UDanyeli
6 UDariyu wakubona kukuhle ukuthi abeke ondunankulu abangu-120 kuwo wonke umbuso wakhe.+ 2 Ondunankulu+ laba babekhangelwa yiziphathamandla eziphezulu ezintathu futhi omunye wazo kwakunguDanyeli.+ Babebika kuziphathamandla lezi konke ababekwenza ukuze inkosi ingalahlekelwa yilutho. 3 Kodwa uDanyeli wayetshiyene kakhulu lezinye iziphathamandla eziphezulu labondunankulu ngoba wayelengqondo ekhaliphileyo.+ Yikho inkosi yayisifuna ukumnika isikhundla esiphezulu kuwo wonke umbuso wayo.
4 Ngalesosikhathi iziphathamandla eziphezulu labondunankulu baqalisa ukudinga icala ababengammangalela ngalo uDanyeli endabeni zombuso. Kodwa kabatholanga lutho olunxele ayelwenza loba ababengammangalela ngalo ngoba wayethembekile, ewenza kuhle umsebenzi wakhe futhi engelabuqili. 5 Amadoda la asesithi: “Akulalutho esizaluthola esingamangalela ngalo uDanyeli. Esingambamba ngakho kuphela yilokho okuphathelane lomthetho kaNkulunkulu wakhe.”+
6 Ngakho iziphathamandla eziphezulu labondunankulu baya enkosini beliqembu, bafika bathi kuyo: “Nkosi Dariyu phila kuze kube nini lanini. 7 Zonke izikhulu zesikhosini, leziphathamandla, labondunankulu, lababusi* bezabelo, labacebisi benkosi zihlanganise amakhanda ukuze zibeke umlayo wesikhosini okumele ulandelwe. Sivumelane ukuthi okwamalanga angu-30 loba ngubani ozabonakala ethandaza* komunye unkulunkulu kumbe komunye umuntu ngaphandle kwakho nkosi, kumele aphoselwe emgodini wezilwane.+ 8 Khathesi siyakucela nkosi ukuthi uwubeke umlayo lo njalo uwusayine+ ukuze ungatshintshwa, njengoba nje umthetho wamaMede lamaPhesiya ungeke uguqulwe.”+
9 Ngakho iNkosi uDariyu yawusayina umlayo.
10 UDanyeli wathi esizwa ukuthi umlayo ususayiniwe, wasuka waya endlini yakhe ekamelweni elisephahleni elalilamawindi avulwe akhangela eJerusalema.+ Waqhubeka eguqa kathathu ngelanga ethandaza njalo edumisa uNkulunkulu wakhe njengalokho ayejayele ukukwenza. 11 Ngalesosikhathi amadoda lawo atheleka afica uDanyeli ethandaza ecela njalo encenga ukuthi uNkulunkulu wakhe abe lomusa kuye.
12 Amadoda la asesiya enkosini afika ayikhumbuza ngomlayo wesikhosini athi: “Kanti awuzange uwusayine yini umlayo wokuthi okwamalanga angu-30 loba ngubani ozabonakala ethandaza* komunye unkulunkulu kumbe komunye umuntu ngaphandle kwakho nkosi, kumele aphoselwe emgodini wezilwane?” Inkosi yaphendula yathi: “Indaba le imiswe yaqina, ngoba umthetho wamaMede lamaPhesiya ngeke uguqulwe.”+ 13 Ahle atshela inkosi athi: “UDanyeli omunye wabathunjiweyo bakoJuda+ uyakudelela nkosi njalo kalandaba lomlayo owusayinileyo. Ukhuleka kathathu ngelanga.”+ 14 Inkosi yathi ikuzwa lokho yakhathazeka kakhulu yazama ukucabanga ukuthi ingamkhulula njani uDanyeli. Ilanga laze latshona ilokhu izama zonke izindlela zokumsindisa. 15 Ekucineni amadoda la aqhubana aya enkosini afika athi kuyo: “Nkosi, khumbula ukuthi umthetho wamaMede lamaPhesiya uthi loba yiwuphi umlayo omiswe yinkosi ngeke utshintshwe.”+
16 Inkosi yathi uDanyeli alethwe, wasephoselwa emgodini wezilwane.+ Inkosi yathi kuDanyeli: “UNkulunkulu wakho omkhonza zikhathi zonke uzakukhulula.” 17 Ngemva kwalokho kwathathwa ilitshe lafakwa emlonyeni womgodi wezilwane. Inkosi yabeka uphawu phezu kwalo ngendandatho yayo langendandatho yabahlonitshwa bayo ukuze okwenziwe kuDanyeli kungatshintshwa.
18 Inkosi yasibuyela esigodlweni sayo. Yazila ubusuku bonke, yala lokuthi bayilethele okokuzilibazisa* njalo kayibuquthanga mhlalokho.* 19 Kwathi sekusemadabukakusa yavuka yagijimela emgodini wezilwane. 20 Yathi ifika nje eduze komgodi wezilwane yabiza uDanyeli ngelizwi lodanileyo yathi: “Danyeli, nceku kaNkulunkulu ophilayo, uNkulunkulu wakho omkhonza zikhathi zonke ukuvikele yini ezilwaneni?” 21 UDanyeli wahle wayiphendula inkosi wathi: “Awu nkosi, phila kuze kube nini lanini. 22 UNkulunkulu wami uthumele ingilosi yakhe yavala imilomo yezilwane.+ Kazingilimazanga+ ngoba ngitholakale ngingelacala phambi kwakhe njalo akulalutho olubi engilwenzileyo kuwe nkosi yami.”
23 Inkosi yathi ikuzwa lokhu yathokoza kakhulu, yasisithi uDanyeli akhutshwe emgodini wezilwane. Waphuma engela lona inxeba ngoba wayethembele kuNkulunkulu wakhe.+
24 Ngemva kwalokho inkosi yabeka umlayo, kwasekulethwa amadoda ayemangalele* uDanyeli, aphoselwa emgodini wezilwane kanye labantwabawo labafazi bawo. Izilwane zahle zabahlangabeza bengakafiki laphansi zavodloza wonke amathambo abo.+
25 INkosi uDariyu yasibhalela bonke abantu bezizwe ezitshiyeneyo lendimi ezitshiyeneyo emhlabeni wonke+ yathi: “Ukuthula kwenu akwande! 26 Kuzo zonke izindawo ezisembusweni wami, ngibeka umlayo wokuthi abantu bamesabe njalo bamhloniphe uNkulunkulu kaDanyeli+ ngoba unguNkulunkulu ophilayo, okhona kuze kube nini lanini. Umbuso wakhe awusoze utshabalaliswe loba sekutheni futhi lobukhosi bakhe ngobaphakade.+ 27 Uyakhulula,+ asindise njalo wenza izibonakaliso lezimanga emazulwini lasemhlabeni+ ngoba ukhulule uDanyeli emandleni ezilwane.”
28 Yikho-ke uDanyeli waqhubeka ephumelela embusweni kaDariyu+ lasembusweni kaKhoresi umPhesiya.+