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Глава 4

1. Nabuchodonozor king, vnto all people, natios, and languages that dwel vpon the whole earth, peace be multiplied among you.
2. I thought it good to shewe the signes & marueylous workes that the hie God hath wrought vpo me.
3. O how great are his signes, and howe mightie are his wonders? his kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome, & his dominion is fro generation to generation.
4. I Nabuchodonozor beyng at rest in my house, and florishing in my palace,
5. Sawe a dreame, whiche made me afrayde, and the thoughtes vpon my bed, with the visios of my head, troubled me.
6. Therfore made I a decree, that they shoulde bring all the wyse men of Babylon before me, that they might declare vnto me the interpretatio of the dreame.
7. So came the wyse men, the soothsayers, the Chaldeans, and wisardes: to whom I tolde the dreame, but they coulde not shewe me the interpretation therof.
8. Till at the last Daniel came before me (whose name was Baltassar, according to the name of my God) which hath the spirite of the holy gods in hym, & before him I tolde the dreame, saying:
9. O Baltassar, thou prince of wyse men, forsomuch as I knowe that thou hast the spirite of the holy gods, & no secrete troubleth thee: tell me therefore the visions of my dreame that I haue seene, and the interpretation therof.
10. Thus were the visions of my head vpon my bed: And behold, I saw a tree in the mids of the earth, and the heyght therof was great,
11. A great tree and strong, and the heyght therof reached vnto the heauen, and the sight thereof to the endes of all the earth.
12. The leaues therof were fayre, and the fruite therof much, and in it was meate for all: the beastes of the fielde had shadowes vnder it, and the foules of the aire dwelt in the bowes therof: al fleshe fed of it.
13. I sawe in the visions of my head vpon my bed, and beholde a watcher and a holy one came downe from heauen,
14. And cryed mightily, saying thus: Hew downe the tree, breake of his braunches, shake of his leaues, & scatter his fruite abroade: that the beastes may get them away from vnder hym, and the foules from his braunches.
15. Neuerthelesse, leaue the stumpe of his rootes still in the earth, and with a band of iron and brasse [binde it] among the grasse of the fielde, & let it be wet with the deawe of heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes among the grasse of the fielde.
16. Let his heart be chaunged from mans [nature] and let a beastes heart be geued vnto hym, and let seuen times be passed ouer hym.
17. This sentence [is] according to the decree of the watchers, and the request according to the word of the holy ones: because liuing men should knowe that the hyghest hath power ouer the kingdome of men, and geueth it to whom it liketh hym, and setteth vp ouer it the basese among men.
18. This is the dreame that I king Nabuchodonozor haue seene: therfore thou, O Baltassar, declare the interpretation therof, forsomuch as al the wyse men of my kingdome are not able to shewe me what it meaneth: but thou canst do it, for the spirite of the holy gods is in thee.
19. Then Daniel, whose name was Baltassar, held his peace by the space of one houre, and his thoughtes troubled him. So the king spake, and sayde, O Baltassar, let neither the dreame nor the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Baltassar aunswered, saying: O my Lord, this dreame be to them that hate thee, & the interpretation therof to thyne aduersaries.
20. As for the tree that thou sawest, which was great and mightie, whose heyght reached vnto the heauen, and the sight therof through all the world,
21. Whose leaues were fayre, and the fruite therof much, and in it was meate for all: vnder the which the beastes of the fielde had their habitation, and vpon whose braunches the foules of the aire did sit:
22. It is thou, O king, whiche are great and mightie, for thy greatnesse increaseth, & reacheth vnto the heauen, so doth thy dominion to the endes of the earth.
23. But wheras the king saw a watcher, and a holy one that came downe from heauen, and sayd, Hewe downe the tree, & destroy it, yet leaue the stumpe of the rootes therof in the earth, and with a band of iron & brasse binde it among the grasse of the fielde, & let it be wet with the dewe of the heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes of the fielde, till seuen times passe ouer him:
24. This O king is the interpretation, yea it is ye very decree of hym that is hyghest of al, and it toucheth my lord the king.
25. Thou shalt be cast out from men, and thy dwelling shalbe with the beastes of the fielde: with grasse shalt thou be fed like oxen, thou must be wet with the deawe of the heauen, yea seue times shall passe ouer thee, till thou knowe that the hyghest hath power ouer the kingdome of men, & geueth it to whom he list.
26. Moreouer, where as it was sayd, that the stumpe of the roote of the tree should be left still: it betokeneth, that thy kingdome shall remayne whole vnto thee, after thou hast learned to knowe that the power commeth from heauen.
27. Wherfore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable vnto thee, and breake of thy sinnes by righteousnesse, and thyne iniquities by mercie towarde the poore: lo, let there be a healing of thyne errour.
28. All these thinges touche the king Nabuchodonozor.
29. So after twelue monethes, the king walked in the palace of the kingdome of Babylon.
30. And the king spake, & sayd: Is not this great Babylon that I haue buylt for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power, and for the honour of my maiestie?
31. Whyle these wordes were yet in the kinges mouth, there fell a voyce from heauen, saying: O king Nabuchodonozor, to thee be it spoken, Thy kingdome is departed from thee,
32. And thou shalt be cast out of mens companie, thy dwelling shalbe with the beastes of the fielde: so that thou shalt eate grasse like oxen, and seuen times shal passe ouer thee, vntil thou knowest that the hyghest hath power vpon the kingdome of men, and geueth it vnto whom it pleaseth hym.
33. The very same houre was this matter fulfilled vpon Nabuchodonozor, so that he was cast out of mens companie, & did eate grasse like oxen, and his body was wet with the deawe of heauen, till his heeres were growen as Egles [fethers] and his nayles like byrdes clawes.
34. When this time was past, I Nabuchodonozor lift vp myne eyes vnto heauen, and mine vnderstanding was restored vnto me: then gaue I thankes vnto the highest, I magnified & praysed hym that liueth for euermore, whose power is an euerlasting power, and his kingdome is from one generatio to another.
35. And all they that dwel vpon the earth, are to be reputed as nothing, and according to his will he worketh in the armie of heauen, among the inhabitours of the earth: and there is none that may resist his hand, or say vnto him, what doest thou?
36. At the same time was myne vnderstanding geuen me againe, and I was [restored] to the honour of my kingdome, my glorie and my beautie was restored vnto me, & my counsellers and princes sought vnto me, and I was established in my kingdome, & my glorie was augmented towarde me.
37. Now therfore I Nabuchodonozor prayse, and extol, & magnifie the king of heauen, whose workes are all trueth, & his wayes iudgement, and those that walke in pryde he is able to abase.