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Daniel 2

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1 ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ δευτέρῳ τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἠνυπνιάσθη Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἐνύπνιον καὶ ἐξέστη τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ ὕπνος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο ἀ{P'} αὐτοῦ 2 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καλέσαι τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς καὶ τοὺς μάγους καὶ τοὺς φαρμακοὺς καὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ ἐνύπνια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἦλθαν καὶ ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως 3 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεύς ἠνυπνιάσθην καὶ ἐξέστη τὸ πνεῦμά μου τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ ἐνύπνιον 4 καὶ ἐλάλησαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι τῷ βασιλεῖ Συριστί βασιλεῦ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ζῆθι σὺ εἰπὸν τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῖς παισίν σου καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν ἀναγγελοῦμεν 5 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς Χαλδαίοις ὁ λόγος ἀ{P'} ἐμοῦ ἀπέστη ἐὰν μὴ γνωρίσητέ μοι τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἔσεσθε καὶ οἱ οἶκοι ὑμῶν διαρπαγήσονται 6 ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ γνωρίσητέ μοι δόματα καὶ δωρεὰς καὶ τιμὴν πολλὴν λήμψεσθε πα{R'} ἐμοῦ πλὴν τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι

1 In the second year of his reign,[1] Nabuchodonosor had a dream; and his mind, between sleep and waking, was all distraught.[2] 2 Diviner and sage, soothsayer and astrologer must be summoned without more ado, to pronounce on the royal dream; 3 and when they were admitted to his presence, he said to them, I have had a dream, but my mind is so distraught, I cannot tell what it was. 4 And the astrologers gave him answer.

IN ARAMAIC[3]

Long life to the king’s grace! Be pleased to tell us what the dream was, and it shall be interpreted. 5 Why, said the king, I know no more than this; dream and interpretation both you must needs tell me, or else your lives must be forfeit, and your houses put to public use. 6 Gifts and great honour shall be your reward, if you will but tell me both. Come now, what dreamt I, and what meant my dream?

1 In anno secundo regni Nabuchodonosor, vidit Nabuchodonosor somnium, et conterritus est spiritus ejus, et somnium ejus fugit ab eo. 2 Præcepit autem rex ut convocarentur arioli, et magi, et malefici, et Chaldæi, ut indicarent regi somnia sua. Qui cum venissent, steterunt coram rege. 3 Et dixit ad eos rex: Vidi somnium, et mente confusus ignoro quid viderim. 4 Responderuntque Chaldæi regi syriace: Rex, in sempiternum vive! dic somnium servis tuis, et interpretationem ejus indicabimus. 5 Et respondens rex ait Chaldæis: Sermo recessit a me: nisi indicaveritis mihi somnium, et conjecturam ejus, peribitis vos, et domus vestræ publicabuntur. 6 Si autem somnium, et conjecturam ejus narraveritis, præmia, et dona, et honorem multum accipietis a me. Somnium igitur, et interpretationem ejus indicate mihi.

7 ἀπεκρίθησαν δεύτερον καὶ εἶπαν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰπάτω τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγελοῦμεν 8 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἶπεν ἐ{P'} ἀληθείας οἶδα ἐγὼ ὅτι καιρὸν ὑμεῖς ἐξαγοράζετε καθότι εἴδετε ὅτι ἀπέστη ἀ{P'} ἐμοῦ τὸ ῥῆμα 9 ἐὰν οὖν τὸ ἐνύπνιον μὴ ἀναγγείλητέ μοι οἶδα ὅτι ῥῆμα ψευδὲς καὶ διεφθαρμένον συνέθεσθε εἰπεῖν ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως οὗ ὁ καιρὸς παρέλθῃ τὸ ἐνύπνιόν μου εἴπατέ μοι καὶ γνώσομαι ὅτι τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγελεῖτέ μοι 10 ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ λέγουσιν οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς ὅστις τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως δυνήσεται γνωρίσαι καθότι πᾶς βασιλεὺς μέγας καὶ ἄρχων ῥῆμα τοιοῦτο οὐκ ἐπερωτᾷ ἐπαοιδόν μάγον καὶ Χαλδαῖον 11 ὅτι ὁ λόγος ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπερωτᾷ βαρύς καὶ ἕτερος οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀναγγελεῖ αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως ἀλ{L'} ἢ θεοί ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ κατοικία μετὰ πάσης σαρκός

7 Once again they demurred; would the king be pleased to recount his dream to them, interpreted it should be forthwith. 8 Nay, said the king, I see how it is, you are trying shifts with me. You know well there is but one way to it; 9 dream of mine or doom of yours it must be. Some lying story you have ready, that will suit your turn; how shall I know your interpretation is right, if you cannot tell me what dream I saw? 10 Nay, said they, never a man on earth could do what the king’s grace asks. Princes and great rulers there have been a many, but none of them yet, from diviner, sage or astrologer, expected so much! 11 Here is riddle indeed thou wouldst have us read for thee, lord king; where is counsellor can tell thee the secret? Unless it were the gods only, and they walk not with men.

7 Responderunt secundo, atque dixerunt: Rex somnium dicat servis suis, et interpretationem illius indicabimus. 8 Respondit rex, et ait: Certe novi quod tempus redimitis, scientes quod recesserit a me sermo. 9 Si ergo somnium non indicaveritis mihi, una est de vobis sententia, quod interpretationem quoque fallacem, et deceptione plenam composueritis, ut loquamini mihi donec tempus pertranseat. Somnium itaque dicite mihi, ut sciam quod interpretationem quoque ejus veram loquamini. 10 Respondentes ergo Chaldæi coram rege, dixerunt: Non est homo super terram, qui sermonem tuum, rex, possit implere: sed neque regum quisquam magnus et potens verbum hujuscemodi sciscitatur ab omni ariolo, et mago, et Chaldæo. 11 Sermo enim, quem tu quæris, rex, gravis est: nec reperietur quisquam qui indicet illum in conspectu regis, exceptis diis, quorum non est cum hominibus conversatio.

12 τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν θυμῷ καὶ ὀργῇ πολλῇ εἶπεν ἀπολέσαι πάντας τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος 13 καὶ τὸ δόγμα ἐξῆλθεν καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ ἀπεκτέννοντο καὶ ἐζήτησαν Δανιηλ καὶ τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ ἀνελεῖν 14 τότε Δανιηλ ἀπεκρίθη βουλὴν καὶ γνώμην τῷ Αριωχ τῷ ἀρχιμαγείρῳ τοῦ βασιλέως ὃς ἐξῆλθεν ἀναιρεῖν τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος 15 ἄρχων τοῦ βασιλέως περὶ τίνος ἐξῆλθεν ἡ γνώμη ἡ ἀναιδὴς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγνώρισεν δὲ τὸ ῥῆμα Αριωχ τῷ Δανιηλ 16 καὶ Δανιηλ εἰσῆλθεν καὶ ἠξίωσεν τὸν βασιλέα ὅπως χρόνον δῷ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγείλῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ 17 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Δανιηλ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Ανανια καὶ τῷ Μισαηλ καὶ τῷ Αζαρια τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐγνώρισεν 18 καὶ οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐζήτουν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ὅπως ἂν μὴ ἀπόλωνται Δανιηλ καὶ οἱ φίλοι αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλοίπων σοφῶν Βαβυλῶνος

12 At this, the king was in such a taking of fury that he would have all the wise men of Babylon put to death; 13 and, once the warrant was out for the extinction of them, there was hue and cry against Daniel and his fellows. 14 Arioch it was, the captain of the king’s guard, that was commissioned to rid Babylon of all its wise men, and from him Daniel would have the why and wherefore of it; 15 here was cruel work committed to him; what moved the king’s grace to be so absolute? And, when Arioch had made all clear to him, 16 into the king’s presence he went, asking for more time to answer the royal question. 17 So, returning to his fellows, Ananias, Misael and Azarias, he made all known to them, 18 and would have them cry out upon the God of heaven for better knowledge of his secret, without which both he and they should perish in the general massacre of the wise men.

12 Quo audito, rex, in furore et in ira magna, præcepit ut perirent omnes sapientes Babylonis. 13 Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur: quærebanturque Daniel et socii ejus, ut perirent. 14 Tunc Daniel requisivit de lege atque sententia ab Arioch principe militiæ regis, qui egressus fuerat ad interficiendos sapientes Babylonis. 15 Et interrogavit eum, qui a rege potestatem acceperat, quam ob causam tam crudelis sententia a facie regis esset egressa. Cum ergo rem indicasset Arioch Danieli, 16 Daniel ingressus rogavit regem ut tempus daret sibi ad solutionem indicandam regi. 17 Et ingressus est domum suam, Ananiæque et Misaëli et Azariæ, sociis suis, indicavit negotium, 18 ut quærerent misericordiam a facie Dei cæli super sacramento isto, et non perirent Daniel et socii ejus cum ceteris sapientibus Babylonis.

19 τότε τῷ Δανιηλ ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ μυστήριον ἀπεκαλύφθη καὶ εὐλόγησεν τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ 20 Δανιηλ καὶ εἶπεν εἴη τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ εὐλογημένον ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ὅτι ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ σύνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐστιν 21 καὶ αὐτὸς ἀλλοιοῖ καιροὺς καὶ χρόνους καθιστᾷ βασιλεῖς καὶ μεθιστᾷ διδοὺς σοφίαν τοῖς σοφοῖς καὶ φρόνησιν τοῖς εἰδόσιν σύνεσιν 22 αὐτὸς ἀποκαλύπτει βαθέα καὶ ἀπόκρυφα γινώσκων τὰ ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ τὸ φῶς με{T'} αὐτοῦ ἐστιν 23 σοί ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων μου ἐξομολογοῦμαι καὶ αἰνῶ ὅτι σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν ἔδωκάς μοι καὶ νῦν ἐγνώρισάς μοι ἃ ἠξιώσαμεν παρὰ σοῦ καὶ τὸ ὅραμα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγνώρισάς μοι

19 Then, in a vision by night, the secret was revealed to Daniel, and he fell to praising the God of heaven, 20 with such words as these: Blessed be the Lord’s name from the beginning to the end of time; his are the wisdom and the power; 21 change and chance of our mortal life he rules, crowns one man and discrowns another. Wisdom of the wise, skill of the skilful, what are they but his gift? 22 The hidden depths he can lay bare, read the secrets of the dark; does not light dwell with him? 23 God of our fathers, I give thee thanks and praise for thus enabling, thus enlightening me; for prayer answered, doubt resolved, and the king’s thought revealed.

19 Tunc Danieli mysterium per visionem nocte revelatum est: et benedixit Daniel Deum cæli, 20 et locutus ait: Sit nomen Domini benedictum a sæculo et usque in sæculum: quia sapientia et fortitudo ejus sunt. 21 Et ipse mutat tempora, et ætates: transfert regna, atque constituit: dat sapientiam sapientibus, et scientiam intelligentibus disciplinam. 22 Ipse revelat profunda et abscondita, et novit in tenebris constituta: et lux cum eo est. 23 Tibi, Deus patrum nostrorum, confiteor, teque laudo, quia sapientiam et fortitudinem dedisti mihi, et nunc ostendisti mihi quæ rogavimus te, quia sermonem regis aperuisti nobis.

24 καὶ ἦλθεν Δανιηλ πρὸς Αριωχ ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπολέσαι τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος μὴ ἀπολέσῃς εἰσάγαγε δέ με ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀναγγελῶ 25 τότε Αριωχ ἐν σπουδῇ εἰσήγαγεν τὸν Δανιηλ ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ εὕρηκα ἄνδρα ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς Ιουδαίας ὅστις τὸ σύγκριμα τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀναγγελεῖ 26 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἶπεν τῷ Δανιηλ οὗ τὸ ὄνομα Βαλτασαρ εἰ δύνασαί μοι ἀναγγεῖλαι τὸ ἐνύπνιον ὃ εἶδον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ 27 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Δανιηλ ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ λέγει τὸ μυστήριον ὃ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπερωτᾷ οὐκ ἔστιν σοφῶν μάγων ἐπαοιδῶν γαζαρηνῶν ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ 28 ἀλ{L'} ἢ ἔστιν θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια καὶ ἐγνώρισεν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐ{P'} ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸ ἐνύπνιόν σου καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφαλῆς σου ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης σου τοῦτό ἐστιν 29 σὺ βασιλεῦ οἱ διαλογισμοί σου ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης σου ἀνέβησαν τί δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια ἐγνώρισέν σοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι 30 καὶ ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ζῶντας τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο ἀπεκαλύφθη ἀλ{L'} ἕνεκεν τοῦ τὴν σύγκρισιν τῷ βασιλεῖ γνωρίσαι ἵνα τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῆς καρδίας σου γνῷς

24 With that, he betook himself to Arioch, that was to slay the wise men, and made suit to him, slay the wise men he should not. Thou hast but to take me into the king’s presence, said he, and the riddle shall be read. 25 Without more ado, Arioch granted his request; here was an exile from Juda, he said, that would answer the royal question. 26 Is this true? the king asked of Daniel. Canst thou, Baltassar, tell me the dream and its meaning both? 27 And Daniel spoke out in the royal presence, Never wizard or sage, never diviner or prophet, that can give the king’s grace an answer! 28 But there is a God in heaven, king Nabuchodonosor, that makes hidden things plain; he it is that has sent thee warning of what must befall long hence. Let me tell thee what thy dream was, what visions disturbed thy sleep. 29 As thou wast lying there abed, my lord king, thy thoughts still turned on future times; and he that makes hidden things plain revealed to thee what the pattern of those times should be. 30 If the secret was disclosed to me also, it is not that I have wisdom beyond the wont of living men; I was but the instrument by which the meaning of it was to be made known, and a king’s thoughts unravelled.

24 Post hæc Daniel ingressus ad Arioch, quem constituerat rex ut perderet sapientes Babylonis, sic ei locutus est: Sapientes Babylonis ne perdas: introduc me in conspectu regis, et solutionem regi narrabo. 25 Tunc Arioch festinus introduxit Danielem ad regem, et dixit ei: Inveni hominem de filiis transmigrationis Juda, qui solutionem regi annuntiet. 26 Respondit rex, et dixit Danieli, cujus nomen erat Baltassar: Putasne vere potes mihi indicare somnium, quod vidi, et interpretationem ejus? 27 Et respondens Daniel coram rege, ait: Mysterium, quod rex interrogat, sapientes, magi, arioli, et aruspices nequeunt indicare regi: 28 sed est Deus in cælo revelans mysteria, qui indicavit tibi, rex Nabuchodonosor, quæ ventura sunt in novissimis temporibus. Somnium tuum, et visiones capitis tui in cubili tuo hujuscemodi sunt. 29 Tu, rex, cogitare cœpisti in strato tuo, quid esset futurum post hæc: et qui revelat mysteria, ostendit tibi quæ ventura sunt. 30 Mihi quoque non in sapientia, quæ est in me plus quam in cunctis viventibus, sacramentum hoc revelatum est: sed ut interpretatio regi manifesta fieret, et cogitationes mentis tuæ scires.

31 σύ βασιλεῦ ἐθεώρεις καὶ ἰδοὺ εἰκὼν μία μεγάλη ἡ εἰκὼν ἐκείνη καὶ ἡ πρόσοψις αὐτῆς ὑπερφερής ἑστῶσα πρὸ προσώπου σου καὶ ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῆς φοβερά 32 ἡ εἰκών ἧς ἡ κεφαλὴ χρυσίου χρηστοῦ αἱ χεῖρες καὶ τὸ στῆθος καὶ οἱ βραχίονες αὐτῆς ἀργυροῖ ἡ κοιλία καὶ οἱ μηροὶ χαλκοῖ 33 αἱ κνῆμαι σιδηραῖ οἱ πόδες μέρος τι σιδηροῦν καὶ μέρος τι ὀστράκινον 34 ἐθεώρεις ἕως οὗ ἐτμήθη λίθος ἐξ ὄρους ἄνευ χειρῶν καὶ ἐπάταξεν τὴν εἰκόνα ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας τοὺς σιδηροῦς καὶ ὀστρακίνους καὶ ἐλέπτυνεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τέλος 35 τότε ἐλεπτύνθησαν εἰς ἅπαξ τὸ ὄστρακον ὁ σίδηρος ὁ χαλκός ὁ ἄργυρος ὁ χρυσὸς καὶ ἐγένοντο ὡσεὶ κονιορτὸς ἀπὸ ἅλωνος θερινῆς καὶ ἐξῆρεν αὐτὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τόπος οὐχ εὑρέθη αὐτοῖς καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πατάξας τὴν εἰκόνα ἐγενήθη ὄρος μέγα καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν

31 A vision thou hadst of a great image; what splendour, how terrible an aspect it was that confronted thee! 32 Of fine gold the head, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze; 33 of iron the legs, and of the feet, too, part was iron, part was but earthenware. 34 And as thou wert watching it, from the mountain-side fell a stone no hands had quarried, dashed against the feet of yonder image, part iron, part clay, and shattered them. 35 With that, down came iron and clay, down came bronze and silver and gold; chaff of the threshing-floor was never so scattered on the summer breeze. They were gone, none knew whither; and stone that had shattered image grew into a high mountain, filling the whole earth.

31 Tu, rex, videbas, et ecce quasi statua una grandis: statua illa magna, et statura sublimis stabat contra te, et intuitus ejus erat terribilis. 32 Hujus statuæ caput ex auro optimo erat, pectus autem et brachia de argento, porro venter et femora ex ære, 33 tibiæ autem ferreæ: pedum quædam pars erat ferrea, quædam autem fictilis. 34 Videbas ita, donec abscissus est lapis de monte sine manibus: et percussit statuam in pedibus ejus ferreis et fictilibus, et comminuit eos. 35 Tunc contrita sunt pariter ferrum, testa, æs, argentum, et aurum, et redacta quasi in favillam æstivæ areæ, quæ rapta sunt vento, nullusque locus inventus est eis: lapis autem, qui percusserat statuam, factus est mons magnus, et implevit universam terram.

36 τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἐροῦμεν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως 37 σύ βασιλεῦ βασιλεὺς βασιλέων ᾧ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βασιλείαν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ κραταιὰν καὶ ἔντιμον ἔδωκεν 38 ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὅπου κατοικοῦσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων θηρία τε ἀγροῦ καὶ πετεινὰ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου καὶ κατέστησέν σε κύριον πάντων σὺ εἶ ἡ κεφαλὴ ἡ χρυσῆ 39 καὶ ὀπίσω σου ἀναστήσεται βασιλεία ἑτέρα ἥττων σου καὶ βασιλεία τρίτη ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ χαλκός ἣ κυριεύσει πάσης τῆς γῆς 40 καὶ βασιλεία τετάρτη ἔσται ἰσχυρὰ ὡς ὁ σίδηρος ὃν τρόπον ὁ σίδηρος λεπτύνει καὶ δαμάζει πάντα οὕτως πάντα λεπτυνεῖ καὶ δαμάσει 41 καὶ ὅτι εἶδες τοὺς πόδας καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους μέρος μέν τι ὀστράκινον μέρος δέ τι σιδηροῦν βασιλεία διῃρημένη ἔσται καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης τῆς σιδηρᾶς ἔσται ἐν αὐτῇ ὃν τρόπον εἶδες τὸν σίδηρον ἀναμεμειγμένον τῷ ὀστράκῳ 42 καὶ οἱ δάκτυλοι τῶν ποδῶν μέρος μέν τι σιδηροῦν μέρος δέ τι ὀστράκινον μέρος τι τῆς βασιλείας ἔσται ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἀ{P'} αὐτῆς ἔσται συντριβόμενον 43 ὅτι εἶδες τὸν σίδηρον ἀναμεμειγμένον τῷ ὀστράκῳ συμμειγεῖς ἔσονται ἐν σπέρματι ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται προσκολλώμενοι οὗτος μετὰ τούτου καθὼς ὁ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀναμείγνυται μετὰ τοῦ ὀστράκου

36 So much for the dream, and now we that know the secret of it[4] will tell the king’s grace what it means. 37 Thou hast kings for thy vassals; royalty, power, dominion and great renown the God of heaven has bestowed on thee; 38 every haunt of man and wild beast and flying bird he has given over to thee, all alike he has made subject to thee; the head of gold, who else but thou? 39 Another and a lesser empire must follow thine, one of silver, then another of bronze, still wide as the world; 40 then a fourth, of iron, breaking down and crushing all before it, as iron has power all-conquering, all-subduing.[5] 41 But feet and toes of the image were part iron, part clay; this fourth empire will be divided within itself. Foundation of iron there shall yet be, from which it springs; sure enough, in the feet thou sawest, earthenware was mixed with true steel. 42 Yet was true steel mixed with base earthenware, token that this empire shall be in part firmly established, in part brittle. 43 Iron and clay mingled; race of the conquerors shall be adulterated with common human stock; as well mix clay with iron![6]

36 Hoc est somnium: interpretationem quoque ejus dicemus coram te, rex. 37 Tu rex regum es: et Deus cæli regnum, et fortitudinem, et imperium, et gloriam dedit tibi: 38 et omnia, in quibus habitant filii hominum, et bestiæ agri: volucres quoque cæli dedit in manu tua, et sub ditione tua universa constituit: tu es ergo caput aureum. 39 Et post te consurget regnum aliud minus te argenteum: et regnum tertium aliud æreum, quod imperabit universæ terræ. 40 Et regnum quartum erit velut ferrum: quomodo ferrum comminuit, et domat omnia, sic comminuet, et conteret omnia hæc. 41 Porro quia vidisti pedum, et digitorum partem testæ figuli, et partem ferream, regnum divisum erit: quod tamen de plantario ferri orietur, secundum quod vidisti ferrum mistum testæ ex luto. 42 Et digitos pedum ex parte ferreos, et ex parte fictiles: ex parte regnum erit solidum, et ex parte contritum. 43 Quod autem vidisti ferrum mistum testæ ex luto, commiscebuntur quidem humano semine, sed non adhærebunt sibi, sicut ferrum misceri non potest testæ.

44 καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν βασιλέων ἐκείνων ἀναστήσει ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βασιλείαν ἥτις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας οὐ διαφθαρήσεται καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ λαῷ ἑτέρῳ οὐχ ὑπολειφθήσεται λεπτυνεῖ καὶ λικμήσει πάσας τὰς βασιλείας καὶ αὐτὴ ἀναστήσεται εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας 45 ὃν τρόπον εἶδες ὅτι ἀπὸ ὄρους ἐτμήθη λίθος ἄνευ χειρῶν καὶ ἐλέπτυνεν τὸ ὄστρακον τὸν σίδηρον τὸν χαλκόν τὸν ἄργυρον τὸν χρυσόν ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας ἐγνώρισεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἀληθινὸν τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ πιστὴ ἡ σύγκρισις αὐτοῦ

44 And while those empires yet flourish, another empire the God of heaven will bring into being, never to be destroyed, never to be superseded; conqueror of all these others, itself unconquerable. 45 This is that stone thou sawest none ever quarried, that fell from the mountain-side, bringing clay and iron and bronze and silver and gold to nothing; this was a revelation the king’s grace had from the most high God himself of what must come about; true was thy dream, and this, past doubt, the meaning of it.

44 In diebus autem regnorum illorum suscitabit Deus cæli regnum, quod in æternum non dissipabitur, et regnum ejus alteri populo non tradetur: comminuet autem, et consumet universa regna hæc, et ipsum stabit in æternum. 45 Secundum quod vidisti, quod de monte abscissus est lapis sine manibus, et comminuit testam, et ferrum, et æs, et argentum, et aurum, Deus magnus ostendit regi quæ ventura sunt postea: et verum est somnium, et fidelis interpretatio ejus.

46 τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καὶ τῷ Δανιηλ προσεκύνησεν καὶ μαναα καὶ εὐωδίας εἶπεν σπεῖσαι αὐτῷ 47 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν τῷ Δανιηλ ἐ{P'} ἀληθείας ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν αὐτός ἐστιν θεὸς θεῶν καὶ κύριος τῶν βασιλέων καὶ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια ὅτι ἠδυνήθης ἀποκαλύψαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο 48 καὶ ἐμεγάλυνεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Δανιηλ καὶ δόματα μεγάλα καὶ πολλὰ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ πάσης χώρας Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἄρχοντα σατραπῶν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος 49 καὶ Δανιηλ ᾐτήσατο παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κατέστησεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς χώρας Βαβυλῶνος τὸν Σεδραχ Μισαχ Αβδεναγω καὶ Δανιηλ ἦν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ βασιλέως

46 With that, king Nabuchodonosor bowed down face to earth, and made Daniel reverence; ay, he would have sacrifice offered to him, and incense, 47 and with these words greeted him: Doubt is none but this God of yours of all gods is God, of all kings the master; he it is brings hidden things to light, or how couldst thou have read the secret? 48 Thereupon, he raised Daniel to high rank, and showered riches on him; ruler he should be of all Babylon’s provinces, and over all its wise men have the pre-eminence. 49 But Daniel made suit to him, and it was Sidrach, Misach and Abdenago that had Babylon under their charge; Daniel himself was the king’s courtier still.

46 Tunc rex Nabuchodonosor cecidit in faciem suam, et Danielem adoravit, et hostias, et incensum præcepit ut sacrificarent ei. 47 Loquens ergo rex, ait Danieli: Vere Deus vester Deus deorum est, et Dominus regum, et revelans mysteria: quoniam tu potuisti aperire hoc sacramentum. 48 Tunc rex Danielem in sublime extulit, et munera multa et magna dedit ei: et constituit eum principem super omnes provincias Babylonis, et præfectum magistratuum super cunctos sapientes Babylonis. 49 Daniel autem postulavit a rege, et constituit super opera provinciæ Babylonis Sidrach, Misach, et Abdenago: ipse autem Daniel erat in foribus regis.

[1] It is difficult to see how Nabuchodonosor should still have been in the second year of his reign, when Daniel and the others had already undergone three years of training. The difficulty disappears if we suppose that he was only crown prince when he marched on Jerusalem (see note on 1.1). But some think that the years are computed in two different ways, chapter 1 reckoning from the day of the king’s accession and chapter 2 from the beginning of his first complete year.

[2] ‘Between sleep and waking, was all distraught’; literally, in the Hebrew text, ‘his spirit was bewildered, and his sleep took place upon him’ (which is explained as meaning, ‘was all over for him’). The Septuagint Greek has, ‘his sleep was away from him’, the Latin version, ‘his dream fled from him’. The Latin perhaps implies that Nabuchodonosor had really forgotten his dream; but this is unnecessary to the story.

[3] It is, of course, possible to render, ‘And the astrologers gave him his answer in Aramaic’, but no plausible reason has been suggested for this sudden philological digression. Meanwhile, it is certain that, from this point up to the end of chapter 7, the text given in the Hebrew Bible is not written in Hebrew properly so called, but in the dialect called Aramaic (also used in I Esdras); hence it seems likely that the two words given above in capitals are merely a note intended to warn the reader. The most probable account of this circumstance is that two versions of the original text were current, one Hebrew and one Aramaic, and that certain chapters which were lost in one had to be supplied from the other.

[4] ‘We that know the secret of it’; in the original simply ‘we’. It is to be supposed that Daniel was associating himself with his three fellow-pupils, who had perhaps accompanied him to the court.

[5] Many authors identify the second empire with a ‘Median’ empire (cf. note on 5.31 below), the third with Persia, and the fourth with Macedon. Others identify the second with Persia, the third with Macedon, and the fourth with Rome; the break-up of the (now divided) Macedonian empire began with the victory of Paullus at Pydna, b.c. 168.

[6] Literally, ‘As thou sawest iron mixed with earthenware, so they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cohere, this with that, just as iron will not mix with clay’. This is usually understood as meaning ‘the rival dynasties will enter into alliance with each other by means of royal marriages (the seed of men), but they will not contrive to keep the peace’. All this is very much out of tune with the allegory, which plainly implies that the fourth empire in its later stages will be composed of a weaker and a stronger element within itself, the two elements not really mixing. We must understand, then, that the conquering power (whatever it may be) will fail to absorb and unify the conquered elements it is dealing with.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd