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Belshazzar and the Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

5
Chapter 5
1 King Belteshazzar made a great banquet for his chief officers—a thousand—and drank wine to receive a thousand. 2 Belshazzar said, "In the taste of wine, bring the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father brought out from the temple that is in Jerusalem, and they drank in them: the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines." 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that they had taken from the temple of the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his chief officers, his concubines and his consorts drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. 5 In that hour fingers of a hand of a man came forth and their writing was opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the palm of the hand that was writing. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts terrified him; the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees knocked one against the other. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the magicians, Chaldeans, and deciders. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babel, "Whoever among all men who reads this writing of Dannah and its interpretation will show me, he will wear purple, and the necklace of gold upon his neck, and third in the kingdom he will rule." 8 Then all the king's cultic sages entered, but they could not read the writing or make its interpretation known to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly terrified, and his divine radiances changed upon him, and his chief officers were confounded. 10 The queen mother, hearing the word of the king and his chief officers, arose to the house of the banquet. She entered, the queen mother, and said, "O king, live forever! May your thought not terrify you, and may your divine glory not change." 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of your father brightness, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him, and king Nebuchadnezzar your father, O king, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners. 12 because an extraordinary Spirit and understanding and insight that he has for interpreting dream visions and solving knots and untying difficult cases was found in him, in Daniel whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. 13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is from the sons of the exile of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?" 14 I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and brightness, insight, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. 15 And now the wise men, the sorcerers, have been brought before me, those who can read this writing—but they are not able to make known its interpretation. 16 And I have heard about you that you are able to interpret interpretations to interpret and pleasing aromas to rule. Now if you are able to read the writing and make its interpretation known to me, you shall wear purple and the gold necklace upon your neck and you shall rule third in the kingdom. 17 Then Daniel answered before the king: "Keep your gifts for yourself, and give your rewards to someone else—however, I will read the writing to the king and make its interpretation known to him." 18 You, O king, God Most High gave kingdom, dominion, glory, and honor to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 And from the great authority that he had given him, all peoples, nations, and tongues trembled and feared before him: whoever he wanted he killed, and whoever he wanted he struck, and whoever he wanted he raised up, and whoever he wanted he humbled. 20 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit was hardened to act arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and stripped of his glory. 21 And from the sons of man he was driven away, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and with donkeys of the field grass like bulls they will feed him, and from the dew of the heavens his body will be drenched, until he knows that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of man, and to whom he appoints he raises up over it. 22 And you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you have known all this. 23 And against the host of heaven you have exalted yourself, and to the images that the house of its gods were brought before you, you and your nobles have praised, and your songstress wine you have drunk in them, and to gods of silver and gold, bronze, iron, stone, and wood that do not see nor hear nor know you have praised, and to the God in whose hand your breath of life is and all your ways to him you have not glorified. 24 Then a finger of a hand came out from before him, and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was weighed: mina, mina, tekel, parsîn. 26 This is the interpretation of the word: "Mene, Mene—God has numbered your kingdom and finished it." 27 Tekel, you have been weighed on the divine scales and found wanting, deficient. 28 Persia has divided your kingdom and given it to Media and Persia. 29 Then Belshazzar said, and they clothed Daniel in purple and put the gold necklace on his neck, and they declared about him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 In that night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two years.