In anno secundo regni Nabuchodonosor, vidit Nabuchodonosor somnium, et conterritus est spiritus ejus, et somnium ejus fugit ab eo.

In the second year of his reign, Nabuchodonosor had a dream; and his mind, between sleep and waking, was all distraught.

In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, Nabuchodonosor had a dream, and his spirit was terrified, and his dream went out of his mind.

Præcepit autem rex ut convocarentur arioli, et magi, et malefici, et Chaldæi, ut indicarent regi somnia sua. Qui cum venissent, steterunt coram rege.

Diviner and sage, soothsayer and astrologer must be summoned without more ado, to pronounce on the royal dream;

Then the king commanded to call together the diviners and the wise men, and the magicians, and the Chaldeans: to declare to the king his dreams: so they came and stood before the king.

Et dixit ad eos rex: Vidi somnium, et mente confusus ignoro quid viderim.

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.

And the king said to them: I saw a dream: and being troubled in mind I know not what I saw.

Responderuntque Chaldæi regi syriace: Rex, in sempiternum vive! dic somnium servis tuis, et interpretationem ejus indicabimus.

And the astrologers gave him answer. IN ARAMAIC Long life to the king’s grace! Be pleased to tell us what the dream was, and it shall be interpreted.

And the Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac: O king, live for ever: tell to thy servants thy dream, and we will declare the interpretation thereof.

Et respondens rex ait Chaldæis: Sermo recessit a me: nisi indicaveritis mihi somnium, et conjecturam ejus, peribitis vos, et domus vestræ publicabuntur.

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.

And the king answering said to the Chaldeans: The thing is gone out of my mind: unless you tell me the dream, and the meaning thereof, you shall be put to death, and your houses shall be confiscated.

Si autem somnium, et conjecturam ejus narraveritis, præmia, et dona, et honorem multum accipietis a me. Somnium igitur, et interpretationem ejus indicate mihi.

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?

But if you tell the dream, and the meaning of it, you shall receive of me rewards, and gifts, and great honour: therefore tell me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Responderunt secundo, atque dixerunt: Rex somnium dicat servis suis, et interpretationem illius indicabimus.

Once again they demurred; would the king be pleased to recount his dream to them, interpreted it should be forthwith.

They answered again and said: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation of it.

Respondit rex, et ait: Certe novi quod tempus redimitis, scientes quod recesserit a me sermo.

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;

The king answered, and said: I know for certain that you seek to gain time, since you know that the thing is gone from me.

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.

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?

If therefore you tell me not the dream, there is one sentence concerning you, that you have also framed a lying interpretation, and full of deceit, to speak before me till the time pass away. Tell me therefore the dream, that I may know that you also give a true interpretation thereof.

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.

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!

Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and said: There is no man upon earth, that can accomplish thy word, O king, neither doth any king, though great and mighty, ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chaldean.

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.

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.

For the thing that thou askest, O king, is difficult; nor can any one be found that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose conversation is not with men.

Quo audito, rex, in furore et in ira magna, præcepit ut perirent omnes sapientes Babylonis.

At this, the king was in such a taking of fury that he would have all the wise men of Babylon put to death;

Upon hearing this, the king in fury, and in great wrath, commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death.

Et egressa sententia, sapientes interficiebantur: quærebanturque Daniel et socii ejus, ut perirent.

and, once the warrant was out for the extinction of them, there was hue and cry against Daniel and his fellows.

And the decree being gone forth, the wise men were slain: and Daniel and his companions were sought for, to be put to death.

Tunc Daniel requisivit de lege atque sententia ab Arioch principe militiæ regis, qui egressus fuerat ad interficiendos sapientes Babylonis.

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;

Then Daniel inquired concerning the law and the sentence, of Arioch the general of the king’s army, who was gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon.

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,

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,

And he asked him that had received the orders of the king, why so cruel a sentence was gone forth from the face of the king. And when Arioch had told the matter to Daniel,

Daniel ingressus rogavit regem ut tempus daret sibi ad solutionem indicandam regi.

into the king’s presence he went, asking for more time to answer the royal question.

Daniel went in and desired of the king, that he would give him time to resolve the question and declare it to the king.

Et ingressus est domum suam, Ananiæque et Misaëli et Azariæ, sociis suis, indicavit negotium,

So, returning to his fellows, Ananias, Misael and Azarias, he made all known to them,

And he went into his house, and told the matter to Ananias, and Misael, and Azarias his companions:

ut quærerent misericordiam a facie Dei cæli super sacramento isto, et non perirent Daniel et socii ejus cum ceteris sapientibus Babylonis.

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.

To the end that they should ask mercy at the face of the God of heaven concerning this secret, and that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Tunc Danieli mysterium per visionem nocte revelatum est: et benedixit Daniel Deum cæli,

Then, in a vision by night, the secret was revealed to Daniel, and he fell to praising the God of heaven,

Then was the mystery revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night: and Daniel blessed the God of heaven,

et locutus ait: Sit nomen Domini benedictum a sæculo et usque in sæculum: quia sapientia et fortitudo ejus sunt.

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;

And speaking he said: Blessed be the name of the Lord from eternity and for evermore: for wisdom and fortitude are his.

Et ipse mutat tempora, et ætates: transfert regna, atque constituit: dat sapientiam sapientibus, et scientiam intelligentibus disciplinam.

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?

And he changeth times and ages: taketh away kingdoms and establisheth them, giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding.

Ipse revelat profunda et abscondita, et novit in tenebris constituta: et lux cum eo est.

The hidden depths he can lay bare, read the secrets of the dark; does not light dwell with him?

He revealeth deep and hidden things, and knoweth what is in darkness: and light is with him.

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.

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.

To thee, O God of our fathers, I give thanks, and I praise thee: because thou hast given me wisdom and strength: and now thou hast shewn me what we desired of thee, for thou hast made known to us, the king’s discourse.

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.

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.

After this Daniel went in to Arioch, to whom the king had given orders to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he spoke thus to him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will tell the solution to the king.

Tunc Arioch festinus introduxit Danielem ad regem, et dixit ei: Inveni hominem de filiis transmigrationis Juda, qui solutionem regi annuntiet.

Without more ado, Arioch granted his request; here was an exile from Juda, he said, that would answer the royal question.

Then Arioch in haste brought in Daniel to the king, and said to him: I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Juda, that will resolve the question to the king.

Respondit rex, et dixit Danieli, cujus nomen erat Baltassar: Putasne vere potes mihi indicare somnium, quod vidi, et interpretationem ejus?

Is this true? the king asked of Daniel. Canst thou, Baltassar, tell me the dream and its meaning both?

The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: Thinkest thou indeed that thou canst tell me the dream that I saw, and the interpretation thereof?

Et respondens Daniel coram rege, ait: Mysterium, quod rex interrogat, sapientes, magi, arioli, et aruspices nequeunt indicare regi:

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!

And Daniel made answer before the king, and said: The secret that the king desireth to know, none of the wise men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the soothsayers can declare to the king.

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.

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.

But there is a God in heaven that revealeth mysteries, who hath shewn to thee, O king Nabuchodonosor, what is to come to pass in the latter times. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

Tu, rex, cogitare cœpisti in strato tuo, quid esset futurum post hæc: et qui revelat mysteria, ostendit tibi quæ ventura sunt.

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.

Thou, O king, didst begin to think in thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth mysteries shewed thee what shall come to pass.

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.

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.

To me also this secret is revealed, not by any wisdom that I have more than all men alive: but that the interpretation might be made manifest to the king, and thou mightest know the thoughts of thy mind.

Tu, rex, videbas, et ecce quasi statua una grandis: statua illa magna, et statura sublimis stabat contra te, et intuitus ejus erat terribilis.

A vision thou hadst of a great image; what splendour, how terrible an aspect it was that confronted thee!

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold there was as it were a great statue: this statue, which was great and high, tall of stature, stood before thee, and the look thereof was terrible.

Hujus statuæ caput ex auro optimo erat, pectus autem et brachia de argento, porro venter et femora ex ære,

Of fine gold the head, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze;

The head of this statue was of fine gold, but the breast and the arms of silver, and the belly and the thighs of brass:

tibiæ autem ferreæ: pedum quædam pars erat ferrea, quædam autem fictilis.

of iron the legs, and of the feet, too, part was iron, part was but earthenware.

And the legs of iron, the feet part of iron and part of clay.

Videbas ita, donec abscissus est lapis de monte sine manibus: et percussit statuam in pedibus ejus ferreis et fictilibus, et comminuit eos.

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.

Thus thou sawest, till a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands: and it struck the statue upon the feet thereof that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

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.

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.

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of a summer’s thrashingfloor, and they were carried away by the wind: and there was no place found for them: but the stone that struck the statue, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Hoc est somnium: interpretationem quoque ejus dicemus coram te, rex.

So much for the dream, and now we that know the secret of it will tell the king’s grace what it means.

This is the dream: we will also tell the interpretation thereof before thee, O king.

Tu rex regum es: et Deus cæli regnum, et fortitudinem, et imperium, et gloriam dedit tibi:

Thou hast kings for thy vassals; royalty, power, dominion and great renown the God of heaven has bestowed on thee;

Thou art a king of kings: and the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, and strength, and power, and glory:

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.

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?

And all places wherein the children of men, and the beasts of the field do dwell: he hath also given the birds of the air into thy hand, and hath put all things under thy power: thou therefore art the head of gold.

Et post te consurget regnum aliud minus te argenteum: et regnum tertium aliud æreum, quod imperabit universæ terræ.

Another and a lesser empire must follow thine, one of silver, then another of bronze, still wide as the world;

And after thee shall rise up another kingdom, inferior to thee, of silver: and another third kingdom of brass, which shall rule over all the world.

Et regnum quartum erit velut ferrum: quomodo ferrum comminuit, et domat omnia, sic comminuet, et conteret omnia hæc.

then a fourth, of iron, breaking down and crushing all before it, as iron has power all-conquering, all-subduing.

And the fourth kingdom shall be as iron. As iron breaketh into pieces, and subdueth all things, so shall that break and destroy all these.

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.

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.

And whereas thou sawest the feet, and the toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron: the kingdom shall be divided, but yet it shall take its origin from the iron, according as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry clay.

Et digitos pedum ex parte ferreos, et ex parte fictiles: ex parte regnum erit solidum, et ex parte contritum.

Yet was true steel mixed with base earthenware, token that this empire shall be in part firmly established, in part brittle.

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

Quod autem vidisti ferrum mistum testæ ex luto, commiscebuntur quidem humano semine, sed non adhærebunt sibi, sicut ferrum misceri non potest testæ.

Iron and clay mingled; race of the conquerors shall be adulterated with common human stock; as well mix clay with iron!

And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall be mingled indeed together with the seed of man, but they shall not stick fast one to another, as iron cannot be mixed with clay.

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.

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.

But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people, and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever.

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.

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.

According as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces, the clay, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God hath shewn the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful.

Tunc rex Nabuchodonosor cecidit in faciem suam, et Danielem adoravit, et hostias, et incensum præcepit ut sacrificarent ei.

With that, king Nabuchodonosor bowed down face to earth, and made Daniel reverence; ay, he would have sacrifice offered to him, and incense,

Then king Nabuchodonosor fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense.

Loquens ergo rex, ait Danieli: Vere Deus vester Deus deorum est, et Dominus regum, et revelans mysteria: quoniam tu potuisti aperire hoc sacramentum.

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?

And the king spoke to Daniel, and said: Verily your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things: seeing thou couldst discover this secret.

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.

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.

Then the king advanced Daniel to a high station, and gave him many and great gifts: and he made him governor over all the provinces of Babylon, and chief of the magistrates over all the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel autem postulavit a rege, et constituit super opera provinciæ Babylonis Sidrach, Misach, et Abdenago: ipse autem Daniel erat in foribus regis.

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.

And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago over the works of the province of Babylon: but Daniel himself was in the king’s palace.