Daniel - 5

1 - Belshazzar - the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

2 - Belshazzar - , whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar - had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem - ; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

3 - Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem - ; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

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

5 - In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 - Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

7 - The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon - , Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

8 - Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

9 - Then was king Belshazzar - greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

10 - Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

11 - There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar - thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12 - Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel - , whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel - be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

13 - Then was Daniel - brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel - , Art thou that Daniel - , which art of the children of the captivity of Judah - , whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

14 - I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

15 - And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

16 - And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17 - Then Daniel - answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

18 - O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar - thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

19 - And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

20 - But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

21 - And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

22 - And thou his son, O Belshazzar - , hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23 - But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

24 - Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

25 - And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

26 - This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 - TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 - PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

29 - Then commanded Belshazzar - , and they clothed Daniel - with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 - In that night was Belshazzar - the king of the Chaldeans slain.

31 - And Darius - the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.