Daniel 5

¹King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand .

²Belshazzar , when he tasted the wine , commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought , that the king and his lords , his wives , and his concubines might drink from them.

³Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple , the house of God in Jerusalem , and the king and his lords , his wives , and his concubines drank from them.

⁴They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver , bronze , iron , wood , and stone .

⁵Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace , opposite the lampstand . And the king saw the hand as it wrote .

⁶Then the king’s color changed , and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way , and his knees knocked together .

⁷The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters , the Chaldeans , and the astrologers . The king declared to the wise men of Babylon , Whoever reads this writing , and shows me its interpretation , shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom .

⁸Then all the king’s wise men came in , but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation .

⁹Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed , and his color changed , and his lords were perplexed .

¹⁰The queen , because of the words of the king and his lords , came into the banqueting hall , and the queen declared , O king , live forever ! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change .

¹¹There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods . In the days of your father , light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar , your father —your father the king — made him chief of the magicians , enchanters , Chaldeans , and astrologers ,

¹²because an excellent spirit , knowledge , and understanding to interpret dreams , explain riddles , and solve problems were found in this Daniel , whom the king named Belteshazzar . Now let Daniel be called , and he will show the interpretation .

¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king . The king answered and said to Daniel , You are that Daniel , one of the exiles of Judah , whom the king my father brought from Judah .

¹⁴I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.

¹⁵Now the wise men, the enchanters , have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation , but they could not show the interpretation of the matter .

¹⁶But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems . Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation , you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom .

¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king , Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another . Nevertheless , I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation .

¹⁸O king , the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty .

¹⁹And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples , nations , and languages trembled and feared before him . Whom he would , he killed , and whom he would , he kept alive ; whom he would , he raised up , and whom he would , he humbled .

²⁰when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly , he was brought down from his kingly throne , and his glory was taken from him.

²¹He was driven from among the children of mankind , and his mind was made like that of a beast , and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys . He was fed grass like an ox , and his body was wet with the dew of heaven , until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will .

²²And you his son , Belshazzar , have not humbled your heart , though you knew all this ,

²³but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven . And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords , your wives , and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold , of bronze , iron , wood , and stone , which do not see or hear or know , but the God in whose hand is your breath , and whose are all your ways , you have not honored .

²⁴Then from his presence the hand was sent , and this writing was inscribed .

²⁵And this is the writing that was inscribed : MENE , MENE , TEKEL , and PARSIN .

²⁶This is the interpretation of the matter :, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end ;

²⁷, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting ;

²⁸, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians .

²⁹Then Belshazzar gave the command , and Daniel was clothed with purple , a chain of gold was put around his neck , and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom .

³⁰That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed .

³¹And Darius the Mede received the kingdom , being about sixty-two years old .