UDaniyeli
2 Ngonyaka wesibili wokubusa kwakhe, uNebukhadinezari waphupha amaphupho amaningi, wakhathazeka *+ kangangokuthi akakwazanga ukulala. 2 Ngakho inkosi yayala ukuba kubizwe abapristi abenza imilingo, abalumbi, abathakathi namaKhaledi* ukuze batshele inkosi amaphupho ayo. Ngakho bangena bama phambi kwenkosi. + 3 Inkosi yathi kubo: “Kunephupho engiliphuphile, futhi ngikhathazekile* ngoba ngifuna ukwazi ukuthi ngiphupheni.” 4 AmaKhaledi aphendula inkosi ngolimi lwesi-Aramu athi: *+ “O nkosi, kwangathi ungaphila kuze kube phakade. Tshela izinceku zakho iphupho, thina sizosho incazelo yalo.”
5 Inkosi yaphendula yathi kumaKhaledi: “Yilesi isinqumo sami: Uma ningangitsheli iphupho nencazelo yalo, nizohlahlelwa futhi izindlu zenu zizophendulwa izindawo zangasese zomphakathi.* 6 Kodwa uma nisho iphupho nencazelo yalo, ngizoninika izipho nomvuzo nodumo olukhulu. + Ngakho ngitsheleni iphupho nencazelo yalo.”
7 Aphendula okwesibili athi: “Inkosi mayitshele izinceku zayo iphupho, thina sizosho incazelo yalo.”
8 Inkosi yaphendula yathi: “Ngazi kahle ukuthi nizama ukuqhuba isikhathi, ngoba niyazi ukuthi nginqumeni. 9 Uma ningangitsheli iphupho, isigwebo senu nonke sinye kuphela. Kodwa nivumelene ngokungitshela amanga nokungikhohlisa, ngethemba lokuthi ngizoshintsha umqondo. Ngakho ngitsheleni iphupho, khona-ke ngizokwazi ukuthi ningangitshela nencazelo yalo.”
10 AmaKhaledi aphendula inkosi, athi: “Akukho muntu emhlabeni* okwazi ukwenza lokho inkosi ekufunayo, ngoba akukho nkosi enkulu nambusi owake wacela into enjengale kunoma yimuphi umpristi owenza imilingo noma umlumbi noma umKhaledi. 11 Le nto ecelwa yinkosi inzima, akekho umuntu ongayitshela inkosi ngaphandle konkulunkulu, abangahlali phakathi kwabantu.”
12 Ngenxa yalokhu inkosi yathukuthela kakhulu, yayala ukuba kubulawe bonke abantu abahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni. + 13 Lapho umyalo usuphumile futhi abantu abahlakaniphile sebezobulawa, bamfuna noDaniyeli nabangani bakhe ukuze babulawe.
14 Ngaleso sikhathi uDaniyeli, ngokuhlakanipha nangokuqapha wakhuluma no-Ariyoki induna yonogada benkosi, owayesendleleni eyobulala abantu abahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni. 15 Wabuza u-Ariyoki isikhulu senkosi wathi: “Kungani inkosi ikhiphe umyalo ononya kangaka?” Ngakho u-Ariyoki watshela uDaniyeli ngale ndaba. + 16 Khona-ke uDaniyeli wangena enkosini wacela ukuba imnike isikhathi ukuze ayitshele incazelo yephupho.
17 Ngemva kwalokho uDaniyeli waya endlini yakhe futhi waxoxela uHananiya, uMishayeli no-Azariya abangani bakhe ngale ndaba. 18 Wabanxusa ukuba bathandaze bacele isihe kuNkulunkulu wezulu ngokuphathelene nale mfihlo, ukuze uDaniyeli nabangani bakhe bangabulawa kanye nabo bonke abanye abantu abahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni.
19 Khona-ke ebusuku, le mfihlo yembulwa kuDaniyeli embonweni. + Ngenxa yalokho uDaniyeli wadumisa uNkulunkulu wezulu. 20 UDaniyeli wathi:
“Igama likaNkulunkulu malidunyiswe kuze kube phakade,*
Ngoba ukuhlakanipha namandla kungokwakhe kuphela. +
21 Ushintsha izikhathi nezinkathi, +
Asuse amakhosi abeke amakhosi, +
Anike abahlakaniphile ukuhlakanipha, nolwazi kulabo abanokuqonda. +
22 Wembula izinto ezijulile nezinto ezifihlakele, +
Uyakwazi okusebumnyameni, +
Ukukhanya kuhlala kuye. +
23 O Nkulunkulu wokhokho bami, ngiyakubonga futhi ngiyakudumisa,
Ngoba unginike ukuhlakanipha namandla.
Manje ungazisile lokho esikucele kuwe;
Usazisile indaba ekhathaza inkosi.” +
24 Ngemva kwalokhu uDaniyeli waya ku-Ariyoki, owayebekwe yinkosi ukuba abulale abantu abahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni, + wathi kuye: “Ungabulali muntu kwabahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni. Ngingenise phambi kwenkosi, ngizoyitshela incazelo yephupho.”
25 Ngokushesha u-Ariyoki wamngenisa uDaniyeli phambi kwenkosi, wathi kuyo: “Ngithole indoda kubantu bakwaJuda abadingisiwe + engatshela inkosi incazelo.” 26 Inkosi yathi kuDaniyeli, owayebizwa ngokuthi uBheliteshazari: + “Ingabe ngempela uzokwazi ukungitshela iphupho engilibonile nencazelo yalo?” + 27 UDaniyeli wayiphendula inkosi wathi: “Akekho phakathi kwabantu abahlakaniphile, abalumbi, abapristi abenza imilingo nababhula ngezinkanyezi ongakwazi ukutshela inkosi le mfihlo efuna ukuyazi. + 28 Kodwa ukhona uNkulunkulu emazulwini onguMambuli wezimfihlo, + uyazisile iNkosi uNebukhadinezari okuyokwenzeka ezinsukwini zokugcina. Yileli iphupho lakho nemibono yekhanda lakho njengoba ubulele embhedeni wakho:
29 “O nkosi, emicabangweni yakho ubone lokho okuyokwenzeka esikhathini esizayo, uMambuli wezimfihlo ukwazisile okuyokwenzeka. 30 Ngokuqondene nami, le mfihlo angiyembulelwanga ngoba ngihlakaniphe kakhulu kunanoma yimuphi umuntu ophilayo; kunalokho, yembulwe kimi ukuze incazelo yephupho yaziswe inkosi ukuze wazi imicabango yenhliziyo yakho. +
31 “Wena nkosi ububhekile, wabona isizemazema sesithombe.* Leso sithombe, ebesisikhulu futhi sikhanya kakhulu, besimi phambi kwakho futhi besibonakala sethusa. 32 Ikhanda laleso sithombe bekungelegolide elihle, + isifuba saso nezingalo zaso kungokwesiliva, + isisu saso namathanga aso kungokwethusi, + 33 imilenze yaso kungeyensimbi, + izinyawo zaso ziyinsimbi exubene nobumba. *+ 34 Uqhubekile ubuka kwaze kwaqheshulwa itshe, kodwa hhayi ngezandla zomuntu, lashaya isithombe ezinyaweni zensimbi nobumba laziphihliza. + 35 Ngaleso sikhathi insimbi, ubumba, ithusi, isiliva negolide, konke kuphihliziwe kwaba njengamakhoba avela esibuyeni sasehlobo, umoya wakuphephula ukuze ungatholakali umkhondo wako. Kodwa itshe elishaye isithombe libe yintaba enkulu lagcwala umhlaba wonke.
36 “Yileli iphupho, manje sizotshela inkosi incazelo yalo. 37 Wena nkosi—nkosi yamakhosi, enikwe nguNkulunkulu wamazulu umbuso, + amandla, izikhwepha nenkazimulo, 38 esandleni sakho unikwe abantu nomaphi lapho behlala khona kanye nezilwane zasendle nezinyoni zamazulu, futhi ukwenze umbusi phezu kwakho konke +—wena ngokwakho uyikhanda legolide. +
39 “Ngemva kwakho kuyovela omunye umbuso + ongaphansi kunawe; bese kuvela omunye umbuso wesithathu, wethusi, oyobusa phezu komhlaba wonke. +
40 “Ngokuphathelene nombuso wesine, uyoba namandla njengensimbi. + Njengoba nje insimbi iphihliza futhi igaya yonke into, yebo, njengensimbi ephihlizayo, uyophihliza futhi uyiqede ngokuphelele yonke le mibuso. +
41 “Njengoba ubonile ukuthi izinyawo nezinzwane beziwubumba lombumbi oluxutshwe nensimbi, lowo mbuso uyohlukana, kodwa ingxenye yawo iyoqina njengensimbi, njengoba nje ubone insimbi ixubene nobumba olumanzi. 42 Njengoba izinzwane zezinyawo beziyinsimbi exubene nobumba, ingxenye yombuso iyoba namandla futhi enye ingxenye ibe buthaka. 43 Njengoba ubone insimbi ixubene nobumba olumanzi, ingxenye enamandla iyoxubana nabantu;* kodwa ngeke banamathelane, omunye komunye, njengoba nje insimbi inganamathelani nobumba.
44 “Ezinsukwini zalawo makhosi uNkulunkulu wezulu uyomisa umbuso + ongeke neze ubhujiswe. + Lo mbuso ngeke udluliselwe kwabanye abantu. + Uyophihliza yonke le mibuso uyiqede, + wona wodwa ume kuze kube phakade, + 45 njengoba nje ubonile ukuthi kuqheshulwe itshe entabeni kodwa hhayi ngezandla, nokuthi liphihlize insimbi, ithusi, ubumba, isiliva negolide. + UNkulunkulu Omkhulu uyazisile inkosi okuyokwenzeka esikhathini esizayo. + Leli phupho liyiqiniso nencazelo yalo ithembekile.”
46 Ngemva kwalokho iNkosi uNebukhadinezari yaguqa phambi kukaDaniyeli, ubuso bayo bubheke phansi, yamkhothamela. Yayala ukuba anikwe isipho nempepho. 47 Inkosi yathi kuDaniyeli: “Ngempela uNkulunkulu wakho unguNkulunkulu wonkulunkulu* neNkosi yamakhosi noMambuli wezimfihlo, ngoba wena ukwazile ukwembula le mfihlo.” + 48 Inkosi yamphakamisa uDaniyeli, yamupha izipho eziningi ezinhle, yamenza umbusi phezu kwaso sonke isifundazwe* saseBhabhiloni + nenduna eyinhloko phezu kwabo bonke abantu abahlakaniphile baseBhabhiloni. 49 Ngokwesicelo sikaDaniyeli inkosi yabeka uShadiraki, uMeshaki no-Abhedinego + ukuba baqondise isifundazwe* saseBhabhiloni, kodwa uDaniyeli wayekhonza egcekeni lenkosi.