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 the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep went from him.

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

Then the king gave orders that the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and those who made use of evil powers, and the Chaldaeans, were to be sent for to make clear to the king his dreams. So they came and took their places before the king.

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

And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is troubled by the desire to have the dream made clear to me.

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

Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in the Aramaean language, O King, have life for ever: give your servants an account of your dream, and we will make clear to you the sense of it.

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

The king made answer and said to the Chaldaeans, This is my decision: if you do not make clear to me the dream and the sense of it, you will be cut in bits and your houses made waste.

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 make clear the dream and the sense of it, you will have from me offerings and rewards and great honour: so make clear to me the dream and the sense of it.

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

A second time they said in answer, Let the king give his servants an account of his dream, and we will make clear the sense.

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

The king made answer and said, I am certain that you are attempting to get more time, because you see that my decision is fixed;

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.

That if you do not make my dream clear to me there is only one fate for you: for you have made ready false and evil words to say before me till the times are changed: so give me an account of the dream, and I will be certain that you are able to make the sense of it clear.

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.

Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in answer, There is not a man on earth able to make clear the king's business; for no king, however great his power, has ever made such a request to any wonder-worker or user of secret arts or Chaldaean.

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.

The king's request is a very hard one, and there is no other who is able to make it clear to the king, but the gods, whose living-place is not with flesh.

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

Because of this the king was angry and full of wrath, and gave orders for the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon.

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

So the order went out that the wise men were to be put to death; and they were looking for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

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

Then Daniel gave an answer with wisdom and good sense to Arioch, the captain of the king's armed men, who had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon;

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,

He made answer and said to Arioch, O captain of the king, why is the king's order so cruel? Then Arioch gave Daniel an account of the business.

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

And Daniel went in and made a request to the king to give him time and he would make clear the sense of his dream to the king.

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

And Daniel went to his house and gave his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah the news:

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

So that they might make a request for the mercy of the God of heaven in the question of this secret; so that Daniel and his friends might not come to destruction with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

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

Then the secret was made clear to Daniel in a vision of the night. And Daniel gave blessing to the God of heaven.

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

And Daniel said in answer, May the name of God be praised for ever and ever: for wisdom and strength are his:

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

By him times and years are changed: by him kings are taken away and kings are lifted up: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those whose minds are awake:

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

He is the unveiler of deep and secret things: he has knowledge of what is in the dark, and the light has its living-place with him.

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 you praise and worship, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and strength, and have now made clear to me what we were requesting from you: for you have given us knowledge of the king's business.

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.

For this reason Daniel went to Arioch, to whom the king had given orders for the destruction of the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, Do not put to death the wise men of Babylon: take me in before the king and I will make clear to him the sense of the dream.

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

Then Arioch quickly took Daniel in before the king, and said to him, Here is a man from among the prisoners of Judah, who will make clear to the king the sense of the dream.

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

The king made answer and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make clear to me the dream which I saw and its sense?

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

Then Daniel said in answer to the king, No wise men, or users of secret arts, or wonder-workers, or readers of signs, are able to make clear to the king the secret he is searching for;

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, the unveiler of secrets, and he has given to King Nebuchadnezzar knowledge of what will take place in the last days. Your dreams and the visions of your head on your bed are these:

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

As for you, O King, the thoughts which came to you on your bed were of what will come about after this: and the unveiler of secrets has made clear to you what is to come.

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.

As for me, this secret is not made clear to me because of any wisdom which I have more than any living man, but in order that the sense of the dream may be made clear to the king, and that you may have knowledge of the thoughts of your heart.

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

You, O King, were looking, and a great image was there. This image, which was very great, and whose glory was very bright, was placed before you: its form sent fear into the heart.

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

As for this image, its head was made of the best gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its middle and its sides were of brass,

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

Its legs of iron, its feet were in part of iron and in part of potter's earth.

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 looking at it, a stone was cut out, but not by hands, and it gave the image a blow on its feet, which were of iron and earth, and they were broken in bits.

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 iron and the earth, the brass and the silver and the gold, were smashed together, and became like the dust on the floors where grain is crushed in summer; and the wind took them away so that no sign of them was to be seen: and the stone which gave the image a blow became a great mountain, covering all the earth.

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

This is the dream; and we will make clear to the king the sense of it.

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

You, O King, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the 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.

Wherever the children of men are living; into whose hands he has given the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven, and has made you ruler over them all, 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.

And after you another kingdom, lower than you, will come to power; and a third kingdom, of brass, ruling over all the earth.

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

And the fourth kingdom will be strong as iron: because, as all things are broken and overcome by iron, so it will have the power of crushing and smashing down all the earth.

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.

And as you saw the feet and toes, part of potter's work and part of iron, there will be a division in the kingdom; but there will be some of the strength of iron in it, because you saw the iron mixed with the potter's earth.

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

And as the toes of the feet were in part of iron and in part of earth, so part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will readily be broken.

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

And as you saw the iron mixed with earth, they will give their daughters to one another as wives: but they will not be united one with another, even as iron is not mixed with earth.

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.

And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will put up a kingdom which will never come to destruction, and its power will never be given into the hands of another people, and all these kingdoms will be broken and overcome by it, but it will keep its place for ever.

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.

Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that by it the iron and the brass and the earth and the silver and the gold were broken to bits, a great God has given the king knowledge of what is to take place in the future: the dream is fixed, and its sense is certain.

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

Then King Nebuchadnezzar, falling down on his face, gave worship to Daniel, and gave orders for an offering and spices to be given 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.

And the king made answer to Daniel and said, Truly, your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and an unveiler of secrets, for you have been able to make this secret clear.

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 made Daniel great, and gave him offerings in great number, and made him ruler over all the land of Babylon, and chief over 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.

And at Daniel's request, the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego authority over the business of the land of Babylon: but Daniel was kept near the king's person.