UDanyeli 2
1 Ngomnyaka wesibili wokubusa kukaNebhukadinezari, uNebhukadinezari waphupha amaphupho; umoya wakhe wasukhathazeka, lobuthongo bakhe basuka kuye.
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 Inkosi yasisithi kubizwe izanuse lezangoma labavumisayo lamaKhaladiya, ukuze batshengise inkosi amaphupho ayo. Beza-ke, bema phambi kwenkosi.
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 Inkosi yasisithi kubo: Ngiphuphe iphupho; umoya wami wasukhathazeka ukulazi iphupho.
“I've had a dream that has really upset me,” he told them. “I need to know what it means.”
4 AmaKhaladiya asekhuluma enkosini ngesiAramu: Nkosi, phila kuze kube nininini! Tshela inceku zakho iphupho, thina sizatshengisa ingcazelo.
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 Inkosi yaphendula yathi kumaKhaladiya: Into isisukile kimi; uba lingayikungazisa iphupho lengcazelo yalo, lizakwenziwa iziqa, lezindlu zenu zenziwe inqumbi yomquba.
“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 Kodwa uba litshengisa iphupho lengcazelo yalo, lizakwemukela kimi izipho lomvuzo lodumo olukhulu. Ngakho ngitshengisani iphupho lengcazelo yalo.
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 Baphendula okwesibili bathi: Inkosi kayitshele inceku zayo iphupho, thina sizabonisa ingcazelo yalo.
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 Inkosi yaphendula yathi: Mina ngiyazi isibili ukuthi lithenga isikhathi, ngoba liyabona ukuthi into isukile kimi.
“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 Kodwa uba lingangazisi iphupho, kulesimiso esisodwa ngani; ngoba livumelene ukukhuluma ilizwi lamanga elikhohlakeleyo phambi kwami, kuze kuguquke isikhathi. Ngakho ngitshelani iphupho, besengisazi ukuthi lingangitshela ingcazelo yalo.
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 AmaKhaladiya aphendula phambi kwenkosi, athi: Kakulamuntu emhlabeni olakho ukutshengisa udaba lwenkosi; ngakho kayikho inkosi enkulu kumbe umbusi owake wabuza into enje kuloba yisiphi isanuse kumbe isangoma kumbe umKhaladiya.
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 Futhi kuyinto enzima inkosi eyibuzayo, njalo kakho omunye ongayibonisa phambi kwenkosi, ngaphandle kwabonkulunkulu, okuhlala kwabo kakukho kwabasenyameni.
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 Ngenxa yalokhu inkosi yaba lolaka yathukuthela kakhulu, yalaya ukuthi kubhujiswe bonke abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni.
This made the king extremely angry, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed.
13 Kwasekuphuma isimiso, ukuthi abahlakaniphileyo babulawe; basebedinga uDaniyeli labangane bakhe ukuthi babulawe.
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 Lapho uDaniyeli wabuyisela icebo lokuqonda kuAriyoki induna yabalindi benkosi, owayephumele ukubulala abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni.
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 Waphendula wathi kuAriyoki induna yenkosi: Kungani isimiso singesesiphangiphangi esivela enkosini? Lapho uAriyoki wamazisa uDaniyeli indaba.
Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.
16 UDaniyeli wasengena, wacela enkosini ukuthi imnike isikhathi sokuthi ayitshengise inkosi ingcazelo.
Daniel immediately went to see the king and asked for more time to explain the dream and its meaning to him.
17 UDaniyeli wasesiya endlini yakhe, wabazisa oHananiya, uMishayeli, loAzariya, abangane bakhe, loludaba;
Then Daniel went home and shared with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on.
18 ukuze bacele izihawu kuNkulunkulu wezulu ngalimfihlakalo; ukuze bangabhubhi oDaniyeli labangane bakhe kanye labanye abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni.
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 Lapho imfihlakalo yembulelwa uDaniyeli embonweni wobusuku. UDaniyeli wasemdumisa uNkulunkulu wamazulu.
That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven:
20 UDaniyeli waphendula wathi: Kalidunyiswe ibizo likaNkulunkulu kusukela phakade kuze kube phakade, ngoba inhlakanipho lamandla kungokwakhe.
“Praise the wonderful nature of God forever and ever, for he is wise and powerful.
21 Ngoba uyaguqula izikhathi lezikhathi ezimisiweyo, uyasusa amakhosi, amise amakhosi, upha inhlakanipho kwabahlakaniphileyo, lolwazi kulabo abazi ukuqedisisa.
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 Uyembula okujulileyo lokufihlakeleyo, uyakwazi okusemnyameni, lokukhanya kuhlala kanye laye.
He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.
23 Ngiyakubonga ngikudumise, wena Nkulunkulu wabobaba, ongiphe inhlakanipho lamandla, ongazise khathesi lokho esikucelileyo kuwe, ngoba usazisile udaba lwenkosi.
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 Ngakho uDaniyeli wangena kuAriyoki, inkosi eyayimmisele ukuthi abhubhise abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni; wahamba, wakhuluma kanje kuye: Ungabhubhisi abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni; ngingenisa phambi kwenkosi, mina ngizayitshengisa inkosi ingcazelo.
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 Lapho uAriyoki wangenisa uDaniyeli phambi kwenkosi ngokuphangisa, watsho njalo kuyo: Ngithole indoda kwabathunjiweyo bakoJuda, ezakwazisa inkosi ingcazelo.
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 Inkosi yaphendula yathi kuDaniyeli, obizo lakhe lalinguBeliteshazari: Ulakho yini ukungazisa iphupho engilibonileyo, lengcazelo yalo?
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”
27 UDaniyeli waphendula phambi kwenkosi, wathi: Imfihlakalo inkosi eyibuzayo, abahlakaniphileyo, izangoma, izanuse, abalumbi bangeyibonise inkosi.
“No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.
28 Kodwa ukhona uNkulunkulu emazulwini owembula izimfihlakalo, uyitshengisile inkosi uNebhukadinezari okuzakwenzeka ekucineni kwezinsuku; iphupho lakho lemibono yekhanda lakho embhedeni wakho yilokhu:
“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 Wena, nkosi, usembhedeni wakho kwavela imicabango yakho ngalokhu okuzakwenzeka emva kwalokhu; lalowo owembula izimfihlakalo ukwazisile wena lokho okuzakwenzeka.
As Your Majesty lay there, your thoughts turned to the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what would take place.
30 Mayelana lami, limfihlakalo yembulwa kimi hatshi ngenxa yenhlakanipho ephakathi kwami okwedlula bonke abaphilayo, kodwa ukuthi kwaziswe ingcazelo enkosini, lokuthi wazi imicabango yenhliziyo yakho.
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 Wena nkosi, wabona, khangela-ke, isithombe esikhulu. Lesisithombe esikhulu, okukhazimula kwaso kwakusedlulisa, sema phambi kwakho; lesimo saso sasisesabeka.
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 Ikhanda lalesisithombe lalingelegolide elihle, isifuba saso lengalo zaso kwakungokwesiliva, isisu saso lamathangazi aso kwakungokwethusi,
The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze,
33 imilenze yaso yayingeyensimbi, inyawo zaso ingxenye yayingeyensimbi lengxenye yayingeyebumba.
its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and baked clay.
34 Wasubona kwaze kwasikwa ilitshe kungengezandla, elatshaya isithombe ezinyaweni zaso ezensimbi lebumba, lazichoboza.
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 Kwasekuchotshozwa ndawonye insimbi, ibumba, ithusi, isiliva, legolide, kwaba njengamakhoba amabala okubhulela ehlobo, lomoya wakususa, akwaze kwatholelwa ndawo. Njalo ilitshe elatshaya isithombe laba yintaba enkulu, lagcwalisa umhlaba wonke.
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 Yilo lelo iphupho; sesizakutsho ingcazelo yalo phambi kwenkosi.
This was the dream, and now we will explain what it means to the king.
37 Wena, nkosi, uyinkosi yamakhosi, ngoba uNkulunkulu wamazulu ukunikile umbuso, amandla, lokuqina, lodumo.
Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, and power, strength, and glory.
38 Njalo loba kungaphi lapho abantwana babantu abahlezi khona, izinyamazana zeganga lezinyoni zamazulu uzinikele esandleni sakho, wakwenza waba ngumbusi phezu kwazo zonke. Wena uyilelikhanda legolide.
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 Langemva kwakho kuzavela omunye umbuso omncinyane kulowakho, lomunye owesithathu umbuso wethusi, ozabusa emhlabeni wonke.
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 Lombuso wesine uzaqina njengensimbi; ngoba njengoba insimbi ichoboza yehlisele phansi konke, njalo njengensimbi echoboza konke lokhu, ngokunjalo uzachoboza wephule.
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 Njalo njengoba wabona izinyawo lamazwane, kuyingxenye yebumba lombumbi lengxenye yensimbi, umbuso uzadatshulwa phakathi. Kodwa kuzakuba kuwo okwamandla ensimbi, njengoba wabona insimbi ihlanganiswe lebumba eliludaka.
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 Njengoba amazwane enyawo ayelengxenye yensimbi lengxenye yebumba; umbuso uzakuba lamandla nganxanye, wephuke lula nganxanye.
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 Njalo njengoba wabona insimbi ihlanganiswe lebumba eliludaka, bazazihlanganisa lenzalo yabantu, kodwa kabayikunamathelana, njengoba insimbi ingahlanganiswa lebumba.
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 Langensuku zalamakhosi uNkulunkulu wamazulu uzamisa umbuso, ongayikuchithwa kuze kube phakade; lombuso kawuyikutshiyelwa abanye abantu; uzachoboza uqede yonke limibuso, wona-ke uzakuma kuze kube phakade.
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 Ngenxa yokuthi wabona ukuthi ilitshe liqetshulwa entabeni, kungengezandla, lokuthi lachoboza insimbi, ithusi, ibumba, isiliva, legolide; uNkulunkulu omkhulu uyazisile inkosi okuzakwenzeka emva kwalokhu; iphupho liqinisekile, lengcazelo yalo ithembekile.
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 Lapho inkosi uNebhukadinezari yathi mbo ngobuso bayo, yakhuleka kuDaniyeli, yathi kuthululelwe kuye umnikelo lezimpepha.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and worshiped him, and ordered offerings of grain and incense to be made to him.
47 Inkosi yamphendula uDaniyeli, yathi: Kuliqiniso ukuthi uNkulunkulu wenu unguNkulunkulu wabonkulunkulu, leNkosi yamakhosi, lomambuli wezimfihlakalo, ngoba ubelakho ukwembula limfihlakalo.
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 Inkosi yasimenza uDaniyeli waba ngomkhulu, yamupha izipho ezinkulu ezinengi, yamenza waba ngumbusi phezu kwesabelo sonke seBhabhiloni, lenduna yababusi phezu kwabo bonke abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni.
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 UDaniyeli wasecela enkosini, njalo yamisa oShadraki, uMeshaki loAbedinego phezu komsebenzi wesabelo seBhabhiloni; kodwa uDaniyeli waba sesangweni lenkosi.
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.
