< Daniel 5 >

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, drinking wine before the thousand.
Belshazzar the king hath made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he is drinking wine;
2 Belshazzar, while he was overcome with wine, gave orders for them to put before him the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem; so that the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, might take their drink from them.
Belshazzar hath said — while tasting the wine — to bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, that drink with them may the king, and his great men, his wives, and his concubines.
3 Then they took in the gold and silver vessels which had been in the Temple of the house of God at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, took wine from them.
Then they have brought in the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and drunk with them have the king and his great men, his wives and his concubines;
4 They took their wine and gave praise to the gods of gold and silver, of brass and iron and wood and stone.
they have drunk wine, and have praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 In that very hour the fingers of a man's hand were seen, writing opposite the support for the light on the white wall of the king's house, and the king saw the part of the hand which was writing.
In that hour come forth have fingers of a man's hand, and they are writing over-against the candlestick, on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king is seeing the extremity of the hand that is writing;
6 Then the colour went from the king's face, and he was troubled by his thoughts; strength went from his body, and his knees were shaking.
then the king's countenance hath changed, and his thoughts do trouble him, and the joints of his loins are loosed, and his knees are smiting one against another.
7 The king, crying out with a loud voice, said that the users of secret arts, the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs, were to be sent for. The king made answer and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever is able to make out this writing, and make clear to me the sense of it, will be clothed in purple and have a chain of gold round his neck, and will be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
Call doth the king mightily, to bring up the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Answered hath the king, and said to the wise men of Babylon, that, 'Any man who doth read this writing, and its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and third in the kingdom he doth rule.'
8 Then all the king's wise men came in: but they were not able to make out the writing or give the sense of it to the king.
Then coming up are all the wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the interpretation to make known to the king;
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled and the colour went from his face, and his lords were at a loss.
then the king Belshazzar is greatly troubled, and his countenance is changing in him, and his great men are perplexed.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the house of the feast: the queen made answer and said, O King, have life for ever; do not be troubled by your thoughts or let the colour go from your face:
The queen, on account of the words of the king and his great men, to the banquet-house hath come up. Answered hath the queen, and said, 'O king, to the ages live; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor thy countenance be changed:
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and reason like the wisdom of the gods were seen in him: and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs;
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 — as the wisdom of the gods — was found in him; and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, chief of the scribes, enchanters, Chaldeans, soothsayers, established him — thy father, O king —
12 Because a most special spirit, and knowledge and reason and the power of reading dreams and unfolding dark sayings and answering hard questions, were seen to be in him, even in Daniel (named Belteshazzar by the king): now let Daniel be sent for, and he will make clear the sense of the writing.
because that an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of enigmas, and loosing of knots was found in him, in Daniel, whose name the king made Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and the interpretation he doth show.'
13 Then they took Daniel in before the king; the king made answer and said to Daniel, So you are that Daniel, of the prisoners of Judah, whom my father took out of Judah.
Then Daniel hath been caused to come up before the king; answered hath the king, and said to Daniel, 'Thou art that Daniel who [art] of the sons of the Removed of Judah, whom the king my father brought in out of Judah?
14 And I have had news of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and reason and special wisdom have been seen in you.
And I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods [is] in thee, and light, and understanding, and excellent wisdom have been found in thee.
15 And now the wise men, the users of secret arts, have been sent in before me for the purpose of reading this writing and making clear to me the sense of it: but they are not able to make clear the sense of the thing:
'And now, caused to come up before me have been the wise men, the enchanters, that this writing they may read, and its interpretation to cause me to know: and they are not able to shew the interpretation of the thing:
16 And I have had news of you, that you have the power of making things clear, and of answering hard questions: now if you are able to make out the writing and give me the sense of it, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain round your neck and be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
and I — I have heard of thee, that thou art able to give interpretations, and to loose knots: now, lo — thou art able to read the writing, and its interpretation to cause me to know — purple thou dost put on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on thy neck, and third in the kingdom thou dost rule.'
17 Then Daniel made answer and said to the king, Keep your offerings for yourself, and give your rewards to another; but I, after reading the writing to the king, will give him the sense of it.
Then hath Daniel answered and said before the king, 'Thy gifts be to thyself, and thy fee to another give; nevertheless, the writing I do read to the king, and the interpretation I cause him to know;
18 As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour:
thou, O king, God Most High, a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honour, gave to Nebuchadnezzar thy father:
19 And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him.
and because of the greatness that He gave to him, all peoples, nations, and languages were trembling and fearing before him: whom he willed he was slaying, and whom he willed he was keeping alive, and whom he willed he was raising up, and whom he willed he was making low;
20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him:
and when his heart was high, and his spirit was strong to act proudly, he hath been caused to come down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory they have caused to pass away from him,
21 And he was sent out from among the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields; he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure.
and from the sons of men he is driven, and his heart with the beasts hath been like, and with the wild asses [is] his dwelling; the herb like oxen they cause him to eat, and by the dew of the heavens is his body wet, till that he hath known that God Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and whom He willeth He raiseth up over it.
22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this;
'And thou, his son, Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though all this thou hast known;
23 But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;
and against the Lord of the heavens thou hast lifted up thyself; and the vessels of His house they have brought in before thee, and thou, and thy great men, thy wives, and thy concubines, are drinking wine with them, and gods of silver, and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that are not seeing, nor hearing, nor knowing, thou hast praised: and the God in whose hand [is] thy breath, and all thy ways, Him thou hast not honoured.
24 Then the part of the hand was sent out from before him, and this writing was recorded.
'Then from before Him sent is the extremity of the hand, and the writing is noted down;
25 And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.
and this [is] the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.
26 This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.
This [is] the interpretation of the thing: Numbered — God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
27 Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.
Weighed — Thou art weighed in the balances, and hast been found lacking.
28 Peres; your kingdom has been cut up and given to the Medes and Persians.
Divided — Divided is thy kingdom, and it hath been given to the Medes and Persians.'
29 Then, by the order of Belshazzar, they put a purple robe on Daniel, and a gold chain round his neck, and a public statement was made that he was to be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
Then hath Belshazzar said, and they have clothed Daniel with purple, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and they have proclaimed concerning him that he is the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.
In that night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans is slain,
31 And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being then about sixty-two years old.
and Darius the Mede hath received the kingdom, when a son of sixty and two years.

< Daniel 5 >