Danihelis Prophetæ 2
1 in anno secundo regni Nabuchodonosor vidit Nabuchodonosor somnium et conterritus est spiritus eius et somnium eius fugit ab eo
[One night] during the second year that Nebuchadnezzar ruled, he had a dream. The dream worried him very much; and [as a result] he could not sleep.
2 praecepit ergo rex ut convocarentur arioli et magi et malefici et Chaldei et indicarent regi somnia sua qui cum venissent steterunt coram rege
[The next morning] he summoned his men who worked magic, fortune-tellers, those who worked sorcery, and those who studied the stars. [Because he had forgotten what he had dreamed, ] he insisted that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood there in front of the king,
3 et dixit ad eos rex vidi somnium et mente confusus ignoro quid viderim
he said, “I had a dream [last night] that worries me. [Tell me what I dreamed, because] I want to know what the dream [means].”
4 responderuntque Chaldei regi syriace rex in sempiternum vive dic somnium servis tuis et interpretationem eius indicabimus
The men who studied the stars replied to the king, speaking in the Aramaic [language]. They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we hope that you will live a long time! Tell us what you dreamed, and [then] we will tell you what it means!”
5 et respondens rex ait Chaldeis sermo recessit a me nisi indicaveritis mihi somnium et coniecturam eius peribitis vos et domus vestrae publicabuntur
But the king replied, “I have firmly decided that you must tell me the dream, and [also tell me] what it means. If you do not do that, I will [order my soldiers to] cut you into pieces, and to cause your houses to become only piles of stones!
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 tell me what I dreamed and what it means, I will reward you. I will give you wonderful gifts and greatly honor you. So tell me what I dreamed and what it means!”
7 responderunt secundo atque dixerunt rex somnium dicat servis suis et interpretationem illius indicabimus
But again they said, “Tell us what you dreamed, and [then] we will tell you what it means.”
8 respondit rex et ait certo novi quia tempus redimitis scientes quod recesserit a me sermo
The king replied, “I know that you are just trying to get more time, because you know that I will do to you what I said that I would do.
9 si ergo somnium non indicaveritis mihi una est de vobis sententia quod interpretationem quoque fallacem et deceptione plenam conposueritis ut loquamini mihi donec tempus pertranseat somnium itaque dicite mihi ut sciam quod interpretationem quoque eius veram loquamini
If you do not tell me what I dreamed, you will be punished. [I think that] you have all agreed to tell me lies and [other] wicked things, because you hope that I will change ([my mind/what I am thinking]). But tell me the dream, and [then] I will know that you can [also] tell me what it means.”
10 respondentes ergo Chaldei 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 Chaldeo
The men who studied the stars replied, “There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, [even] a great and mighty king, who has [ever] asked his men who work magic or his fortune-tellers or men who study the stars to do something like that!
11 sermo enim quem tu rex quaeris gravis est nec repperietur quisquam qui indicet illum in conspectu regis exceptis diis quorum non est cum hominibus conversatio
What you are asking [us to do] is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!”
12 quo audito rex in furore et in ira magna praecepit ut perirent omnes sapientes Babylonis
The king was very angry when he heard that, so he commanded [his soldiers] that they execute all such wise men in Babylon.
13 et egressa sententia sapientes interficiebantur quaerebaturque Danihel et socii eius ut perirent
And because of what the king commanded, they sent some men to find me and my [three] friends, to execute us [also].
14 tunc Danihel requisivit de lege atque sententia ab Arioch principe militiae regis qui egressus fuerat ad interficiendos sapientes Babylonis
Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, came to kill us. But I spoke to him very wisely and tactfully/skillfully.
15 et interrogavit eum qui a rege acceperat potestatem quam ob causam tam crudelis sententia a facie esset regis egressa cum ergo rem indicasset Arioch Daniheli
I asked Arioch, “Why has the king made such a harsh/terrible decree?” So Arioch told me all that had happened [because of the king’s dream].
16 Danihel ingressus rogavit regem ut tempus daret sibi ad solutionem indicandam regi
I [immediately] went to talk to the king and requested that the king give me some time, so that I could find out [what the dream was and] what the dream meant.
17 et ingressus est domum suam Ananiaeque Misaheli et Azariae sociis suis indicavit negotium
Then I went home, and I told my friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened.
18 ut quaererent misericordiam a facie Dei caeli super sacramento isto et non perirent Danihel et socii eius cum ceteris sapientibus Babylonis
I urged them to ask God, who lives/rules in heaven, to have mercy on us by telling us the secret [meaning of what the king dreamed], in order that we and the other wise men in Babylon would not be executed.
19 tunc Daniheli per visionem nocte mysterium revelatum est et Danihel benedixit Deo caeli
And that night [God] gave to me a vision in which he revealed the secret. Then I praised God,
20 et locutus ait sit nomen Domini benedictum a saeculo et usque in saeculum quia sapientia et fortitudo eius sunt
saying, “We should praise God [MTY] forever, because [only] he truly is wise and powerful.
21 et ipse mutat tempora et aetates transfert regna atque constituit dat sapientiam sapientibus et scientiam intellegentibus disciplinam
He determines what events will happen through the years. He removes [some] kings and gives their authority to [new] kings. He is the one who causes people to become wise and enables those who study to understand [many] things.
22 ipse revelat profunda et abscondita et novit in tenebris constituta et lux cum eo est
He reveals things that are very mysterious; he is surrounded by light, but he knows things that are hidden [as though they were] in the darkness.
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
God, whom my ancestors [worshiped], I thank you and I praise you, because you have caused me to be wise and made me strong. You have told me what my friends and I asked you to tell us; and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know.”
24 post haec Danihel 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 enarrabo
Then I went to Arioch, the man whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men in Babylon. I said to him, “Do not kill those wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him what his dream means.”
25 tunc Arioch festinus introduxit Danihelem ad regem et dixit ei inveni hominem de filiis transmigrationis Iudae qui solutionem regi adnuntiet
So Arioch quickly took me to the king. He said to the king, “I have found [this man], one of the men whom we brought from Judah who [says he can] can tell you what your dream means!”
26 respondit rex et dixit Daniheli cuius nomen erat Balthasar putasne vere potes indicare mihi somnium quod vidi et interpretationem eius
The king said to me, whose [new] name was Belteshazzar, “[Is this true]? Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”
27 et respondens Danihel coram rege ait mysterium quod rex interrogat sapientes magi et arioli et aruspices non queunt indicare regi
I replied, “There are no wise men or fortune-tellers or men who work magic or men who work sorcery who can tell such things to you.
28 sed est Deus in caelo revelans mysteria qui indicavit tibi rex Nabuchodonosor quae ventura sunt novissimis temporibus somnium tuum et visiones capitis tui in cubili tuo huiuscemodi sunt
But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And he has shown in [your dream] what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what you dreamed, the vision you saw [as you were lying] on your bed.
29 tu rex cogitare coepisti in stratu tuo quid esset futurum post haec et qui revelat mysteria ostendit tibi quae ventura sunt
O King, while you were sleeping, you dreamed about events that will happen in the future. The one who reveals mysteries has shown you what is going to 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
And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else on earth that I know the meaning of this mysterious dream. It is because God wanted you to understand what you were thinking.
31 tu rex videbas et ecce quasi statua una grandis statua illa magna et statura sublimis stabat contra te et intuitus eius erat terribilis
O King, [in your vision] you saw in front of you a huge and terrifying statue [of a man. It was] shining very brightly, and it was frightening and awesome.
32 huius statuae caput ex auro optimo erat pectus autem et brachia de argento porro venter et femora ex aere
The head of the statue was [made] of pure gold. Its chest and arms [were made of] silver. Its belly and thighs [were made of] bronze.
33 tibiae autem ferreae pedum quaedam pars erat ferrea quaedam fictilis
Its legs [were made of] iron, and its feet were a mixture of clay and iron.
34 videbas ita donec abscisus est lapis sine manibus et percussit statuam in pedibus eius ferreis et fictilibus et comminuit eos
As you watched, something cut a rock [from a mountain, but it was] not a human [who cut it]. The rock [tumbled down and] smashed the feet of the statue, feet [that were made of] iron and clay. It smashed them to bits.
35 tunc contrita sunt pariter ferrum testa aes argentum et aurum et redacta quasi in favillam aestivae areae 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 collapsed into a big heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces of the statue were as small as bits of chaff on the ground where it is threshed, and the wind blew away all the tiny pieces. There was nothing left. But the rock that smashed the statue became a large mountain that covered the whole earth.
36 hoc est somnium interpretationem quoque eius dicemus coram te rex
That was what you dreamed. Now I will tell you what it means.
37 tu rex regum es et Deus caeli regnum fortitudinem et imperium et gloriam dedit tibi
You are a king [who rules] over [many other] kings. The God who rules in heaven has caused you to rule over them and has given you great power [DOU] and has honored you.
38 et omnia in quibus habitant filii hominum et bestiae agri volucresque caeli dedit in manu tua et sub dicione tua universa constituit tu es ergo caput aureum
He has caused you to be the ruler over all people, and [even] the animals and birds are controlled by you. [So] the head [of the statue] represents you.
39 et post te consurget regnum aliud minus te et regnum tertium aliud aereum quod imperabit universae terrae
But after your [kingdom/rule] ends, there will be another [great] kingdom, [but it] will not be as great as yours. [The silver parts of the statue represent that kingdom]. Then there will be a third [great] kingdom [whose king] will rule over the whole earth. The bronze parts [of the statue represent] that kingdom.
40 et regnum quartum erit velut ferrum quomodo ferrum comminuit et domat omnia sic comminuet omnia haec et conteret
After that kingdom ends, there will be a fourth [great] kingdom. The iron [parts of the statue represent that kingdom]. [The army of] that kingdom will smash the previous kingdoms, just like iron smashes everything that it strikes.
41 porro quia vidisti pedum et digitorum partem testae figuli et partem ferream regnum divisum erit quod tamen de plantario ferri orietur secundum quod vidisti ferrum mixtum testae ex luto
The feet and toes of the statue that you saw, that were a mixture of iron and clay, indicate that the kingdom they represent will [later] be divided.
42 et digitos pedum ex parte ferreos et ex parte fictiles ex parte regnum erit solidum et ex parte contritum
Some parts of that kingdom will be as strong as iron, but some parts will not remain together, just as iron and clay do not stick together.
43 quia autem vidisti ferrum mixtum testae ex luto commiscebuntur quidem humano semine sed non adherebunt sibi sicuti ferrum misceri non potest testae
The mixture of iron and clay [in the statue] shows also that the rulers of those kingdoms that separate from each other will try to form alliances with each other as a result of members of the royal families of those kingdoms marrying each other. But that will not succeed, just as iron and clay do not stick together.
44 in diebus autem regnorum illorum suscitabit Deus caeli regnum quod in aeternum non dissipabitur et regnum eius populo alteri non tradetur comminuet et consumet universa regna haec et ipsum stabit in aeternum
But while those kings are ruling, God who rules in heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. No one will ever defeat its king. He will completely destroy all those kingdoms, but his kingdom will remain forever.
45 secundum quod vidisti quod de monte abscisus est lapis sine manibus et comminuit testam et ferrum et aes et argentum et aurum Deus magnus ostendit regi quae futura sunt postea et verum est somnium et fidelis interpretatio eius
That is the meaning of the rock that something cut from the mountain, the rock that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, silver, and gold. O king, the great God has shown you what will truly happen in the future. And you can trust [what I told you about] the meaning of the dream.”
46 tunc rex Nabuchodonosor cecidit in faciem suam et Danihelum adoravit et hostias et incensum praecepit ut sacrificarent ei
Then King Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself in front of me [in great respect]. He commanded [his people] that they burn incense and burn an offering of grain to honor me.
47 loquens ergo rex ait Daniheli vere Deus vester Deus deorum est et Dominus regum et revelans mysteria quoniam potuisti aperire sacramentum hoc
The king said to me, “[Your God has enabled] you to tell me the meaning of this dream/mystery, so now I truly know that your God is greater than all the other gods and all other kings. He reveals [to people] things that they cannot know.”
48 tunc rex Danihelum 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 gave many gifts to me, and he [also] appointed me to rule over the entire province of Babylon, and [also] to be the boss of all his wise men.
49 Danihel autem postulavit a rege et constituit super opera provinciae Babylonis Sedrac Misac et Abdenago ipse autem Danihel erat in foribus regis
I asked the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to [also] have important positions in Babylon province, and the king did what I asked him to do. But [I did my work while] I stayed at the king’s palace.
