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