vismænd, og sagde til ham: »Henret ikke Babels Vismænd, men før mig frem for Kongen, saa vil jeg tyde ham Drømmen!«

25 Thereupon, Arioch—with haste, brought in Daniel before the king, —and, thus, he said to him—I have found a man of the sons of the exile of Judah, who, the interpretation—unto the king, will make known.

Saa førte Arjok i Hast Daniel frem for Kongen og sagde til ham: »Jeg har blandt de bortførte Judæere fundet en Mand, som vil tyde Kongen Drømmen!«

26 The king answered and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, —Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

Kongen tog til Orde og spurgte Daniel, som havde faaet Navnet Beltsazzar: »Er du i Stand til at kundgøre mig den Drøm, jeg har haft, og tyde den?«

27 Daniel answered before the king, and said, —The secret which the king hath asked, the wise men, the magicians, the sacred scribes, the astrologers, are not able to declare unto the king;

Daniel svarede Kongen: »Den Hemmelighed, Kongen ønsker at vide, kan Vismænd, Manere, Drømmetydere og Stjernetydere ikke sige Kongen;

28 but there is a God in the heavens, who revealeth secrets, and hath made known to King Nebuchadnezzar, what shall come to pass, in the afterpart of the days: Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are, these: —

men der er en Gud i Himmelen, som aabenbarer Hemmeligheder, og han har kundgjort Kong Nebukadnezar, hvad der skal ske i de sidste Dage:

29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts upon thy bed, arose regarding what should come to pass hereafter; and, he that revealeth secrets, made known to thee what shall come to pass.

Du tænkte, o Konge, paa dit Leje over, hvad der skal ske i Fremtiden, og han, som aabenbarer Hemmeligheder, kundgjorde dig, hvad der skal ske.

30 But, as for me—not for any wisdom that is in me, more than any of the living, is, this secret, revealed to me, —therefore, it is in order that, the interpretation—unto the king, they should make known, and that, the thoughts of thy heart, thou shouldst get to know.

Og mig er denne Hemmelighed aabenbaret, ikke ved nogen Visdom, som jeg har forud for alle andre levende Væsener, men for at Drømmen kan blive tydet Kongen, saa du kan kende dit Hjertes Tanker.

31 As for thee, O king, thou wast looking, when lo! a great image, this image, being mighty, and the brightness thereof surpassing, was standing before thee, —and, the appearance thereof, was terrible.

Du saa, o Konge, for dig en vældig Billedstøtte; denne Billedstøtte var stor og dens Glans overmaade stærk; den stod foran dig, og dens Udseende var forfærdeligt.

32 As for this image, its head, was of fine gold, its breast and its arms, were of silver, —its belly and its thighs, of bronze;

Billedstøttens Hoved var af fint Guld, Bryst og Arme af Sølv, Bug og Lænder af Kobber,

33 its legs, of iron, —and, its feet, part of them, of iron, and, part of them, of clay.

Benene af Jern og Fødderne halvt af Jern og halvt af Ler.

34 Thou didst look, until that a stone tare itself away, not by the aid of hands, and smote the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, —and they were broken in pieces.

Saaledes skuede du, indtil en Sten reves løs, dog ikke ved Menneskehænder, og ramte Billedstøttens Jern— og Lerfødder og knuste dem;

35 Then were broken in pieces at once, the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, and became like chaff out of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind, carried them away, and, no place, was found for them, —but, the stone that smote the image, became a mighty rock, and filled all the land.

og paa een Gang knustes Jern, Ler, Kobber, Sølv og Guld og blev som Avner fra Somrens Tærskepladser, og Vinden bar det sporløst bort; men Stenen, som ramte Billedstøtten, blev til et stort Bjerg, der fyldte hele Jorden.

36 This, is the dream, and, the interpretation thereof, we will tell before the king.

Saaledes var Drømmen, og nu vil vi tyde Kongen den:

37 Thou, O king, art the king of kings, —for, the God of the heavens, hath given unto thee, the kingship, the might, the power and the dignity;

Du, o Konge, Kongernes Konge, hvem Himmelens Gud gav Kongedømme, Magt, Styrke og Ære,

38 and, wheresoever the sons of men do dwell, the wild beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou, art the head of gold.

i hvis Haand han gav Menneskene, saa vide de bor, Markens Dyr og Himmelens Fugle, saa han gjorde dig til Hersker over dem alle, — du er Hovedet, som var af Guld.

39 And, after thee, shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee, —and another—a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall bear rule throughout all the earth.

Men efter dig skal der komme et andet Rige, ringere end dit, og derpaa atter et tredje Rige, som er af Kobber, og hvis Herredømme skal strække sig over hele Jorden.

40 And, the fourth kingdom, shall be hard as iron, —in like manner as iron breaketh in pieces and crusheth all things, —even as iron which bringeth to ruins all these, shall it break in pieces and bring to ruins.

Siden skal der komme et fjerde Rige, stærkt som Jern; thi Jern knuser og søndrer alt; og som Jern sønderslaar, skal det knuse og sønderslaa alle hine Riger.

41 And, whereas thou sawest the feet and the toes, part of them of potter’s clay, and part of them of iron, the kingdom, shall be, divided, and, of the hardness of the iron, shall there be in it, —forasmuch as thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay;

Men naar du saa Fødderne og Tæerne halvt af Pottemagerler og halvt af Jern, betyder det, at det skal være et Rige uden Sammenhold; dog skal det have noget af Jernets Fasthed, thi du saa jo, at Jern var blandet med Ler.

42 and, the toes of the feet, part of them, iron, and, part, of clay, —some part of the kingdom, shall be strong, but, a part thereof, shall be brittle;

Og at Tæerne var halvt af Jern og halvt af Ler, betyder, at Riget delvis skal være stærkt, delvis svagt.

43 and, whereas thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay, they shall be combined with the seed of men, but shall not cleave firmly one to another, —lo! as iron is not to be combined with clay.

Og naar du saa, at Jernet var blandet med Ler, betyder det, at de skal indgaa Ægteskaber med hverandre, men dog ikke indbyrdes holde sammen, saa lidt som Jern kan blandes med Ler.

44 And, in the days of those kings, shall the God of the heavens, set up, a kingdom which, to the ages, shall not be destroyed, and, the kingdom, to another people, shall not be left, —it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but, itself, shall stand to the ages.

Men i hine Kongers Dage vil Himmelens Gud oprette et Rige, som aldrig i Evighed skal forgaa, og Herredømmet skal ikke gaa over til noget andet Folk; det skal knuse og tilintetgøre alle hine Riger, men selv staa i al Evighed;

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that, out of the rock, a stone tare itself away, but not with hands, and brake in pieces the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold, the mighty God, hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. Exact then is the dream, and trusty its interpretation.

thi du saa jo, at en Sten reves løs fra Klippen, dog ikke ved Menneskehænder, og knuste Jern, Ler, Kobber, Sølv og Guld. En stor Gud har kundgjort Kongen, hvad der skal ske herefter; og Drømmen er sand og Tydningen troværdig.«

46 Then, King Nebuchadnezzar, fell upon his face, and, unto Daniel, paid adoration; and, a present and sweet odours, gave he word to pour out unto him.

Saa faldt Kong Nebukadnezar paa sit Ansigt og bøjede sig for Daniel, og han bød, at man skulde bringe ham Ofre og Røgelse.

47 The king answered Daniel, and said—Of a truth, your God, is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, —seeing thou wast able to reveal this secret.

Og Kongen tog til Orde og sagde til Daniel: »I Sandhed, eders Gud er Gudernes Gud og Kongernes Herre, og han kan aabenbare Hemmeligheder, siden du har kunnet aabenbare denne Hemmelighed.«

48 Then, the king, exalted, Daniel, and, many large presents, gave he unto him, and set him to be ruler over all the province of Babylon, —and chief of the nobles, over all the wise men of Babylon.

Derpaa ophøjede Kongen Daniel og gav ham mange store Gaver, og han satte ham til Herre over hele Landsdelen Babel og til Overherre over alle Babels Vismænd.

49 And, Daniel, desired of the king, and he appointed—over the business of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —but, Daniel himself, was in the gate of the king.

Men paa Daniels Bøn overdrog Kongen Sjadrak, Mesjak og Abed-Nego at styre Landsdelen Babel, medens Daniel selv blev i Kongens Gaard.