Danihelis Prophetæ 2

1 In anno secundo regni Nabuchodonosor vidit Nabuchodonosor somnium, et conterritus est spiritus eius, et somnium eius fugit ab eo.

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign the king had dreams that upset him so much that he found it difficult to sleep.

2 Præcepit autem rex, ut convocarentur arioli, et magi, et malefici, et Chaldæi: ut indicarent regi somnia sua: qui cum venissent, steterunt coram rege.

So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood before him.

3 Et dixit ad eos rex: Vidi somnium: et mente confusus ignoro quid viderim.

“I've had a dream that has really upset me,” he told them. “I need to know what it means.”

4 Responderuntque Chaldæi regi Syriace: Rex in sempiternum vive: dic somnium servis tuis, et interpretationem eius indicabimus.

The astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “May Your Majesty the king live forever! Tell us your dream and we your servants will interpret it for you.”

5 Et respondens rex ait Chaldæis: Sermo recessit a me: nisi indicaveritis mihi somnium, et coniecturam eius, peribitis vos, et domus vestræ publicabuntur.

“I can't recall it,” the king told the astrologers. “If you can't reveal the dream to me, and its meaning, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be totally destroyed!

6 Si autem somnium, et coniecturam eius narraveritis, præmia, et dona, et honorem multum accipietis a me: somnium igitur, et interpretationem eius indicate mihi.

But if you can tell me the dream and its meaning you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me the dream and what it means!”

7 Responderunt secundo, atque dixerunt: Rex somnium dicat servis suis, et interpretationem illius indicabimus.

Again they said the same thing: “If Your Majesty the king would tell us his servants the dream, we will explain what it means.”

8 Respondit rex, et ait: Certe novi quod tempus redimitis, scientes quod recesserit a me sermo.

“It's obvious to me that you're just trying to buy time!” said the king. “You can see that I can't remember the dream.

9 Si ergo somnium non indicaveritis mihi, una est de vobis sententia, quod interpretationem quoque fallacem, et deceptione plenam composueritis, ut loquamini mihi donec tempus pertranseat. Somnium itaque dicite mihi, ut sciam quod interpretationem quoque eius veram loquamini.

If you can't reveal the dream to me, you will all receive the same punishment! You have conspired against me, telling me lies, hoping things will change. So tell me what my dream was and then I'll know that you can explain what it means.”

10 Respondentes ergo Chaldæi coram rege, dixerunt: Non est homo super terram, qui sermonem tuum, rex, possit implere: sed neque regum quisquam magnus et potens verbum huiuscemodi sciscitatur ab omni ariolo, et mago, et Chaldæo.

The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth could tell the king what he dreamed! Never before has a king, however great and powerful, demanded this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!

11 Sermo enim, quem tu quæris, rex, gravis est: nec reperietur quisquam, qui indicet illum in conspectu regis: exceptis diis, quorum non est cum hominibus conversatio.

What Your Majesty is asking is impossible! No one can tell Your Majesty what you dreamed, except the gods, and they do not live among us mortals.”

12 Quo audito, rex in furore, et in ira magna præcepit ut perirent omnes sapientes Babylonis.

This made the king extremely angry, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed.

13 Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur: quærebanturque Daniel, et socii eius, ut perirent.

The decree was issued. The wise men were about to be executed, and the king's men went looking for Daniel and his friends.

14 Tunc Daniel requisivit de lege, atque sententia ab Arioch principe militiæ regis, qui egressus fuerat ad interficiendos sapientes Babylonis.

Daniel approached Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard, whom the king had put in charge of the order to execute all the wise men of Babylon. Wisely and tactfully

15 Et interrogavit eum, qui a rege potestatem acceperat, quam ob causam tam crudelis sententia a facie regis esset egressa. Cum ergo rem indicasset Arioch Danieli,

Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.

16 Daniel ingressus rogavit regem ut tempus daret sibi ad solutionem indicandam regi.

Daniel immediately went to see the king and asked for more time to explain the dream and its meaning to him.

17 Et ingressus est domum suam, Ananiæque et Misaeli, et Azariæ sociis suis indicavit negotium:

Then Daniel went home and shared with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on.

18 ut quærerent misericordiam a facie Dei cæli super sacramento isto, et non perirent Daniel, et socii eius cum ceteris sapientibus Babylonis.

He told them to pray to the God of heaven, asking for help regarding this mystery, so that he and his friends would not be killed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Tunc Danieli mysterium per visionem nocte revelatum est: et benedixit Daniel Deum cæli,

That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven:

20 et locutus ait: Sit nomen Domini benedictum a sæculo et usque in sæculum: quia sapientia et fortitudo eius sunt.

“Praise the wonderful nature of God forever and ever, for he is wise and powerful.

21 Et ipse mutat tempora, et ætates: transfert regna, atque constituit: dat sapientiam sapientibus, et scientiam intelligentibus disciplinam:

He is in charge of time and history. He removes kings, and he sets kings in place. He gives wisdom to make people wise; he gives knowledge to people so they can understand.

22 Ipse revelat profunda, et abscondita, et novit in tenebris constituta: et lux cum eo est.

He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.

23 Tibi Deus patrum nostrorum confiteor, teque laudo: quia sapientiam, et fortitudinem dedisti mihi: et nunc ostendisti mihi quæ rogavimus te, quia sermonem regis aperuisti nobis.

I give thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, for you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have revealed to me what we asked you; you have revealed to us the king's dream.”

24 Post hæc Daniel ingressus ad Arioch, quem constituerat rex ut perderet sapientes Babylonis, sic ei locutus est: Sapientes Babylonis ne perdas: introduc me in conspectu regis, et solutionem regi narrabo.

So Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon and told him, “Don't execute the wise men of Babylon! Take me to see the king and I will explain to him his dream.”

25 Tunc Arioch festinus introduxit Danielem ad regem, et dixit ei: Inveni hominem de filiis transmigrationis Iuda, qui solutionem regi annunciet.

Arioch immediately took Daniel to the king and told him, “I've found one of the captives from Judah who can tell Your Majesty what your dream means.”

26 Respondit rex, et dixit Danieli, cuius nomen erat Baltassar: Putasne vere potes mihi indicare somnium, quod vidi, et interpretationem eius?

The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”

27 Et respondens Daniel coram rege, ait: Mysterium, quod rex interrogat, sapientes, magi, arioli, et aruspices nequeunt indicare regi:

“No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.

28 Sed est Deus in cælo revelans mysteria, qui indicavit tibi rex Nabuchodonosor, quæ ventura sunt in novissimis temporibus. Somnium tuum, et visiones capitis tui in cubili tuo huiuscemodi sunt:

“But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came to your mind as you were lying in bed were these.

29 Tu rex cogitare cœpisti in strato tuo, quid esset futurum post hæc: et qui revelat mysteria, ostendit tibi quæ ventura sunt.

As Your Majesty lay there, your thoughts turned to the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what would take place.

30 Mihi quoque non in sapientia, quæ est in me plus quam in cunctis viventibus, sacramentum hoc revelatum est: sed ut interpretatio regi manifesta fieret, et cogitationes mentis tuæ scires.

It's not because I have any more wisdom than anyone else that this mystery has been revealed to me, but to explain to Your Majesty what you were thinking about so you could understand.

31 Tu rex videbas, et ecce quasi statua una grandis: statua illa magna, et statura sublimis stabat contra te, et intuitus eius erat terribilis.

Your Majesty, as you looked, there before you stood a great statue. The statue standing in front of you was huge, and blazingly bright. It looked terrifying!

32 Huius statuæ caput ex auro optimo erat, pectus autem et brachia de argento, porro venter, et femora ex ære:

The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze,

33 tibiæ autem ferreæ, pedum quædam pars erat ferrea, quædam autem fictilis.

its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and baked clay.

34 Videbas ita, donec abscissus est lapis de monte sine manibus: et percussit statuam in pedibus eius ferreis, et fictilibus, et comminuit eos.

While you were watching, a stone was quarried, but not by human hands. It struck the iron and clay feet of the statue and smashed them to pieces.

35 Tunc contrita sunt pariter ferrum, testa, æs, argentum, et aurum, et redacta quasi in favillam æstivæ areæ, quæ rapta sunt vento: nullusque locus inventus est eis: lapis autem, qui percusserat statuam, factus est mons magnus, et implevit universam terram.

Then the rest of the statue—the bronze, the silver, and the gold—broke into pieces like the iron and clay. The wind blew them all away like chaff from the summer threshing floor, so that no trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 Hoc est somnium. Interpretationem quoque eius dicemus coram te, rex.

This was the dream, and now we will explain what it means to the king.

37 Tu rex regum es: et Deus cæli, regnum, et fortitudinem, et imperium, et gloriam dedit tibi:

Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, and power, strength, and glory.

38 et omnia, in quibus habitant filii hominum, et bestiæ agri: volucres quoque cæli dedit in manu tua, et sub ditione tua universa constituit: tu es ergo caput aureum.

He gave you control over all peoples, as well as the wild animals and birds. He made you ruler of all of them. You are the head of gold.

39 Et post te consurget regnum aliud minus te argenteum: et regnum tertium aliud æreum, quod imperabit universæ terræ.

But after you another kingdom will rise that is inferior to your kingdom and will replace yours. After that a third kingdom that is bronze will rise and rule over the whole world.

40 Et regnum quartum erit velut ferrum: quomodo ferrum comminuit, et domat omnia, sic comminuet, et conteret omnia hæc.

The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron and in the same way that iron crushes and smashes everything; it will crush and smash all others.

41 Porro quia vidisti pedum, et digitorum partem testæ figuli, et partem ferream: regnum divisum erit, quod tamen de plantario ferri orietur, secundum quod vidisti ferrum mistum testæ ex luto.

You saw the feet and toes made from iron and baked clay, and this indicates it will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron but mixed with clay.

42 Et digitos pedum ex parte ferreos, et ex parte fictiles: ex parte regnum erit solidum, et ex parte contritum.

As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

43 Quod autem vidisti ferrum mistum testæ ex luto, commiscebuntur quidem humano semine, sed non adhærebunt sibi, sicut ferrum misceri non potest testæ.

In the same way that you saw the iron mixed with ordinary clay, so the people will mix but they will not stick together just as iron and clay do not mix.

44 In diebus autem regnorum illorum suscitabit Deus cæli regnum, quod in æternum non dissipabitur, et regnum eius alteri populo non tradetur: comminuet autem, et consumet universa regna hæc: et ipsum stabit in æternum.

During the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed or taken over by others. It will crush all these kingdoms, bringing them to an end, and it will last forever,

45 Secundum quod vidisti, quod de monte abscissus est lapis sine manibus, et comminuit testam, et ferrum, et æs, et argentum, et aurum, Deus magnus ostendit regi quæ ventura sunt postea: et verum est somnium, et fidelis interpretatio eius.

in the same way that you saw the stone quarried from the mountain, but not by human hands, crush the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to Your Majesty what is to come. The dream is true, and the explanation is trustworthy.”

46 Tunc rex Nabuchodonosor cecidit in faciem suam, et Danielem adoravit, et hostias, et incensum præcepit ut sacrificarent ei.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and worshiped him, and ordered offerings of grain and incense to be made to him.

47 Loquens ergo rex, ait Danieli: Vere Deus vester Deus deorum est, et Dominus regum, et revelans mysteria: quoniam tu potuisti aperire hoc sacramentum.

The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, the revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

48 Tunc rex Danielem in sublime extulit, et munera multa, et magna dedit ei: et constituit eum principem super omnes provincias Babylonis: et præfectum magistratuum super cunctos sapientes Babylonis.

Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and gave him many expensive gifts, making him governor over the whole province of Babylon and head of all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Daniel autem postulavit a rege: et constituit super opera provinciæ Babylonis, Sidrach, Misach, et Abdenago: Ipse autem Daniel erat in foribus regis.

At Daniel's request, the king placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of Babylon, and Daniel remained at the king's court.