UDanyeli 6
1 Kwaba kuhle kuDariyusi ukubeka phezu kombuso iziphathamandla ezilikhulu lamatshumi amabili, ukuthi zibe phezu kombuso wonke,
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 laphezu kwazo ababonisi abathathu, uDaniyeli aba ngowokuqala kubo; ukuthi leziziphathamandla zilandise kubo, njalo inkosi ingabi lomonakalo.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Lapho uDaniyeli lo wenza ngcono kulababonisi leziphathamandla, ngoba umoya owedlulisileyo wawukuye. Njalo inkosi yacabanga ukumbeka phezu kombuso wonke.
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 Lapho ababonisi leziphathamandla badinga ukuthola ithuba bemelene loDaniyeli mayelana lombuso; kodwa bengelakho ukuthola ithuba kumbe insolo; ngoba wayethembekile, futhi kungelampambaniso kumbe insolo okwatholakala kuye.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Lapho lawomadoda athi: Kasiyikuthola thuba ngaye lo uDaniyeli ngaphandle kokuthi silithole limelene laye emlayweni kaNkulunkulu wakhe.
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Lapho labobabonisi leziphathamandla babuthana ndawonye enkosini, batsho kanje kuyo: Dariyusi nkosi, phila kuze kube nininini!
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 Bonke ababonisi bombuso, izinduna, leziphathamandla, abeluleki, lababusi bacebisa ukumisa umthetho wesikhosini, lokwenza isimiso esiqinileyo, ukuthi loba ngubani ozacela isicelo lakuwuphi unkulunkulu loba umuntu phakathi kwezinsuku ezingamatshumi amathathu ngaphandle kuwe, nkosi, uzaphoselwa ebhalwini lwezilwane.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Khathesi, nkosi, misa umlayo uphawule umbhalo, ukuthi ungaguqulwa, njengokomthetho wamaMede lamaPerisiya, ongadluliyo.
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Ngakho inkosi uDariyusi yaphawula umbhalo lesimiso.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Kwathi lapho uDaniyeli asesazi ukuthi umbhalo uphawuliwe, wangena endlini yakhe; njalo amawindi ekamelo lakhe eliphezulu elikhangele eJerusalema evulekile; waguqa ngamadolo akhe izikhathi ezintathu ngosuku, wakhuleka, wapha izibongo phambi kukaNkulunkulu wakhe, njengokwenza kwakhe mandulo kwalokhu.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Lapho la amadoda abuthana, athola uDaniyeli ekhuleka encenga phambi kukaNkulunkulu wakhe.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Lapho asondela, akhuluma phambi kwenkosi mayelana lesimiso senkosi athi: Kawuphawulanga isimiso yini, sokuthi wonke umuntu ocela lakuwuphi unkulunkulu loba umuntu phakathi kwezinsuku ezingamatshumi amathathu ngaphandle kuwe, nkosi, uzaphoselwa ebhalwini lwezilwane? Inkosi yaphendula yathi: Linto iliqiniso, ngokomthetho wamaMede lamaPerisiya ongadluliyo.
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Lapho aphendula athi phambi kwenkosi: UDaniyeli ongowabantwana bokuthunjwa bakoJuda kakunanzi, nkosi, lesimiso osiphawulileyo, kodwa uyakhuleka isicelo sakhe izikhathi ezintathu ngosuku.
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Kwathi lapho inkosi isizwile lelilizwi, yazizondela kakhulu, yabeka ingqondo kuDaniyeli ukumkhulula; yebo, yalwisa laze latshona ilanga ukumophula.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Lapho abuthana enkosini lawomadoda, athi enkosini: Yazi, nkosi, ukuthi umthetho wamaMede lamaPerisiya uthi: Kakulasimiso kumbe umthetho inkosi eyawumisayo ongaguqulwa.
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Lapho inkosi yalaya, bamletha uDaniyeli, bamphosela ebhalwini lwezilwane. Inkosi yaphendula yathi kuDaniyeli: UNkulunkulu wakho, omkhonzayo njalonjalo, kungathi angakukhulula!
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 Kwasekulethwa ilitshe, labekwa phezu komlomo wobhalu; inkosi yasilinameka ngendandatho elophawu lwayo, langendandatho elophawu lwamakhosi ayo, ukuze kungaguqulwa ulutho mayelana loDaniyeli.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Lapho inkosi yaya esigodlweni sayo, yachitha ubusuku izila ukudla; lamachacho kawalethwanga phambi kwayo; lobuthongo bayibalekela.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Lapho inkosi yavuka emadabukakusa, yaya ngokuphangisa ebhalwini lwezilwane.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Yathi isisondele ebhalwini, yamemeza ngelizwi lokulila kuDaniyeli; inkosi yaphendula yathi kuDaniyeli: Daniyeli, nceku kaNkulunkulu ophilayo, uNkulunkulu wakho omkhonzayo njalonjalo, ulakho ukukukhulula yini ezilwaneni?
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Lapho uDaniyeli wathi enkosini: Nkosi, phila kuze kube nininini!
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 UNkulunkulu wami uthumile ingilosi yakhe, yavala imilomo yezilwane, okokuthi kazingilimazanga, ngoba phambi kwakhe ukungabi lecala kutholakale kimi; njalo phambi kwakho, nkosi, kangenzanga bubi.
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 Lapho inkosi yamthokozela kakhulu, yalaya ukukhuphula uDaniyeli ebhalwini. UDaniyeli wasekhutshulwa ebhalwini, kakwatholwa kulimala kuye, ngoba ekholwe kuNkulunkulu wakhe.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Inkosi yasilaya, kwasekulethwa lawomadoda ayehlebe uDaniyeli, bawaphosela ebhalwini lwezilwane, wona, abantwana bawo, labomkawo; kwathi bengakafiki phansi ebhalwini, izilwane zazibusa phezu kwabo, zachoboza wonke amathambo abo.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Lapho inkosi uDariyusi yabalela bonke abantu, izizwe, lezindimi, ezihlezi emhlabeni wonke, yathi: Kakwandiswe ukuthula kwenu.
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 Umlayo wenziwa yimi, ukuthi kukho konke ukubuswa kombuso wami bathuthumele besabe phambi kukaNkulunkulu kaDaniyeli; ngoba enguNkulunkulu ophilayo, lomi kuze kube nininini, lombuso wakhe ngongayikuchithwa, lokubusa kwakhe kuzakuba khona kuze kube sekupheleni.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 Uyakhulula, ophule, enze izibonakaliso lezimangaliso emazulwini lemhlabeni, osekhulule uDaniyeli emandleni ezilwane.
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Ngakho uDaniyeli lo waphumelela embusweni kaDariyusi, lembusweni kaKoresi umPerisiya.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
