< UDanyeli 8 >
1 Ngomnyaka wesithathu wokubusa kwenkosi uBelishazari kwabonakala umbono kimi, mina Daniyeli, emva kwalowo owabonakala kimi kuqala.
In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one that had appeared to me earlier.
2 Ngabona-ke embonweni; kwasekusithi, sengibonile, ngiseShushani isigodlo, esisesabelweni seElamu; ngasengibona embonweni, mina ngangingasemfuleni iUlayi.
And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.
3 Ngasengiphakamisa amehlo ami, ngabona, khangela-ke, kwema phambi komfula inqama elempondo ezimbili. Impondo zombili zaziphakeme, kodwa olunye lwaluphakeme okwedlula olunye, njalo oluphakemeyo lwenyuka muva.
Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.
4 Ngabona inqama ihlaba ikhangele ngentshonalanga langenyakatho langeningizimu; ukuze kungabi lezinyamazana ezingema phambi kwayo, njalo kungekho ongophula esandleni sayo; kodwa yenza njengentando yayo, yazikhulisa.
I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5 Kwathi mina ngisacabanga, khangela-ke, kweza impongo yembuzi ivela ngentshonalanga phezu kobuso bomhlaba wonke, njalo kayiwuthintanga umhlabathi. Njalo limpongo yayilophondo olunanzelelekayo phakathi laphakathi kwamehlo ayo.
As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground.
6 Yasisiza enqameni eyayilempondo ezimbili, engangiyibone imi phambi komfula, yagijimela kuyo ngolaka lwamandla ayo.
He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious power.
7 Ngasengiyibona isondela ngasenqameni, yathukuthela kakhulu imelene layo, yayitshaya inqama, yephula impondo zayo zombili. Kwakungaselamandla enqameni okuma phambi kwayo; kodwa impongo yayiwisela emhlabathini, yayinyathelela phansi; njalo kwakungekho owayengayophula inqama esandleni sayo.
I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.
8 Ngakho impongo yembuzi yazikhulisa kakhulukazi; yathi isilamandla, uphondo olukhulu lwephuka; njalo endaweni yalo kwenyuka ezine ezinanzelelekayo ngasemimoyeni emine yamazulu.
Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.
9 Njalo kolunye lwazo kwaphuma uphondo oluncinyane, olwakhula kakhulukazi, ngaseningizimu langasempumalanga langaselizweni elihle.
From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
10 Lwaselukhula kwaze kwaba sebuthweni lamazulu; lwaseluwisela emhlabathini okwebutho lokwezinkanyezi, lwakunyathelela phansi.
It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.
11 Yebo, lwazikhulisa kwaze kwaba sesiphathamandleni sebutho, langalo umhlatshelo oqhubekayo wasuswa, lendawo yendlu yaso engcwele yadilizelwa phansi.
It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.
12 Kwasekunikelwa ibutho limelene lomhlatshelo oqhubekayo ngenxa yesiphambeko, laphosela emhlabathini iqiniso, lenza, laphumelela.
And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
13 Ngasengisizwa ongcwele oyedwa ekhuluma, njalo omunye ongcwele wathi kulowo othile owakhulumayo: Koze kube nini uzakuba khona lumbono mayelana lomhlatshelo oqhubekayo, lesiphambeko sencithakalo, ukunikela indawo engcwele kanye lebutho ukuthi kunyathelelwe phansi?
Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”
14 Wasesithi kimi: Kuze kube zintambama lekuseni okuzinkulungwane ezimbili lamakhulu amathathu; kube sekuhlanjululwa indawo engcwele.
He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
15 Kwasekusithi mina Daniyeli sengiwubonile umbono ngadinga ukuqedisisa, khangela-ke, kwema phambi kwami okunjengesimo somuntu.
While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 Ngasengisizwa ilizwi lomuntu phakathi kwezinkumbizeUlayi, elamemeza lathi: Gabriyeli, yenza lo aqedisise umbono.
And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
17 Wasesiza eceleni kwalapho engangimi khona. Esefikile, ngethuka, ngathi mbo ngobuso bami. Kodwa wathi kimi: Qedisisa, ndodana yomuntu, ngoba umbono ungowesikhathi sokucina.
As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
18 Kwathi esakhuluma lami, ngangilele ubuthongo obukhulu ngobuso bami emhlabathini; kodwa wangithinta, wangimisa endaweni yami yokuma.
While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,
19 Wasesithi: Khangela, ngizakwenza wazi okuzakuba sekupheleni kwentukuthelo, ngoba ukucina kuzakuba ngesikhathi esimisiweyo.
and said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it concerns the appointed time of the end.
20 Inqama oyibonileyo elempondo ezimbili ngamakhosi eMede lePerisiya.
The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 Njalo impongo eyisiyephu iyinkosi yeGirisi, lophondo olukhulu oluphakathi laphakathi kwamehlo ayo luyinkosi yokuqala.
The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.
22 Ngolwephukayo, njengoba kwema ezine endaweni yalo, kuzakuma imibuso emine kuso isizwe, kodwa hatshi ngamandla alo.
The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation, but will not have the same power.
23 Njalo ekucineni kwemibuso yazo, lapho abaphambeki sebephelele, izakuma inkosi elukhuni ngobuso, eqedisisa imizekeliso.
In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.
24 Lamandla ayo azaqina, kodwa hatshi ngamandla ayo. Njalo izachitha ngokumangalisayo, iphumelele, yenze, ichithe abalamandla lesizwe sabangcwele.
His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.
25 Langobuqili bayo izaphumelelisa inkohliso esandleni sayo, izikhulise enhliziyweni yayo, ichithe abanengi ngokuthula, futhi izamelana leNkosana yamakhosana, kodwa izakwephulwa kungelasandla.
Through his craft and by his hand, he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but not by human hands.
26 Njalo umbono wantambama lowekuseni olandisiweyo uliqiniso; wena-ke valela umbono, ngoba ungowensuku ezinengi.
The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
27 Mina-ke Daniyeli, ngaphela amandla ngagula okwensuku ezithile; emva kwalokho ngasukuma, ngenza umsebenzi wenkosi; njalo ngamangala kakhulu ngombono, kodwa kakho owaqedisisayo.
I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.