< Daniel 2 >

1 Nebukadnessar adedi mfe abien so, ɔsosoo dae bi ma ɛhaw no ara kosii sɛ, na ontumi nna.
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 Ɔfrɛɛ ne nkonyaayifo, pɛadeahufo, ntafowayifo ne Kaldeafo, ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, wɔnkyerɛ no dae ko no. Wobegyinaa ɔhene no anim no,
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 ɔkae se, “Maso dae bi a ɛhaw me, enti mepɛ sɛ mokyerɛ me dae ko a mesoe no, efisɛ ɛsɛ sɛ mihu.”
“I've had a dream that has really upset me,” he told them. “I need to know what it means.”
4 Na Kaldeafo no buaa no wɔ Arameike kasa mu se, “Ɔhene nkwa so! Ka dae no kyerɛ yɛn, na yɛbɛkyerɛ ase.”
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 Nanso ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Kaldeafo no se, “Eyi ne gyinae a masi wɔ asɛm yi ho. Sɛ moantumi anka me dae no, na moankyerɛ me ase a, wobetwitwa mo mu asinasin, na wobebubu mo afi, ama afuw wura.
“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 Na sɛ moka me dae no, kyerɛ me ase a, mɛma mo akyɛde a ɛso bi mmaa da, na mabɔ mo aba so. Monka dae no, na monkyerɛ me ase.”
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 Wɔkaa bio se, “Yɛsrɛ wo, Nana, ka dae no kyerɛ wʼasomfo, na yɛbɛkyerɛ wo ase.”
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 Ɔhene no buae se, “Mahu mo nnaadaa no. Mahu sɛ, moretwentwɛn bere no so, na munim gyinae a masi wɔ asɛm a mekae no ho.
“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 Sɛ moanka dae no ankyerɛ me a, asotwe baako pɛ na ɛda hɔ ma mo. Moapam sɛ mubedi atoro adaadaa me. Mususuw sɛ asɛm no bɛsesa. Monka dae no nkyerɛ me, na ɛbɛma mahu sɛ mubetumi akyerɛ ase.”
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 Kaldeafo no buaa Ɔhene no se, “Onipa teasefo biara nni hɔ a obetumi akyerɛ wo, Nana, wo dae a woaso no. Na ɔhene biara nso nni hɔ, sɛ ɔkorɔn anaa ne tumi so, a wabisa nkonyaayifo, pɛadeahufo anaa Kaldeafo saa asɛm yi bi pɛn.
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 Ɔhene abisade yi yɛ den dodo. Obiara nni hɔ a obetumi aka wo dae no gye anyame. Nanso wɔn tenabea nni wiase yi mu.”
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 Ɔhene no tee saa asɛm no, ne bo fuw yiye, enti ɔhyɛɛ sɛ, wonkunkum anyansafo a wɔwɔ Babilonia nyinaa.
This made the king extremely angry, and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed.
13 Na esiane ɔhene no mmaraden sɛ wonkunkum anyansafo no nti, wɔsomaa mmarima sɛ wɔnkɔhwehwɛ Daniel ne ne nnamfonom, na wonkunkum wɔn.
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 Bere a, Ariok a ɔyɛ ɔhene no awɛmfo so panyin baa sɛ ɔrebekum wɔn no, Daniel faa nyansakwan so ne no kasae.
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 Daniel bisaa Ariok se, “Adɛn nti na ɔhene hyɛɛ mmara a ano yɛ den saa?” Na Ariok kaa nea asi nyinaa kyerɛɛ no.
Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.
16 Daniel kohuu Ɔhene no, na ɔsrɛɛ no sɛ ɔmma no bere kakra na ɔbɛba abɛkyerɛ dae no ase.
Daniel immediately went to see the king and asked for more time to explain the dream and its meaning to him.
17 Na Daniel kɔɔ ne fi kɔbɔɔ ne nnamfonom Hanania, Misael ne Asaria amanneɛ faa asɛm a asi no ho.
Then Daniel went home and shared with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on.
18 Ɔhyɛɛ wɔn sɛ, wɔnsrɛ ɔsoro Nyankopɔn na ɔnnom wɔn nʼahummɔbɔ sɛnea wɔrenkum wɔn mfra anyansafo nkae a wɔwɔ Babilonia no mu.
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 Anadwo no, ɔdaa kokoamsɛm no adi kyerɛɛ Daniel wɔ anisoadehu mu. Na Daniel kamfoo ɔsoro Nyankopɔn
That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven:
20 se, “Ayeyi nka Onyankopɔn din daa nyinaa, ɔno nko na ɔwɔ nyansa ne tumi.
“Praise the wonderful nature of God forever and ever, for he is wise and powerful.
21 Ɔno na ɔsesa mmere ne nnipa nkrabea; osi ahene, na otu wɔn ade so. Ɔma anyansafo hu nyansa, na ɔma nhumu ho nimdeɛ.
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 Ɔda nneɛma a mu dɔ na ɛyɛ nwonwa adi, na onim nea ahintaw wɔ sum mu; hann atwa ne ho ahyia.
He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.
23 Meda wo ase, kamfo wo mʼagyanom Nyankopɔn, efisɛ, woama me nyansa ne tumi, woaka nea yebisaa wo akyerɛ me, ada nea ɔhene bisae no adi akyerɛ yɛn.”
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 Afei Daniel kohuu Ariok a wɔahyɛ no sɛ onkunkum anyansafo a wɔwɔ Babilonia no, ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Nkunkum anyansafo a wɔwɔ Babilonia no. Fa me kɔ ɔhene no nkyɛn, na mɛkyerɛ no ne dae no ase.”
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 Na ntɛm ara, Ariok de Daniel kɔɔ ɔhene no anim kae se, “Mahu nnommum a wofi Yuda no mu baako a ɔbɛkyerɛ wo, Nana, dae no ase.”
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 Ɔhene no bisaa Daniel (a wɔsan frɛ no Beltesasar) no se, “Ɛyɛ nokware? Wubetumi akyerɛ me nea mihuu wɔ me dae no mu na woakyerɛ me ase?”
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”
27 Daniel buae se, “Nana, anyansafo, pɛadeahufo, nkonyaayifo anaa ntafowayifo biara nni hɔ a wobetumi akyerɛ ahintasɛm a worebisa yi!
“No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.
28 Nanso Onyankopɔn bi wɔ ɔsoro a ɔda kokoamsɛm adi, na wakyerɛ ɔhene Nebukadnessar asɛm a ebesi daakye. Wo dae no ne anisoadehu a bere a woda wo mpa so no wuhui ni:
“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 “Nana, bere a woreda no, wʼadwene kosisii nsɛm bi a ebesisi so. Nea ɔkyerɛ ahintasɛm mu no akyerɛ wo nea ɛrebɛba.
As Your Majesty lay there, your thoughts turned to the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what would take place.
30 Na ɛnyɛ sɛ, Nana, minim nyansa kyɛn onipa teasefo biara nti, na mmom Onyankopɔn pɛ sɛ Nana nya ahintasɛm no nkyerɛase na ɔte nea ɛbaa nʼadwene mu no ase.
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 “Nana, wʼanisoadehu no mu, wuhuu ohoni kɛse bi sɛ ogyina wʼanim a ɔso pa ara na ɛheran hyerɛnn, na ne ho yɛ hu yiye.
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 Sikakɔkɔɔ na wɔde yɛɛ ne ti; Dwetɛ na wɔde yɛɛ ne koko ne nʼabasa. Kɔbere na wɔde yɛɛ ne yafunu ne nʼasrɛ.
The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze,
33 Dade na wɔde yɛɛ nʼanan, na wɔde dade ne dɔte a wɔde afra yɛɛ ne nansabon.
its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and baked clay.
34 Na, Nana, worehwɛ no, ɔbo bi a nsa biara nkura mu, tew bɛhwee dade ne dɔte nansabon no so, pɛtɛw no pasaa.
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 Afei Nana, ohoni mu no nyinaa, a ɛyɛ dade, dɔte, kɔbere, dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ no nyinaa yam fekɔfekɔ, maa ɛyɛɛ sɛ ahuhurubere mu awiporowbea so ntɛtɛ, maa mframa behuw ne nyinaa kɔe a, hwee anka hɔ. Nanso ɔbo a ɛpem ohoni no hwee fam no dan bepɔw kɛse a ɛkataa asase nyinaa so.
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 “Nana, dae no ni o, afei, yɛrebɛkyerɛ wo ase.
This was the dream, and now we will explain what it means to the king.
37 Nana, woyɛ ahene bebree so hene. Ɔsoro Nyankopɔn ayɛ wo ahene mu hene, ama wo tumi, ahoɔden ne anuonyam.
Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, and power, strength, and glory.
38 Ɔde wiase nnipa, mmoa a wɔwɔ wuram ne nnomaa a wotu ahyɛ wo nsa. Baabiara a wɔwɔ no, wɔayɛ wo wɔn sodifo. Wo na woyɛ saa sikakɔkɔɔ ti no.
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 “Na wʼahenni aba nʼawiei akyi no, ahemman a ɛnto wo de no bɛsɔre abesi wʼanan mu. Sɛ saa ahemman no gu a, ahemman kɛse foforo a ɛto so abiɛsa a kɔbere yafunu ne asrɛ no gyina hɔ ma no no bɛsɔre adi wiase so.
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 Nea ebedi saa ahemman no akyi no, ɛbɛyɛ ahemman a ɛto so anan a so na ahoɔden wɔ te sɛ dade. Saa ahemman no bebubu, ayam aman a adi kan no nyinaa te sɛnea dade bubu yam biribiara a ɛne no hyia no.
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 Nana, sɛnea wuhu sɛ nansabon ne nansoaa yɛ dade ne dɔte a adi afra no kyerɛ sɛ, saa ahemman yi mu bɛkyekyɛ.
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 Nʼafaafa bi bɛyɛ den sɛ dade, na bi ayɛ mmerɛw sɛ dɔte.
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 Saa dade ne dɔte mfrafrae no san kyerɛ sɛ, saa ahemman no bɛyɛ nnipa ahorow a wɔadi afra a wontumi nka wɔn ho mmɔ mu sɛnea dade ne dɔte ntumi nni afra no.
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 “Saa ahemfo no adedi mu no, Ɔsoro Nyankopɔn bɛbɔ ahemman bi atenase a ɛrensɛe da; na obiara renni so da. Ebedwiriw ahemman ahorow yi nyinaa de wɔn aba awiei, na ɛno de, ebegyina afebɔɔ.
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 Ɔbo no a nsa biara nkura mu na etwa fii bepɔw no so a ɛyam dade, kɔbere, dɔte, dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ mfrafrae ohoni no gyina hɔ ma saa ɔman no. “Onyankopɔn kɛse akyerɛ Nana, nea ɛbɛba daakye. Dae no yɛ nokware, na ne nkyerɛase yɛ kann.”
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 Ɔhene Nebukadnessar bɔɔ ne mu ase wɔ Daniel anim, som no, na ɔhyɛɛ ne manfo se, wɔmfa afɔrebɔde mmra, na wɔnhyew aduhuam wɔ nʼanim.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down before Daniel and worshiped him, and ordered offerings of grain and incense to be made to him.
47 Ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Daniel se, “Nokware, wo Nyankopɔn yɛ Nyankopɔn wɔ anyame mu; ɔyɛ Awurade wɔ ahene so ahintasɛm mu kyerɛfo, efisɛ wo na woatumi akyerɛ saa kokoamsɛm yi mu.”
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 Afei, ɔhene no maa Daniel dibea a ɛkorɔn yiye san yɛɛ no ayɛ a ɛsom bo yiye. Ɔmaa Daniel hwɛɛ Babilonia amantam no nyinaa so, na ɔde no sii nʼanyansafo no nyinaa so hene.
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 Daniel ka ma wɔyɛɛ Sadrak, Mesak ne Abednego, Babilonia asase no so ahwɛfo, na Daniel yɛɛ ɔsomfo wɔ ɔhene aban mu.
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.

< Daniel 2 >