Iphupho LikaNebukhadinezari Ngesithombe Esikhulu
1Ngonyaka wesibili wokubusa kukaNebukhadinezari, uNebukhadinezari waphupha amaphupho; umoya wakhe wakhathazeka, wayeseqwasha. 2Yayisiyaleza inkosi ukuba kubizwe izanusi, abathwebulayo, abalumbi, namaKhaledi ukuba bachazele inkosi amaphupho ayo. Bangena, bama phambi kwenkosi. 3Inkosi yayisithi kubo: “Ngiphuphe iphupho, umoya wami ukhathazekele ukulazi iphupho.”
4Ayesekhuluma amaKhaledi enkosini ngesi-Aramu, athi: “Mana njalo, nkosi; yisho ezincekwini zakho iphupho, thina silichaze.”
5Inkosi yaphendula, yathi kumaKhaledi: “Izwi liphumile kimi lokuthi uma ningangazisi iphupho nencazelo yalo, niyakuhlahlelwa, izindlu zenu zibe yincithakalo. 6Kepha uma ningazisa iphupho, nilichaza, niyakwamukela kimi izipho, imivuzo nodumo olukhulu, ngakho-ke ngitsheleni iphupho nencazelo yalo.”
7Abuye aphendula, athi: “Inkosi mayisho iphupho ezincekwini zayo, thina silichaze.”
8Inkosi-ke yaphendula, yathi: “Ngiyazi impela ukuthi niyazenzela isikhathi, ngokuba nibona ukuthi izwi liphumile kimi 9lokuthi uma ningangazisi iphupho, umthetho munye nje ngani, ngokuba nilungisile amazwi amanga nawonakeleyo okukhuluma phambi kwami, kuze kuguquke isikhathi: ngalokho ngitsheleni iphupho, ukuze ngazi ukuthi ningangibonisa incazelo yalo.”
10AmaKhaledi aphendula phambi kwenkosi, athi: “Akukho muntu emhlabeni ongaboniswa indaba yenkosi, ngokuba akukho nkosi, nanduna, nambusi owake wabuza indaba enjalo nakwesisodwa isanusi, nothwebulayo, namaKhaledi. 11Futhi kuyinto elukhuni eyifunayo inkosi, akekho omunye ongayembula phambi kwenkosi ngaphandle kwawonkulunkulu abangahlali nabasenyameni.”
12Ngalokho inkosi yathukuthela, yafutheka kakhulu, yayaleza ukuba kubhujiswe bonke abahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele. 13Isimemezelo saphuma sokuthi abahlakaniphileyo babeyakubulawa; bamfuna uDaniyeli nabangani bakhe ukuba babulawe.
Ukubonakaliswa Kwemfihlakalo Yephupho KuDaniyeli
14Khona uDaniyeli wabuyisela impendulo ngokuhlakanipha nangokuqonda ku-Ariyokhi, induna yemilindankosi, owayephumile ukubulala abahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele; 15wathatha wathi ku-Ariyokhi, induna yenkosi: “Siphumeleni enkosini lesi simemezelo esicindezelayo na?”
U-Ariyokhi wayesemazisa uDaniyeli indaba. 16UDaniyeli wayesengena, wacela enkosini ukuba imnike isikhathi ukuze abonise inkosi incazelo.
17UDaniyeli wayeseya endlini yakhe, watshela uHananiya, uMishayeli, no-Azariya, abangani bakhe, le ndaba 18ukuba bacele umusa kuNkulunkulu wasezulwini ngale mfihlakalo, ukuze uDaniyeli nabangani bakhe bangabhubhi kanye nabanye abahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele. 19Ngakho-ke yabonakaliswa imfihlakalo kuDaniyeli, ngombono ebusuku. UDaniyeli wambonga uNkulunkulu wasezulwini. 20UDaniyeli wathatha, wathi:
“Malibongwe igama likaNkulunkulu,
kusukela kwaphakade
kuze kube phakade,
ngokuba ukuhlakanipha
namandla kungokwakhe;
21uyaguqula izikhathi nezinkathi;
uyasusa amakhosi,
abeke amakhosi;
unika abahlakaniphileyo ukuhlakanipha,
nokwazi kwabaqonda ukwazi;
22uyambula okujulileyo nokufihlakeleyo;
uyazi okusebumnyameni,
nokukhanya kuhlezi kuye.
23Ngiyakubonga, ngikudumise
Wena Nkulunkulu wawobaba,
ongiphile ukuhlakanipha namandla,
wangazisa esasikucela kuwe,
ngokuba usazisile indaba yenkosi.”
24Ngalokho uDaniyeli wangena ku-Ariyokhi obemiswe yinkosi ukuba abhubhise abahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele. Wahamba, washo kanje kuye, wathi: “Ungababhubhisi abahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele; ngingenise phambi kwenkosi, ngibonise inkosi incazelo.”
25U-Ariyokhi wayeseshesha ukumngenisa uDaniyeli phambi kwenkosi, washo kanje kuyo, wathi: “Ngifumene umuntu wabathunjwa bakwaJuda oyakwazisa inkosi incazelo.”
26Inkosi yaphendula, yathi kuDaniyeli, ogama lakhe lalinguBhelitheshazari: “Ungangazisa iphupho engilibonileyo nencazelo yalo na?”
27UDaniyeli waphendula phambi kwenkosi, wathi: “Imfihlakalo eyibuzayo inkosi, abahlakaniphileyo, nabathwebulayo, nezanusi, nabahlola imihlola, bangeyibonise yona inkosi. 28Kepha kukhona uNkulunkulu ezulwini owambula izimfihlakalo; wazisile inkosi uNebukhadinezari okuyakuba khona ngezinsuku ezizayo. Iphupho lakho nemibono yekhanda lakho embhedeni wakho nakhu:
29“Wena-ke, nkosi, imicabango yakho nokuyakuba khona emva kwalokhu, yafika kuwe usembhedeni wakho; owambula izimfihlakalo ukwazisile okuyakuba khona. 30Mina-ke, akungakuhlakanipha enginakho kunabanye abakhona ukuthi le mfihlakalo yambuliwe kimi, kepha kungukuba inkosi yaziswe incazelo nokuba wazi imicabango yenhliziyo yakho.
31“Wena nkosi wabona, bheka, naso isithombe esikhulu. Lesi sithombe esasisikhulu nesikucwebezela kwaso kwakukuhle, sema phambi kwakho, nesimo saso sasesabeka. 32Lesi sithombe-ke, ikhanda laso liyigolide elihle, isifuba saso nezingalo zaso kuyisiliva, isisu saso namathanga aso kuyithusi, 33imilenze yaso iyinsimbi, ingxenye yezinyawo zaso kuyinsimbi, enye ingxenye kuyibumba. 34Wawusubona ukuthi kwaqheshulwa itshe kungengazandla, lashaya isithombe ezinyaweni zaso eziyinsimbi nebumba, lazichoboza. 35Kwase kuchotshozwa kanyekanye insimbi, nebumba, nethusi, nesiliva, negolide, kwaba njengamakhoba ezibuya zasehlobo, kwasuswa ngumoya, akutholwanga ndawo; itshe elalisishaya isithombe laba yintaba enkulu, lawugcwalisa umhlaba wonke.
36“Yilelo iphupho; nencazelo siyakuyisho phambi kwenkosi. 37Wena nkosi uyinkosi yamakhosi onikwe umbuso, namandla, nodumo nguNkulunkulu wasezulwini. 38Ezindaweni zonke lapho abantwana babantu behlezi khona, izilwane zasendle nezinyoni zezulu uzinikele esandleni sakho, wenze ukuba ubuse phezu kwazo zonke. Wena uyikhanda legolide.
39“Emva kwakho kuyakuvuka omunye umbuso omncane kunawe, nomunye umbuso wesithathu wethusi oyakubusa emhlabeni wonke. 40Umbuso wesine uyakuqina njengensimbi, ngokuba insimbi ichoboza, igxobe konke; nanjengensimbi ekwaphula konke lokhu, uyakugxoba, waphule. 41Njengalokho wabona izinyawo nezinzwani; ingxenye iyibumba lombumbi, ingxenye iyinsimbi, uyakuba ngumbuso owehlukeneyo, kepha kuyakuba kuwo amandla ensimbi, njengokuba wabona insimbi ixubene nebumba lodaka. 42Njengalokho izinzwani zezinyawo zaziyinsimbi; ingxenye nengxenye ibumba, umbuso uyakuba namandla nganxanye, ngakwenye ingxenye ube buthakathaka. 43Njengalokho wabona insimbi ixubene nebumba lodaka, bayakuzixubanisa nozalo lwabantu, kepha abayukunamathelana omunye nomunye, njengokuba insimbi ingahlangani nebumba.
44“Ezinsukwini zalawo makhosi, uNkulunkulu wasezulwini uyakumisa umbuso ongasoze wachithwa, nobukhosi bawo obungeke bushiyelwe abanye abantu, kepha uyakuchoboza, uqede yonke le mibuso, wona uqobo ume phakade. 45Njengalokho wabona itshe ukuthi laqheshulwa entabeni kungengazandla, nokuthi lachoboza insimbi, nethusi, nebumba, nesiliva, negolide; uNkulunkulu omkhulu uyazisile inkosi okuyakuba khona emuva kwalokhu; iphupho liqinisile, nencazelo yalo iyiqiniso.”
46Inkosi uNebukhadinezari yayisiwa ngobuso, yakhuleka kuDaniyeli, yayaleza ukuba banikele ngomnikelo nangempepho kuye. 47Inkosi yamphendula uDaniyeli, yathi: “Ngempela uNkulunkulu wakho unguNkulunkulu wawonkulunkulu, neNkosi yamakhosi, umambuli wezimfihlakalo, njengalokhu ukwazile ukwambula le mfihlakalo.”
48Inkosi yamkhulisa uDaniyeli, yamupha izipho eziningi ezinkulu, yamenza ukuba abuse sonke isifunda saseBhabhele, abe ngumholi wababusi babahlakaniphileyo baseBhabhele. 49UDaniyeli wacela enkosini, yabeka oShadirakhi, noMeshakhi, no-Abhedi Nego phezu kwezindaba zesifunda saseBhabhele, kepha uDaniyeli wayesesangweni lenkosi.
