UDaniyeli 4

4 ¹INkosi uNebukhadinezari, kubo bonke abantu, nezizwe, nezilimi abahlala emhlabeni wonke: Ukuthula kwenu makwandiswe.

²Ngithokoza ukumemezela izibonakaliso nezimangaliso uNkulunkulu oPhezukonke angenzele zona. ³Makhulu kangakanani izibonakaliso zakhe, zinamandla kangakanani izimangaliso zakhe! Umbuso wakhe ungumbuso ongunaphakade, nokubusa kwakhe kusuka esizukulwaneni kuya esizukulwaneni.

⁴Mina, Nebukhadinezari, ngangonwabile endlini yami, ngichuma esigodlweni sami. ⁵Ngabona iphupho elangethusa; imicabango embhedeni wami nemibono ekhanda lami yangesabisa. ⁶Ngakho ngakhipha isiyalezo sokuba kulethwe phambi kwami zonke izazi zaseBhabhiloni ukuze zingitshele incazelo yephupho. ⁷Khona-ke kwangena izangoma, nezanuse, namaBhabhiloni, nababhula ngezinkanyezi. Ngabatshela iphupho, kodwa abakwazanga ukungichazela lona. ⁸Ekugcineni kweza phambi kwami uDaniyeli—oqanjwe ngokuthi uBelitheshazari ngegama likankulunkulu wami, onomoya wonkulunkulu abangcwele kuye—ngamtshela iphupho. ⁹Belitheshazari, nduna yezangoma, ngiyazi ukuthi umoya wonkulunkulu abangcwele ukuwe, nokuthi ayikho imfihlakalo ekukhungathekisayo—ngitshele imibono yephupho lami engilibonile, nencazelo yayo. ¹⁰Imibono eyayisengqondweni yami ngisembhedeni: ngabona umuthi phakathi nomhlaba, umude kakhulu. ¹¹Umuthi wakhula waba namandla, isiqongo sawo safinyelela ezulwini, wawubonakala kuze kube semikhawulweni yomhlaba wonke. ¹²Amaqabunga awo ayemahle nezithelo zawo ziningi, kwawukhona kuwo ukudla kwabo bonke. Izilwane zasendle zazithola umthunzi ngaphansi kwawo, nezinyoni zezulu zazihlala emagatsheni awo, yonke inyama yayondliwa ngawo.

¹³Emibonweni yami ngisembhedeni ngabona umlindi, ongcwele, ehla evela ezulwini. ^a a v13 "Umlindi" uyingelosi engcwele kaNkulunkulu, lapha ethunyelwe ukuba afeze isinqumo ngenkosi — isithunywa sasezulwini, hhayi uNkulunkulu uqobo.

¹⁴Wamemeza wathi: Gawulani umuthi, nqumani amagatsha awo, hluthulani amaqabunga awo, hlakazani izithelo zawo. Izilwane mazibaleke ngaphansi kwawo, nezinyoni emagatsheni awo. ¹⁵Kodwa shiyani isiphunzi sezimpande zawo emhlabeni, siboshwe ngendandatho yensimbi neyethusi, otshanini basendle. Makanetshwe ngamazolo ezulu, nesabelo sakhe masibe nezilwane zasendle otshanini bomhlaba. ¹⁶Ingqondo yakhe yobuntu mayisuswe, anikwe ingqondo yesilwane, kudlule phezu kwakhe izikhathi eziyisikhombisa. ¹⁷Isinqumo singokomyalo wabalindi, isigwebo singokwezwi labangcwele, ukuze abaphilayo bazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa phezu kombuso wabantu, awunike lowo amthandayo, abeke phezu kwawo ophansi kunabo bonke abantu.’

¹⁸Yileli iphupho mina, Nkosi Nebukhadinezari, engalibona. Ngitshele incazelo yalo, Belitheshazari, ngokuba izazi zombuso wami azikwazi ukungichazela lona, kodwa wena uyakwazi—umoya wonkulunkulu abangcwele ukuwe.

UDaniyeli Ukhuluma Iqiniso Elinzima

¹⁹Khona-ke uDaniyeli, obizwa ngokuthi uBelitheshazari, wamangala isikhashana, ekhathazwa yimicabango yakhe. INkosi yathi: “Belitheshazari, iphupho noma incazelo yalo makungakwethusi.” UBelitheshazari waphendula wathi: “Nkosi yami, iphupho malibe ngelabakuzondayo, incazelo yalo ibe ngeyezitha zakho!”

²⁰Umuthi owawubona wakhula waba namandla, isiqongo sawo safinyelela ezulwini, ubonakala emhlabeni wonke, ²¹amaqabunga amahle, izithelo eziningi, ukudla kwabo bonke—izilwane zasendle zazihlala ngaphansi kwawo, izinyoni zezulu zazakha izidleke emagatsheni awo. ²²Nguwe, nkosi—ukhulile waba namandla; ubukhulu bakho bukhulile, bufinyelela ezulwini, nokubusa kwakho kuze kube semikhawulweni yomhlaba.

²³Ngenxa yokuthi inkosi yabona umlindi, ongcwele, ehla evela ezulwini, ethi: Gawula umuthi, uwuchithe—kodwa shiya isiphunzi sezimpande zawo emhlabeni, siboshwe ngendandatho yensimbi neyethusi otshanini basendle. Makanetshwe ngamazolo ezulu; isabelo sakhe sibe nezilwane zasendle, kuze kudlule phezu kwakhe izikhathi eziyisikhombisa. ²⁴Yile incazelo, nkosi yami: umyalo woPhezukonke ufikile phezu kwenkosi yami, ²⁵uzoxoshwa kubantu uyohlala phakathi kwezilwane zasendle, udle utshani njengezinkabi, unetshwe ngamazolo ezulu, kuze kudlule phezu kwakho izikhathi eziyisikhombisa, uze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa umbuso wabantu, awunike lowo amkhethayo. ²⁶Umyalo wokushiya isiphunzi nezimpande zaso emhlabeni: umbuso wakho uyobuyiselwa kuwe lapho usuyazi ukuthi iZulu liyabusa. ²⁷Ngakho, nkosi, yamukela iseluleko sami: yehlukana nezono zakho ngokulunga, nobubi bakho ngomusa kubampofu, ukuze ukuchuma kwakho kuqhubeke.

Ukuzidla Kwehliselwa Phansi

²⁸Konke lokhu kwehlela phezu kweNkosi uNebukhadinezari. ²⁹Ngemva kwezinyanga eziyishumi nambili, wayehamba ophahleni lwesigodlo senkosi saseBhabhiloni.

³⁰INkosi yathi: “Akusiyo yini leBhabhiloni enkulu engiyakhe yaba yindlu yobukhosi ngamandla ami amakhulu, ngenkazimulo yobukhosi bami?”

³¹Amazwi ayesesemlonyeni wenkosi kwathi kuwela izwi livela ezulwini: “Nkosi Nebukhadinezari, kukhulunywa nawe kuthiwa: umbuso usukumukile. ³²Uzoxoshwa kubantu, uhlale nezilwane zasendle, udle utshani njengenkabi. Izikhathi eziyisikhombisa ziyodlula phezu kwakho, uze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa umbuso wabantu, awunike noma ngubani amthandayo.”

³³Khona lapho izwi lagcwaliseka ngoNebukhadinezari: waxoshwa kubantu, wadla utshani njengezinkomo, umzimba wakhe wamanziswa ngamazolo ezulu, kwaze kwakhula izinwele zakhe njengezimpaphe zokhozi, nezinzipho zakhe njengezezinyoni.

UNebukhadinezari Ubuyiselwa Futhi Uthotshiswa

³⁴Lapho izinsuku ziphela, mina, Nebukhadinezari, ngaphakamisela amehlo ami ezulwini, kwabuya ukuqonda kwami. Ngabusisa oPhezukonke, ngadumisa ngahlonipha Yena ophila phakade, okubusa kwakhe kungunaphakade, umbuso wakhe usezizukulwaneni zonke.

³⁵Bonke abakhileyo emhlabeni babalwa njengokungelutho, wenza ngokwentando yakhe phakathi kwebandla lasezulwini naphakathi kwabakhileyo emhlabeni; akekho onganqanda isandla sakhe noma athi kuye: “Wenzeni na?”

³⁶Khona-ke kwabuya ukuhlakanipha kwami; bubuya ubukhosi bami nenkazimulo yami ngenxa yodumo lombuso wami. Abeluleki bami nezikhulu zami bangifuna; ngabuyiselwa phezu kombuso wami, ngenezelwa nobukhulu obedlula konke. ³⁷Manje mina, Nebukhadinezari, ngidumisa, ngiphakamisa, ngihlonipha iNkosi yeZulu, ngokuba yonke imisebenzi yayo ilungile, nezindlela zayo zinobulungisa; abahamba ngokuzidla uyakwazi ukubathobisa.