1I sit andet regeringsår havde Nebukadnezar nogle drømme, der gjorde ham så urolig, at han ikke kunne sove.2Han sammenkaldte da alle sine astrologer, præster og vismænd og bad dem fortælle, hvad han havde drømt.3„Jeg har haft en foruroligende drøm,” forklarede han, „og jeg falder ikke til ro, før jeg forstår, hvad den drejer sig om.”4„Deres Majestæt længe leve!” sagde de alle sammen på aramæisk.* „Fortæl os drømmens indhold, så skal vi nok forklare dig dens betydning.”5„Nej!” svarede kongen. „Hvis I ikke fortæller mig både drømmen og dens betydning, bliver I skåret i småstykker og jeres huse jævnet med jorden.6Men hvis I kan fortælle mig drømmens indhold, og hvad den betyder, vil jeg til gengæld overøse jer med gaver og hædersbevisninger. Kom nu i gang!”7„Hvordan kan vi fortælle Dem, hvad drømmen betyder, hvis De ikke vil fortælle os, hvad drømmen handler om?” protesterede vismændene.8Da udbrød kongen: „Hør, I er kun ude på at trække tiden ud med den slags omsvøb. I ved jo godt, at jeg ikke er bange for at gøre alvor af min trussel. Sig mig nu, hvad jeg drømte, for det er kun på den måde, jeg kan være sikker på, at I virkelig kan tyde den.”10„Men, Deres Majestæt,” indvendte de, „der findes ikke det menneske på jorden, som kan gøre, hvad De forlanger! Aldrig har en konge krævet noget lignende af en drømmetyder!11Hvad De forlanger, er en umulighed! Ingen uden guderne kan vide, hvad De har drømt, og guderne bor ikke blandt dødelige mennesker.”12Deres svar gjorde kongen rasende, og han befalede, at alle vismænd i Babylonien skulle henrettes.13Dødsdommen blev bekendtgjort over hele landet, og der blev sendt mænd af sted for at lede efter Daniel og hans tre venner, så de også kunne blive henrettet.14Daniel henvendte sig da med kloge og velovervejede ord til Arjoch, chefen for kongens livvagt, som havde ansvar for henrettelsen.15„Hvorfor har kongen udstedt en så hård befaling?” spurgte han. Arjoch forklarede ham så, hvad der var sket.16Daniel gik straks ind til kongen og lovede, at hvis tidsfristen blev forlænget, ville han tyde drømmen.17Derpå gik han hjem og fortalte sine tre venner, Hananja, Mishael og Azarja, hvad der var sket,18og han anmodede dem om at bede Himlens Gud om nåde. Kun hvis Gud åbenbarede kongens drøm for dem, kunne de og de øvrige vismænd undgå at blive henrettet.19Samme nat viste Gud i et syn Daniel, hvad kongen havde drømt. Da priste Daniel Himlens Gud og sagde: „Priset være Herren for evigt. Han har al visdom og magt.21Tiderne er i hans hånd. Han indsætter og afsætter konger. Han giver visdom til de vise og klogskab til de kloge.22Han åbenbarer dybe hemmeligheder. Han bringer lys over alle ting og afslører, hvad der gemmer sig i mørket.23Jeg takker og priser dig, mine fædres Gud, for du har givet mig visdom og styrke. Du har gjort, hvad vi bad om. Du har åbenbaret kongens drøm for mig.”
Daniel tyder kongens drøm
24Daniel gik derefter til Arjoch og sagde: „Slå ikke vismændene ihjel! Før mig til kongen, så vil jeg forklare ham, hvad drømmen betyder.”25Arjoch førte straks Daniel til kongen og sagde: „Jeg har blandt de bortførte judæere fundet en, som kan fortælle Dem, hvad drømmen betyder.”26„Er det sandt?” spurgte kongen Daniel, som han kaldte Belteshazzar. „Kan du fortælle mig, både hvad jeg drømte, og hvad det betyder?”27Til det svarede Daniel: „Der findes ingen vismand eller drømmetyder, som kan åbenbare sådan en hemmelighed for Deres Majestæt,28men der findes en Gud i Himlen, som åbenbarer hemmeligheder, og han har i en drøm vist Dem, hvad der skal ske i fremtiden.29De lå og tænkte over fremtiden, og Gud, som åbenbarer hemmeligheder, talte til Dem.30Og når Gud åbenbarede hemmeligheden for mig, er det ikke, fordi jeg har større visdom end andre, men for at Deres Majestæt kan forstå, hvad drømmen betyder.31De så i Deres drøm en enorm statue. Den var storslået og strålende, men også frygtindgydende.32Dens hoved var af rent guld; brystet og armene var af sølv; maven, hofterne og det øverste af lårene var af bronze;33resten af benene var af jern, og fødderne var lavet af en blanding af jern og ler.34Mens De så alt det her, var der en stor sten, der blev revet løs på overnaturlig vis. Den ramte statuens fødder, som den fuldstændigt knuste. Pludselig lå hele statuen knust på jorden, både jern, ler, bronze, sølv og guld, og det hele blev blæst væk af vinden som avner på en tærskeplads i stormvejr. Men den sten, der knuste statuen, blev til et mægtigt bjerg, der dækkede hele jorden.36Sådan var Deres drøm, og her er dens betydning:37De er selv kongen over alle konger, og Himlens Gud har givet Dem magt, styrke og ære,38De, som er en verdenshersker uden lige og har magt over alle verdens dyr og fugle, De er statuens hoved af guld.39Når Deres rige engang er forbi, vil der komme et andet rige, ringere end Deres. Derefter kommer bronzeriget, som vil strække sig vidt ud over jorden.40Det vil bliver afløst af et fjerde rige, stærkt som jern, der vil knuse og undertrykke alle andre riger.41Når statuens fødder og tæer var en blanding af jern og ler, betyder det, at det næste rige vil være en alliance af forskellige riger og konger. Nogle riger vil være stærke som jern, andre skrøbelige som ler. Blandingen af jern og ler symboliserer de enkelte rigers forskellighed. Kongerne vil forsøge at holde sammen på det fælles rige, men det vil ikke lykkes for dem, for jern og ler kan ikke blandes.44På de kongers tid vil Himlens Gud oprette et nyt rige, som aldrig skal forgå og aldrig vil blive besejret. Det nye rige vil besejre de andre riger og gøre dem til intet, men det nye rige skal bestå for evigt.45Det er betydningen af den sten, som blev revet løs fra et bjerg på overnaturlig vis og knuste både jern, ler, bronze, sølv og guld. Den mægtige Gud har åbenbaret for Deres Majestæt, hvad der skal ske i fremtiden. Drømmen står fast, og tydningen er troværdig.”46Kong Nebukadnezar faldt på knæ med ansigtet mod jorden i ærefrygt for Daniel, og han befalede, at man skulle bringe et røgelsesoffer som hyldest.47„Din Gud har i sandhed bevist, at han er Gud over alle guder og Konge over alle konger. Han er en Gud, der åbenbarer hemmeligheder, siden du var i stand til at tyde den mystiske drøm.”48Kongen forfremmede derefter Daniel og gjorde ham til sin øverste rådgiver og til overhoved for alle sine vismænd. Han udpegede ham tillige til hersker over hele provinsen Babylon og gav ham mange kostbare gaver.49Daniel bad derefter kongen indsætte Shadrak, Meshak og Abed-Nego som guvernører for provinsen Babylon, så han selv kunne blive i sin tjeneste ved kongens hof.
English Standard Version
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.2Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.3And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”4Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,* “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.6But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”7They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.”8The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm—9if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.”10The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.11The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”12Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.13So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.14Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.15He declared* to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.16And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,18and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.19Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.20Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.21He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;22he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.23To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”24Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”26The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”27Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:29To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.30But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.32The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.34As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.36“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.37You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,38and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.39Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.40And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.41And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.43As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,* but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,45just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Daniel Is Promoted
46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.47The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”48Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.49Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
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