Daniel 6
1 Ɛsɔɔ Ɔhene Dario ani sɛ ɔbɛpa ahenemma ɔha ne aduonu de wɔn atuatua amantam a ɛwɔ ahemman no mu no ano.
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 Ɔhene no sane yii Daniel ne afoforɔ baanu bi sɛ sohwɛfoɔ mpanimfoɔ a wɔhwɛ ahenemma no so, sɛdeɛ wɔbɛyɛ ahwɛyie, na ɔhene no ammɔ ka.
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 Na Daniel daa ne ho adi sɛ ɔnim de wɔ sohwɛfoɔ ne ahenemma no mu, ɛno enti, Ɔhene yɛɛ nhyehyɛeɛ sɛ, ɔde no bɛsi ɔman no nyinaa so panin.
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 Ɛyɛɛ saa maa sohwɛfoɔ ne ahenemma no hwehwɛɛ sɛ wɔbɛnya Daniel ho asɛm wɔ nʼamammuo no fam, nanso wɔannya nʼadwumayɛ no ho mfomsoɔ biara, ɛfiri sɛ ɔyɛ nokwafoɔ.
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 Ɛna mmarima no kaa sɛ, “Yɛrennya Daniel yi ho asɛmmɔne biara gye sɛ yɛhunu biribi a ɛfa ne nyamesom ho de asum no afidie.”
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 Enti, sohwɛfoɔ no ne ahenemma no kɔɔ Ɔhene Dario no nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Nana wo nkwa so!
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 Yɛn sohwɛfoɔ, mpanimfoɔ, ahenemma, afotufoɔ ne mpanimfoɔ a aka no nyinaa apene so sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ Nana hyɛ mmara sɛ, adaduasa a ɛdi animu yi, obiara nni ho ɛkwan sɛ ɔbɛbɔ mpaeɛ akyerɛ onyame bi anaa onipa bi a ɛnyɛ wo Nana no, wɔde no bɛto agyata amena mu.
[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 Ɛno enti, Nana, twerɛ na fa wo nsa hyɛ saa mmara yi ase, sɛdeɛ Mediafoɔ ne Persiafoɔ mmara a wɔntumi nsesa no no teɛ.”
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 Ɛno enti, ɔhene Dario twerɛɛ mmara no.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Na Daniel tee sɛ wɔde nsa ahyɛ mmara no ase no, ɔkɔɔ fie kɔhyɛnee nʼaborɔsan dan a ne mpomma anim kyerɛ Yerusalem no. Ɛda biara ɔbuu nkotodwe bɔɔ mpaeɛ mprɛnsa daa ne Onyankopɔn ase sɛdeɛ ɔyɛ daa no.
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 Mpanimfoɔ no nyinaa bɔɔ mu kɔɔ Daniel fie kɔhunuu no sɛ ɔrebɔ mpaeɛ resrɛ Onyankopɔn mmoa.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Enti, wɔsane kɔɔ Ɔhene Dario no nkyɛn kɔkaee no ne mmara no sɛ, “Nana, woamfa wo nsa anhyɛ mmara a ɛka sɛ adaduasa a ɛdi animu yi, obiara a ɔbɛbɔ obi mpaeɛ, onyame anaa onipa na ɛnyɛ Nana no, wɔde no bɛto agyata amena mu no anaa?” Ɔhene no buaa sɛ, “Aane, saa mmara no wɔ hɔ; ɛyɛ Mediafoɔ ne Persiafoɔ mmara a wɔrentumi nsesa no.”
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 Afei, wɔka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no sɛ, “Nana, Daniel no a ɔyɛ Yuda atukɔfoɔ no mu baako no mmu wo, na ɔnni wo mmara no nso so. Ɔda so bɔ ne Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ mprɛnsa da koro.”
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 Ɔhene no tee saa no, ɛhaa no yie, na ɔdwene ho ara kɔsii anwummerɛ pɛɛ ɛkwan bi a ɔbɛfa so agye Daniel nkwa.
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 Mmarima yi bɔɔ mu kɔɔ ɔhene no anim kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Nana, anidie mu, wonim sɛ, Mediafoɔ ne Persiafoɔ mmara mu no, wɔntumi nsesa mmara biara a ɔhene ahyɛ.”
[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 Ɔhene Dario hyɛɛ sɛ, wɔnkɔfa Daniel, na wɔnto no ntwene agyata amena no mu. Ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Daniel, wo Onyankopɔn a wosom no daa no, nnye wo.”
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 Wɔde boɔ bɛhinii amena no ano. Na Ɔhene no de nʼankasa nsɔano ne atitire nsɔano sosɔɔ ɛboɔ no sɛdeɛ obiara rentumi nyɛ Daniel ho hwee.
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 Afei, ɔhene no sane kɔɔ nʼahemfie a anadwo no nyinaa, wannidi. Ɔpoo anigyedeɛ biara, na wantumi anna anadwo mu no nyinaa.
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 Adeɛ kyee anɔpatutuutu no, ɔhene no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔɔ agyata amena no ano.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Ɔduruu hɔ no, ɔde awerɛhoɔ frɛɛ sɛ, “Daniel, Onyankopɔn teasefoɔ ɔsomfoɔ. Wo Onyankopɔn a wosom no daa no tumi gyee wo firii agyata no mu?”
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 Daniel teaam sɛ, “Nana wo nkwa so!
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Me Onyankopɔn somaa ne ɔbɔfoɔ bɛkataa agyata no ano, sɛdeɛ wɔrentumi nyɛ me bɔne, ɛfiri sɛ, wahunu sɛ, medi bem wɔ nʼanim. Na wo, Nana nso, menyɛɛ wo bɔne biara.”
[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 Ɔhene no ani gyee mmorosoɔ, na ɔhyɛɛ sɛ wɔnyi Daniel mfiri amena no mu, enti woyii no. Wɔanhunu etwã biara wɔ ne ho, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔde ne ho too ne Onyankopɔn so.
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 Afei, ɔhene no hyɛɛ sɛ, wɔnkɔkyere mmarima a wɔnam ntwatosoɔ so ma wɔde Daniel kɔtoo agyata amena mu no. Ɔmaa wɔtoo wɔn ne wɔn yerenom ne wɔn mma guu agyata amena no mu. Agyata no hurihuri sisii wɔn so, tetee wɔn, bobɔɔ wɔn nnompe mu ansa koraa na wɔreduru amena no ase.
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 Afei, Ɔhene Dario too nkra yi kɔmaa nnipa ahodoɔ nyinaa, aman nyinaa ne kasa biara wɔ ewiase afanan nyinaa sɛ: “Ɛnsi mo yie mmoroso!
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 “Mehyɛ mmara sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ obiara a ɔwɔ mʼahemman mu suro, fɛre na ɔde anidie ma Daniel Onyankopɔn.
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 “Ɔyɛ amanehunu mu gyefoɔ na ɔgye nkwa nso;
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 Enti, Daniel kɔɔ so dii yie wɔ Ɔhene Dario ne Persiahene Kores mmerɛ so.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
