Daniel in the Pit of Lions
1 Darius decided to appoint a hundred and twenty governors to hold office throughout his empire. 2 In addition, he chose Daniel and two others to supervise the governors and to look after the king's interests. 3 Daniel soon showed that he could do better work than the other supervisors or the governors. Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire. 4 Then the other supervisors and the governors tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel administered the empire, but they couldn't, because Daniel was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest. 5 They said to each other, “We are not going to find anything of which to accuse Daniel unless it is something in connection with his religion.”
6 So they went to see the king and said, “King Darius, may Your Majesty live forever! 7 All of us who administer your empire—the supervisors, the governors, the lieutenant governors, and the other officials—have agreed that Your Majesty should issue an order and enforce it strictly. Give orders that for thirty days no one be permitted to request anything from any god or from any human being except from Your Majesty. Anyone who violates this order is to be thrown into a pit filled with lions. 8 So let Your Majesty issue this order and sign it, and it will be in force, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” 9 And so King Darius signed the order. 10 When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.
11 When Daniel's enemies observed him praying to God, 12 all of them went together to the king to accuse Daniel. They said, “Your Majesty, you signed an order that for the next thirty days anyone who requested anything from any god or from any human being except you, would be thrown into a pit filled with lions.”
The king replied, “Yes, that is a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”
13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, does not respect Your Majesty or obey the order you issued. He prays regularly three times a day.”
14 When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset. 15 Then Daniel's enemies came back to the king and said to him, “Your Majesty knows that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians no order which the king issues can be changed.”
16 So the king gave orders for Daniel to be taken and thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.” 17 A stone was put over the mouth of the pit, and the king placed his own royal seal and the seal of his noblemen on the stone, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to the palace and spent a sleepless night, without food or any form of entertainment.
19 At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. 20 When he got there, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “May Your Majesty live forever! 22 God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be pulled up out of the pit. So they pulled him up and saw that he had not been hurt at all, for he trusted God. 24 Then the king gave orders to arrest all those who had accused Daniel, and he had them thrown, together with their wives and children, into the pit filled with lions. Before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke all their bones.
25 Then King Darius wrote to the people of all nations, races, and languages on earth:
“Greetings! 26 I command that throughout my empire everyone should fear and respect Daniel's God.
“He is a living God,
and he will rule forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his power will never come to an end.
27 He saves and rescues;
he performs wonders and miracles
in heaven and on earth.
He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions.”
28 Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel mondimba yozongeyama
1 Darius wa tya okuzika ozongooneya esere rimwe nomirongo vivari okuungura oviungura mouhona we auhe. 2 Eye wina wa toorora Daniel novakwao vevari kutja ve tjevere ozongooneya mba nokuṱakamisa ouini auhe wombara. 3 Kamanga Daniel wa raisa kutja eye wa sora okuungura oviungura nawa povakuramenepo ovakwao vevari vombara na pozongooneya wina. Daniel tjinga a ri onongo tjinene nai, ombara otji ye ripura okumuzika kutja eye erike a rire omukuramenepo wayo mouhona auhe. 4 Ovakuramenepo ovakwao vevari nozongooneya otji va kondja okupaha otjiṋa tji tji he ri tjo momuhingo Daniel mbuya honaparere na wo ouhona, nungwari owo kave munine otjiṋa, Daniel tjinga a ri omuṱakame nu tjinga aa ha tjiti otjiṋa tjoposyo poo otjihasemba. 5 Owo verihungirire oveni ave tja: “Eṱe kamaatu munu otjiṋa ngamwa mu matu pere Daniel ondjo posi yokutja andakuzu otjo otjiṋa tji tja tjama nongamburiro ye.”
6 Owo otji va ya kombara nave katja nai: “Muhona ombara Darius, ove ngo hupe orure! 7 Eṱe atuhe mbu tu ungura mouhona woye, ovakuramenepo, nozongooneya, novanane ozohongora vokehi, novahongore varwe avehe, twa zuvasana kutja ove, muhona ombara, u sokutjivisa omarakiza nokuyezikamisa oukukutu. Tjita omarakiza wokutja oure womayuva omirongo vitatu ape ha yandjerwa omundu okuningira otjiṋa komukuru auhe ngamwa poo komundu warwe posi ya kove porwe, ngu u ri omuhona ombara erike. Auhe ngu ma teya omarakiza nga, nga yumbwe mondimba ndje ura nozongeyama. 8 Muhona ombara nga tjivise omarakiza nga nu nga tjange ko ena re; nowo otji maye zikamisiwa aye rire etwako rOvamedi nOvapersie, noro kari nokurundururwa ko.”
9 Ombara Darius otja twako ena re okutjivisa omarakiza nga. 10 Daniel tja tjiwa kutja ombara ya tjanga ko ena rayo okuyetjivisa, wa yaruka konganda. Etuwo rokombanda rondjuwo ye ra ri notuiho tu twa tara kOjerusalem. Poṋa mbo eye wa wora ozongoro potuiho tu twa ri kamwaha otja tjaa tjiti aruhe tutatu meyuva na kumbu ku Ndjambi.
11 Ovanavita na Daniel tji ve mu muna ama kumbu ku Ndjambi, 12 avehe otji va ya pamwe kombara okukakuminina Daniel ave tja: “Muhona ombara, ove wa tjanga ena roye okutjivisa omarakiza wokutja oure womayuva omirongo vitatu auhe ngu ma ningire otjiṋa komukuru auhe ngamwa poo komundu warwe posi ya kove porwe, eye ma yumbwa mondimba ndje ura nozongeyama.”
Ombara ya zira ai tja: “Ii, owo omarakiza omakukutu, etwako rOvamedi nOvapersie, nu ndi hi nakurundururwa ko.”
13 Tjazumba va tja nai kombara: “Daniel, omuhuurwa umwe ngwa zire kOjuda, ke nondengero kove, muhona ombara, nu ke nonḓuviro komarakiza ngu wa tjivisa. Eye u kumba ku Ndjambi we aruhe tutatu meyuva.”
14 Ombara tji ya zuva otjiṋa hi, arire tji ya kurungisiwa nai kondjo tjinene okupaha omuhingo mbu ya sokuyama na wo Daniel. Oyo ya kara pokukondja nao nga tji ratoko. 15 Tjazumba ovarumendu mbo va kotoka kombara nave tja nai ku yo: “Muhona ombara, ove u tjiwa nawa kutja otja komatwako wOvamedi nOvapersie kape nomarakiza ombara ngu ya tjivisa ngu maye sora okurundururwa.”
16 Ombara otji ya yandja omarakiza wokutja Daniel a kamburwe; nu Daniel wa yumbwa mondimba ndje ura nozongeyama. Nombara ya tja nai ku Daniel: “Ndjambi woye ngu u karera nouṱakame nai nge ku yame.” 17 Pa tuwa ewe potjinyo tjondimba, nombara ya twako otjihako tjayo oini tjouhona na ihi tjozohivirikwa zayo kewe kutja ape ha ningi omundu ngu ma sora okuyama Daniel. 18 Tjazumba ombara ya yaruka kondjuwo yayo youhona nu ai kara katumba ouṱuku mbo nai ha ri ovikurya nai ha kara nenyando ngamwa arihe.
19 Menyunguhuka ombara otji ya penduka nai ritupukire kondimba hakahana. 20 Tji ye ya pondimba, arire tji ya ravaera momburuma ai tja: “Daniel, mukarere wa Ndjambi omunamuinyo! Ndjambi ove nguyo karere aruhe nai nouṱakame we ku yama kozongeyama are?”
21 Daniel wa zira a tja: “Muhona ombara nga hupe orure! 22 Ndjambi wa hindi omuengeri we kutja e ye okupata ovinyo vyozongeyama kokutja aze he ndji tjiti otjipo. Eye wa tjita otjiṋa hi, tjinga aa tjiwa kutja ami hi nondjo, nokutja ami hi tjitire ondataiziro kove, muhona ombara.”
23 Ombara ya yoroka tjinene, notji ya rakiza kutja Daniel a pitisiwe mondimba. Owo ve mu pitisa nave munu kutja eye ke na indu wa munu otjipo, tjinga e riyameka ku Ndjambi we. 24 Tjazumba ombara otji ya rakiza kutja ovarumendu avehe mba kuminina Daniel, ve kamburwe; nowo va yumbwa puna ovakazendu novanatje vawo mondimba ndje urire nozongeyama. Ngunda ave hiya punda mondimba kehi tjandje ozongeyama za wire ku wo naze tete omaṱupa wawo.
25 Ombara Darius arire tja tjanga orutuu kovandu voviwaṋa nomihoko avihe nowomaraka aehe mbe ri kombanda yehi na tja:
“Ohange onene ku eṋe amuhe! 26 Ami me rakiza kutja omundu auhe ngu ri mouhona wandje u sokutira nokuyozika Ndjambi wa Daniel. Eye onguri Ndjambi omunamuinyo nongu honapara nga aruhe. Ouhona we kamaau nyonwa ko, nouvara we kamaau yanda ko. 27 Eye u kutura nu u yama; eye u tjita ovihimise novikumise meyuru na kombanda yehi. Eye wa yama Daniel kutja a ha ṱu i ozongeyama.”
28 Daniel wa kara nouṋingandu moruveze rwouhona wa Darius nowOmupersie Kirus.
