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 reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream fled from him.

2 Praecepit ergo rex, ut convocarentur arioli, et magi, et malefici, et Chaldaei: ut indicarent regi somnia sua: qui cum venissent, steterunt coram rege.

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.

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

And the king said to them, “I saw a dream, and, being confused in mind, I do not know what I saw.”

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

And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac, “O king, live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”

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

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.

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

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.”

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

They answered again and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will reveal its interpretation.”

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

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.

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.

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.”

10 Respondentes ergo Chaldaei 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 Chaldaeo.

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.

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

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.”

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

When he heard this, the king commanded, in fury and in great wrath, that all the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed.

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

And when the decree had gone forth, the wise men were put to death; and Daniel and his companions were sought, to be destroyed.

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

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.

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,

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,

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

Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would grant him time to reveal the solution to the king.

17 Et ingressus est domum suam, Ananiaeque et Misaeli, et Azariae sociis suis indicavit negotium:

And he went into his house and explained the task to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,

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

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.

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

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,

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

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.

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

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.

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

He reveals deep and hidden things, and he knows what has been established in darkness. And the light is with him.

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

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.”

24 Post haec 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.

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.”

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

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.”

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

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?”

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

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.

28 Sed est Deus in caelo revelans mysteria, qui indicavit tibi rex Nabuchodonosor, quae 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, 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.

29 Tu rex cogitare coepisti in stratu tuo, quid esset futurum post haec: et qui revelat mysteria, ostendit tibi quae ventura sunt.

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.

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

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.

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, 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.

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

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;

33 tibiae autem ferreae, pedum quaedam pars erat ferrea, quaedam autem fictilis.

but the shins were of iron, a certain part of the feet were of iron and another part were of clay.

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

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.

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

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.

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

This is the dream; we will also tell its interpretation before you, O king.

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

You are a king among kings, and the God of heaven has given to you a kingdom, and fortitude, and power, and glory,

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

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.

39 Et post te consurget regnum aliud minus te argenteum: et regnum tertium aliud aereum, quod imperabit universae terrae.

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.

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

And the fourth kingdom will be like iron. Just as iron shatters and conquers all things, so will it shatter and crush all these.

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

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.

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 partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part will be crushed.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.”

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

Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and adored Daniel, and he commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense.

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 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.”

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

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.

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

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.