Iphupho likaNebukadinesari
1Ngomnyaka wesibili wokubusa kukaNebukadinesari uNebukadinesari waphupha amaphupho; umoya wakhe wakhathazeka, nobuthongo bakhe bambalekela. 2Yayisiyaleza inkosi ukuba kubizwe izanusi, nabathwebulayo, nabalumbi, namaKaledi ukuba bachazele inkosi amaphupho ayo. Bangena, bema phambi kwenkosi. 3Inkosi yayisithi kubo: “Ngiphuphe iphupho, umoya wami ukhathazekile ukulazi iphupho.”
4Ayesekhuluma amaKaledi enkosini ngesi-Aramu, athi: “Mana njalo, nkosi; yisho ezincekwini zakho iphupho, thina sibonise incazelo.”
5Inkosi yaphendula, yathi kumaKaledi: “Izwi liphumile kimi lokuthi uma ningazisi iphupho nencazo yalo, niyakuhlahlelwa, izindlu zenu zibe yiquba. 6Kepha uma nibonisa iphupho nencazo yalo, niyakwamukela kimi izipho nemivuzo nodumo olukhulu; ngalokho ngiboniseni iphupho nencazo yalo.”
7Abuye aphendula, athi: “Inkosi mayisho iphupho ezincekwini zayo, thina sibonise incazelo.”
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, ngize ngazi ukuthi ningangibonisa incazelo yalo.”
10AmaKaledi aphendula phambi kwenkosi, athi: “Akukho muntu emhlabeni ongabonisa indaba yenkosi, ngokuba akukho nkosi, nanduna, nambusi owake wabuza indaba enjalo nakwesisodwa isanusi, nothwebulayo, naKaledi. 11Futhi kuyinto elukhuni eyifunayo inkosi, kakho omunye ongayibonisa phambi kwenkosi ngaphandle kwawonkulunkulu abangahlali nabasenyameni.”
12Ngalokho inkosi yathukuthela, yafutheka kakhulu, yayaleza ukuba kubhujiswe bonke abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele. 13Isimemezelo saphuma sokuthi abahlakaniphileyo babeyakubulawa; bamfuna uDaniyeli nabangane bakhe ukuba babulawe.
14Khona uDaniyeli wabuyisela impendulo ngokuhlakanipha nangokuqonda ku-Ariyoki induna yemilindankosi owayephumile ukubulala abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele; 15wathatha wathi ku-Ariyoki induna yenkosi: “Siphumeleni enkosini lesi simemezelo esicindezelayo na?” U-Ariyoki wayesemazisa uDaniyeli indaba. 16UDaniyeli wayesengena, wacela enkosini ukuba imnike isikhathi ukuze abonise inkosi incazelo.
17UDaniyeli wayeseya endlini yakhe, wazisa oHananiya, noMishayeli, no-Azariya, abangane bakhe, le ndaba 18ukuba bacele umusa kuNkulunkulu wasezulwini ngale mfihlakalo, ukuze uDaniyeli nabangane bakhe bangabhubhi kanye nabanye abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele. 19Khona 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-Ariyoki obemiswe yinkosi ukuba abhubhise abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele. Wahamba, washo kanje kuye, wathi: “Ungababhubhisi abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele; ngingenise phambi kwenkosi, ngibonise inkosi incazelo.”
25U-Ariyoki wayeseshesha ukumngenisa uDaniyeli phambi kwenkosi, washo kanje kuyo, wathi: “Ngifumene umuntu wabathunjwa bakwaJuda oyakwazisa inkosi incazelo.”
26Inkosi yaphendula, yathi kuDaniyeli, ogama lakhe lalinguBeliteshasari: “Ungangazisa iphupho engilibonileyo nencazo 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 uNebukadinesari okuyakuba khona ngezinsuku ezizayo. Iphupho lakho nemibono yekhanda lakho embhedeni wakho nakhu:
29“Wena-ke, nkosi, imicabango yakho yokuyakuba khona emva kwalokhu yafika kuwe usembhedeni wakho; owambula izimfihlakalo ukwazisile okuyakuba khona. 30Mina-ke, akungokuhlakanipha enginakho kunabanye abakhona ukuthi le mfihlakalo yambuliwe kimi, kepha kungukuba inkosi yaziswe incazelo nokuba wazi imicabango yenhliziyo yakho.
31“Wena nkosi wabona, bheka, 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, izinyawo zaso inxenye yinsimbi, inxenye yibumba. 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; nencazo 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, inxenye iyibumba lombumbi, inxenye insimbi, uyakuba ngumbuso owahlukeneyo; kepha kuyakuba kuwo amandla ensimbi, njengokuba wabona insimbi ixubene nebumba lodaka. 42Njengalokho izinzwani zezinyawo zaziyinsimbi inxenye, nenxenye ibumba, umbuso uyakuba namandla nganxanye, ngakwenye inxenye ube buthakathaka. 43Njengalokho wabona insimbi ixubene nebumba lodaka, bayakuzixubanisa nenzalo yabantu, kepha abayikunamathelana omunye nomunye, njengokuba insimbi ingahlangani nebumba.
44“Ezinsukwini zalawo makhosi uNkulunkulu wasezulwini uyakumisa umbuso ongasoze wachithwa nobukhosi bawo bungayikushiyelwa kwabanye 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 emva kwalokhu; iphupho liqinisile, nencazo yalo iyiqiniso.”
46Inkosi uNebukadinesari yayisiwa ngobuso, yakhuleka kuDaniyeli, yayaleza ukuba banikele ngomnikelo nangempepho kuye. 47Inkosi yamphendula uDaniyeli, yathi: “Ngempela uNkulunkulu wakho unguNkulunkulu wawonkulunkulu, neNkosi yamakhosi, umambuli wezimfihlakalo, lokhu ubunamandla okubonakalisa le mfihlakalo.”
48Inkosi yamkhulisa uDaniyeli, yamupha izipho eziningi ezinkulu, yamenza ukuba abuse sonke isifunda saseBabele, abe ngumholi wababusi babahlakaniphileyo baseBabele. 49UDaniyeli wacela enkosini, yabeka oShadiraki, noMeshaki, no-Abedi Nego phezu kwezindaba zesifunda saseBabele, kepha uDaniyeli wayesesangweni lenkosi.
