¹ UNebukadinesari inkosi kubo bonke abantu , nezizwe, nezilimi ezakhe emhlabeni wonke: ukuthula makuvame kinina. ² Bekukuhle kimi ukwazisa izibonakaliso nezimangaliso uNkulunkulu oPhezukonke azenzile kimi. ³ Yeka ubuningi bezib onakaliso zakhe , namandla ezimangaliso zakhe ! Umbuso wakhe ungumbuso ongunaphakade , nokubusa kwakhe kungokwezizukulwane. ⁴ Mina Nebukadinesari ngangihlezi ngokuthula , ngatamasa endlini yami yobukhosi. ⁵ Ngase ngibona iphupho, langethusa; imicabango embhedeni wami nemibono yekhanda lami yangesabisa. ⁶ Ngalokho ngakhipha isimemezelo sokuba kulethwe bonke abahlakaniphileyo baseBabele phambi kwami, ukuze bangazise incazelo yephupho. ⁷ Zase zifika izanusi , nabathwebulayo, namaKaledi, nabahlola imihlola , ngabatshela iphupho, kepha abangazisanga incazelo yalo. ⁸ Kodwa ngasekugcineni kwangena uDaniyeli phambi kwami ogama lakhe linguBeliteshasari njengegama likankulunkulu wami , okuye umoya wawonkulunkulu abangcwele; ngamtshela iphupho, ngathi: ⁹ Beliteshasari, wena nduna yezanusi, ngokuba ngiyazi ukuthi umoya wawonkulunkulu abangcwele ukuwe nokuthi awukhathazwa mfihlakalo , ngitshele imibono yephupho lami engilibonileyo nencazo yalo. ¹⁰ Yayinje imibono yekhanda lami ngisembhedeni wami : ngabona, bheka, nanko umuthi phakathi nomhlaba, nokuphakama kwawo kwakukukhulu. ¹¹ Umuthi wakhula, waqina, ubude bawo bafinyelela ezulwini nokubonakala kwawo kwaze kwaba sekugcineni komhlaba. ¹² Amaqabunga awo ayemahle , nezithelo zawo zaziziningi , kukhona kuwo ukudla kubo bonke; izilwane zasendle zazinomthunzi phansi kwawo, izinyoni zezulu zazihlala emagatsheni awo, nenyama yonke yondliwa kuwo. ¹³ Ngabona emibonweni yekhanda lami ngisembhedeni wami , bheka, nango umlindi ongcwele ehla ezulwini. ¹⁴ Wamemeza ngamandla , washo kanje, wathi: Gawula umu thi, unqume amagatsha awo , uvuthulule amaqabunga awo , uhlakaze izithelo zawo ; izilwane mazisuke phansi kwawo, nezinyoni emagatsheni awo. ¹⁵ Nokho shiya isiqu sezimpande zawo emhlabathini , sinesibopho sensimbi nesethusi, ohlazeni lwasendle, simanziswe ngamazolo ezulu, isabelo saso sibe nezilwane zasetshanini bomhlaba; ¹⁶ inhliziyo yakhe iyakuguqulwa ingabi ngeyomuntu , aphiwe inhliziyo yesilwane, kudlule izikhathi eziyisikhombisa phezu kwakhe. ¹⁷ Kunqunyiwe ngesimemezelo sabalindi nangesiyalezo sezwi labangcwe le ukuba abaphilayo bazi ukuthi oPhezukonke ubusa imibuso yabantu , ayinike amthandayo, amise phezu kwayo ophansi phakathi kwabantu. ¹⁸ Leli phupho ngalibona mina Nebukadinesari ; wena Beliteshasari , yisho incazelo, njengokuba bonke abahlakaniphileyo bombuso wami bengazi ukungazisa incazelo ; kepha wena ungakwenza , ngokuba umoya wawonkulunkulu abangcwele ukuwe. ¹⁹ Khona uDaniyeli ogama lakhe lalinguBeliteshasari wamangala isikhashana , imicabango yakhe ya mesabisa. Inkosi yathatha yathi : Beliteshasari, iphupho nencazo makungakwesabisi . UBeliteshasari waphendula wathi : Nkosi, iphupho malibe kwabakuzondayo, nencazo yalo kuzo izitha zakho. ²⁰ Umuthi owawubonayo , owakhula, waqina, obude bawo bafinyelela ezulwini nokubonakala kwawo kwaze kwaba sekugcineni komhlaba; ²¹ omaqabunga awo ayemahle , nezithelo zawo zaziziningi , kukhona ukudla kuwo kubo bonke ; ozilwane zasendle zahlala phansi kwawo , nezinyoni zezulu zakha emagatsheni awo: ²² nguwe nkosi okhulile waqina , ngokuba ubukhulu bakho bukhulile bufinyelele ezulwini nokubusa kwakho kuze kube sekugcineni komhlaba. ²³ Njengalokho inkosi yabona umlindi ongcwele ehla ezulwini , ethi: Gawula umuthi, uwuchithe, kepha shiya isiqu sezimpande zawo emhlabathini, sinesibopho sensimbi nesethusi , ohlazeni lwasendle, simanziswe ngamazolo ezulu, isabelo saso sibe nezilwane zasendle , kuze kudlule izikhathi eziyisikhombisa phezu kwaso, ²⁴ nansi incazelo, nkosi: kuyisimemezelo soPhezukonke esiyehlele inkosi yami, inkosi, ²⁵ sokuthi uyakuxoshwa kubantu , inhlalo yakho ibe nezilwane zasendle , udliswe utshani njengezinkabi , umanziswe ngamazolo ezulu , kudlule izikhathi eziyisikhombisa phezu kwakho , uze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke ubusa imibuso yabantu, ayinike amthandayo. ²⁶ Njengalokho bayaleza ukuba kushiywe isiqu sezimpande zomuthi , umbuso wakho uyakuqina kuwe, lapho usufundile ukuthi izulu liyabusa. ²⁷ Ngalokho, nkosi, masamukeleke kuwe isiluleko sami , unqamule izono zakho ngokulunga , nobubi bakho ngokuba nomusa kwabampofu ; mhlawumbe kungelulwa ukuthula kwakho. ²⁸ Konke lokho kwamehlela uNebukadinesari. ²⁹ Ngasekugcineni kwezinyanga eziyishumi nambili wayehamba endlini yamakhosi eBabele. ³⁰ Inkosi yathatha yathi: Angithi yileli Babele elikhulu engilakhile libe yindlu yobukhosi ngezikhwepha zamandla ami, libe ludumo lobukhosi bami, na? ³¹ Izwi lisesemlonyeni wenkosi, kwehla ezulwini izwi , lithi: We nkosi Nebukadinesari, kukhulunyiwe kuwe ukuthi: Umbuso usukile kuwe; ³² uyakuxoshwa kubantu , inhlalo yakho ibe nezilwane zasendle , udliswe utshani njengezinkabi, kudlule phezu kwakho izikhathi eziyisikhombisa , uze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke ubusa imibuso yabantu, ayinike amthandayo. ³³ Ngasona leso sikhathi le nto yagcwaliseka phezu kukaNebukadinesari : waxoshwa kubantu , wadliswa utshani njengezinkabi , umzimba wakhe wamanziswa ngamazolo ezulu, zaze zakhula izinwele zakhe n jengezimpaphe zezinkozi nezinzipho zakhe njengamazipho ezinyoni. ³⁴ Ngasekugcineni kwezinsuku mi na Nebukadinesari ngaphakamisa amehlo ami ezulwini , nomqondo wami wabuyela kimi , ngambonga oPhezukonke , ngamdumisa, ngamtusa yena ohlezi phakade . Ngokuba ukubus a kwakhe kungukubusa okuphakade , nombuso wakhe ungowezizukulwane ngezizukulwane; ³⁵ bonke abakhe emhlabeni bashaywa ize ; uyenza njengentando yakhe empini yasezulwin i naphakathi kwabakhileyo emhlabeni ; akakho ongavimbela isandla sakhe, noma athi kuye: Wenzani na? ³⁶ Ngasona leso sikhathi wabuyela kimi umqondo wami , nobukhosi bami nokucwebezela kwami kwabuyela kimi , kwaba ludumo lombuso wami ; abomkhandlu bami nezinduna zami bangifuna ; ngase ngibekwa embusweni wami, ngenezelwa ubukhulu obudluleleyo. ³⁷ Kalokhu-ke mina Nebukadinesari ngiyatusa , ngiyaphakamisa, ngiyidumisa iNkosi yezulu, ngokuba yonke imisebenzi yayo iyiqiniso , nezindlela zayo zingukwahlulela; abahamba ngokuzidla inamandla okubathobisa.