Daniele 2
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
IL SOGNO DI NABUCODONOSOR
Il re interroga i suoi indovini
2 Nel secondo anno del suo regno, Nabucodònosor fece un sogno e il suo animo ne fu tanto agitato da non poter più dormire. 2 Allora il re ordinò che fossero chiamati i maghi, gli astrologi, gli incantatori e i caldei a spiegargli i sogni. Questi vennero e si presentarono al re. 3 Egli disse loro: «Ho fatto un sogno e il mio animo si è tormentato per trovarne la spiegazione». 4 I caldei risposero al re (aramaico): «Re, vivi per sempre. Racconta il sogno ai tuoi servi e noi te ne daremo la spiegazione». 5 Rispose il re ai caldei: «Questa è la mia decisione: se voi non mi rivelate il sogno e la sua spiegazione sarete fatti a pezzi e le vostre case saranno ridotte in letamai. 6 Se invece mi rivelerete il sogno e me ne darete la spiegazione, riceverete da me doni, regali e grandi onori. Ditemi dunque il sogno e la sua spiegazione». 7 Essi replicarono: «Esponga il re il sogno ai suoi servi e noi ne daremo la spiegazione». 8 Rispose il re: «Comprendo bene che voi volete guadagnar tempo, perché avete inteso la mia decisione. 9 Se non mi dite qual era il mio sogno, una sola sarà la vostra sorte. Vi siete messi d'accordo per darmi risposte astute e false in attesa che le circostanze si mutino. Perciò ditemi il sogno e io saprò che voi siete in grado di darmene anche la spiegazione». 10 I caldei risposero davanti al re: «Non c'è nessuno al mondo che possa soddisfare la richiesa del re: difatti nessun re, per quanto potente e grande, ha mai domandato una cosa simile ad un mago, indovino o caldeo. 11 La richiesa del re è tanto difficile, che nessuno ne può dare al re la risposta, se non gli dei la cui dimora è lontano dagli uomini».
12 Allora il re, acceso di furore, ordinò che tutti i saggi di Babilonia fossero messi a morte. 13 Il decreto fu pubblicato e gia i saggi venivano uccisi; anche Daniele e i suoi compagni erano ricercati per essere messi a morte.
Intervento di Daniele
14 Ma Daniele rivolse parole piene di saggezza e di prudenza ad Ariòch, capo delle guardie del re, che stava per uccidere i saggi di Babilonia, 15 e disse ad Ariòch, ufficiale del re: «Perché il re ha emanato un decreto così severo?». Ariòch ne spiegò il motivo a Daniele. 16 Egli allora entrò dal re e pregò che gli si concedesse tempo: egli avrebbe dato la spiegazione dei sogni al re. 17 Poi Daniele andò a casa e narrò la cosa ai suoi compagni, Anania, Misaele e Azaria, 18 ed essi implorarono misericordia dal Dio del cielo riguardo a questo mistero, perché Daniele e i suoi compagni non fossero messi a morte insieme con tutti gli altri saggi di Babilonia.
19 Allora il mistero fu svelato a Daniele in una visione notturna; perciò Daniele benedisse il Dio del cielo:
20 «Sia benedetto il nome di Dio di secolo in secolo,
perché a lui appartengono la sapienza e la potenza.
21 Egli alterna tempi e stagioni, depone i re e li innalza,
concede la sapienza ai saggi,
agli intelligenti il sapere.
22 Svela cose profonde e occulte
e sa quel che è celato nelle tenebre
e presso di lui è la luce.
23 Gloria e lode a te, Dio dei miei padri,
che mi hai concesso la sapienza e la forza,
mi hai manifestato ciò che ti abbiamo domandato
e ci hai illustrato la richiesta del re».
24 Allora Daniele si recò da Ariòch, al quale il re aveva affidato l'incarico di uccidere i saggi di Babilonia, e presentatosi gli disse: «Non uccidere i saggi di Babilonia, ma conducimi dal re e io gli farò conoscere la spiegazione del sogno». 25 Ariòch condusse in fretta Daniele alla presenza del re e gli disse: «Ho trovato un uomo fra i Giudei deportati, il quale farà conoscere al re la spiegazione del sogno». 26 Il re disse allora a Daniele, chiamato Baltazzàr: «Puoi tu davvero rivelarmi il sogno che ho fatto e darmene la spiegazione?». 27 Daniele, davanti al re, rispose: «Il mistero di cui il re chiede la spiegazione non può essere spiegato né da saggi, né da astrologi, né da maghi, né da indovini; 28 ma c'è un Dio nel cielo che svela i misteri ed egli ha rivelato al re Nabucodònosor quel che avverrà al finire dei giorni. Ecco dunque qual era il tuo sogno e le visioni che sono passate per la tua mente, mentre dormivi nel tuo letto. 29 O re, i pensieri che ti sono venuti mentre eri a letto riguardano il futuro; colui che svela i misteri ha voluto svelarti ciò che dovrà avvenire. 30 Se a me è stato svelato questo mistero, non è perché io possieda una sapienza superiore a tutti i viventi, ma perché ne sia data la spiegazione al re e tu possa conoscere i pensieri del tuo cuore. 31 Tu stavi osservando, o re, ed ecco una statua, una statua enorme, di straordinario splendore, si ergeva davanti a te con terribile aspetto. 32 Aveva la testa d'oro puro, il petto e le braccia d'argento, il ventre e le cosce di bronzo, 33 le gambe di ferro e i piedi in parte di ferro e in parte di creta. 34 Mentre stavi guardando, una pietra si staccò dal monte, ma non per mano di uomo, e andò a battere contro i piedi della statua, che erano di ferro e di argilla, e li frantumò. 35 Allora si frantumarono anche il ferro, l'argilla, il bronzo, l'argento e l'oro e divennero come la pula sulle aie d'estate; il vento li portò via senza lasciar traccia, mentre la pietra, che aveva colpito la statua, divenne una grande montagna che riempì tutta quella regione.
36 Questo è il sogno: ora ne daremo la spiegazione al re. 37 Tu o re, sei il re dei re; a te il Dio del cielo ha concesso il regno, la potenza, la forza e la gloria. 38 A te ha concesso il dominio sui figli dell'uomo, sugli animali selvatici, sugli uccelli del cielo; tu li domini tutti: tu sei la testa d'oro. 39 Dopo di te sorgerà un altro regno, inferiore al tuo; poi un terzo regno, quello di bronzo, che dominerà su tutta la terra. 40 Vi sarà poi un quarto regno, duro come il ferro. Come il ferro spezza e frantuma tutto, così quel regno spezzerà e frantumerà tutto. 41 Come hai visto, i piedi e le dita erano in parte di argilla da vasaio e in parte di ferro: ciò significa che il regno sarà diviso, ma avrà la durezza del ferro unito all'argilla. 42 Se le dita dei piedi erano in parte di ferro e in parte di argilla, ciò significa che una parte del regno sarà forte e l'altra fragile. 43 Il fatto d'aver visto il ferro mescolato all'argilla significa che le due parti si uniranno per via di matrimoni, ma non potranno diventare una cosa sola, come il ferro non si amalgama con l'argilla. 44 Al tempo di questi re, il Dio del cielo farà sorgere un regno che non sarà mai distrutto e non sarà trasmesso ad altro popolo: stritolerà e annienterà tutti gli altri regni, mentre esso durerà per sempre. 45 Questo significa quella pietra che tu hai visto staccarsi dal monte, non per mano di uomo, e che ha stritolato il ferro, il bronzo, l'argilla, l'argento e l'oro. Il Dio grande ha rivelato al re quello che avverrà da questo tempo in poi. Il sogno è vero e degna di fede ne è la spiegazione».
Professione di fede del re
46 Allora il re Nabucodònosor piegò la faccia a terra, si prostrò davanti a Daniele e ordinò che gli si offrissero sacrifici e incensi. 47 Quindi rivolto a Daniele gli disse: «Certo, il vostro Dio è il Dio degli dei, il Signore dei re e il rivelatore dei misteri, poiché tu hai potuto svelare questo mistero». 48 Il re esaltò Daniele e gli fece molti preziosi regali, lo costituì governatore di tutta la provincia di Babilonia e capo di tutti i saggi di Babilonia; 49 su richiesta di Daniele, il re fece amministratori della provincia di Babilonia, Sadràch, Mesàch e Abdènego. Daniele rimase alla corte del re.
Daniel 2
King James Version
2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Daniel 2
New King James Version
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; (A)and his spirit was so troubled that (B)his sleep left him. 2 (C)Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to [a]know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, (D)“O[b] king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My [c]decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be (E)cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 (F)However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.”
8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the [d]time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can [e]give me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a [f]difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king (G)except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought (H)Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so [g]urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 (I)that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel (J)in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said:
(K)“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
(L)For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes (M)the times and the seasons;
(N)He removes kings and raises up kings;
(O)He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 (P)He reveals deep and secret things;
(Q)He knows what is in the darkness,
And (R)light dwells with Him.
23 “I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we (S)asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s [h]demand.”
Daniel Explains the Dream
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the [i]captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 (T)But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar (U)what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; (V)and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 (W)But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, (X)and that you may [j]know the thoughts of your heart.
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 (Y)This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and [k]thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of [l]clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out (Z)without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 (AA)Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became (AB)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that (AC)no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image (AD)became a great mountain (AE)and filled the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 (AF)You, O king, are a king of kings. (AG)For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 (AH)and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—(AI)you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise (AJ)another kingdom (AK)inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And (AL)the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, (AM)so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly [m]fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings (AN)the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (AO)which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; (AP)it shall [n]break in pieces and [o]consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 (AQ)Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
Daniel and His Friends Promoted
46 (AR)Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering (AS)and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly (AT)your God is the God of (AU)gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 (AV)Then the king promoted Daniel (AW)and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and (AX)chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, (AY)and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel (AZ)sat in [p]the gate of the king.
Footnotes
- Daniel 2:3 Or understand
- Daniel 2:4 The original language of Daniel 2:4b through 7:28 is Aramaic.
- Daniel 2:5 The command
- Daniel 2:9 Situation
- Daniel 2:9 Or declare to me
- Daniel 2:11 Or rare
- Daniel 2:15 Or harsh
- Daniel 2:23 Lit. word
- Daniel 2:25 Lit. sons of the captivity
- Daniel 2:30 Understand
- Daniel 2:32 Or sides
- Daniel 2:33 Or baked clay, also vv. 34, 35, 42
- Daniel 2:42 Or brittle
- Daniel 2:44 Or crush
- Daniel 2:44 Lit. put an end to
- Daniel 2:49 The king’s court
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
