< Daniel 5 >

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and dranke wine before the thousand.
Balthasar, the kyng, made a greet feeste to hise beste men a thousynde, and ech man drank aftir his age.
2 And Belshazzar whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and siluer vessels, which his father Nebuchad-nezzar had brought from the Temple in Ierusalem, that the King and his princes, his wiues, and his concubines might drinke therein.
Forsothe the kyng thanne drunkun comaundide, that the goldun and siluerne vessels schulden be brouyt forth, whiche Nabugodonosor, his fadir, hadde borun out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, that the kyng, and hise beste men, hise wyues, and councubyns schulden drynke in tho vessels.
3 Then were brought the golden vessels, that were taken out of the Temple of the Lords house at Ierusalem, and the King and his princes, his wiues and his concubines dranke in them.
Thanne the goldun vessels and siluerne, whiche he hadde borun out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, weren brouyt forth; and the kyng, and hise beste men, and hise wyues, and concubyns, drunken in tho vessels.
4 They drunke wine and praysed the gods of golde, and of siluer, of brasse, of yron, of wood and of stone.
Thei drunken wyn, and herieden her goddis of gold, and of siluer, of bras, and of irun, and of tree, and of stoon.
5 At the same houre appeared fingers of a mans hand, which wrote ouer against the candlesticke vpon the plaister of the wall of ye Kings palace, and the King sawe the palme of the hand that wrote.
In the same our fyngris apperiden, as of the hond of a man, writynge ayens the candilstike, in the pleyn part of the wal of the kyngis halle; and the kyng bihelde the fyngris of the hond writynge.
6 Then the Kings countenance was changed, and his thoughtes troubled him, so that the ioynts of his loynes were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other.
Thanne the face of the kyng was chaungid, and hise thouytis disturbliden hym; and the ioyncturis of hise reynes weren loosid, and hise knees weren hurtlid to hem silf togidere.
7 Wherefore the King cryed loude, that they should bring the astrologians, the Caldeans and the soothsayers. And the King spake, and sayd to the wise men of Babel, Whosoeuer can reade this writing, and declare me the interpretation thereof, shalbe clothed with purple, and shall haue a chaine of golde about his necke, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdome.
Therfor the kyng criede strongli, that thei schulden brynge yn astronomyens, Caldeis, and dyuynouris bi lokyng of auteris. And the kyng spak, and seide to the wise men of Babiloyne, Who euer redith this scripture, and makith opyn the interpretyng therof to me, schal be clothid in purpur; and he schal haue a goldun bie in the necke, and he schal be the thridde in my rewme.
8 Then came all the Kings wise men, but they could neither reade the writing, nor shewe the King the interpretation.
Thanne alle the wise men of the kyng entriden, and miyten not rede the scripture, nether schewe to the kyng the interpretyng therof.
9 Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his princes were astonied.
Wherof kyng Balthasar was disturblid ynow, and his cheer was chaungid, but also hise beste men weren disturblid.
10 Now the Queene by reason of the talke of the King, and his princes came into the banket house, and the Queene spake, and sayd, O King, liue for euer: let not thy thoughtes trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
Forsothe the queen entride in to the hous of feeste, for the thing that hadde bifeld to the king, and beste men; and sche spak, and seide, Kyng, lyue thou withouten ende. Thi thouytis disturble not thee, and thi face be not chaungid.
11 There is a man in thy kingdome, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the dayes of thy father light and vnderstanding and wisdome like the wisdome of the gods, was found in him: whom the King Nebuchad-nezzar thy father, the King, I say, thy father, made chiefe of the enchanters, astrologians, Caldeans, and soothsayers,
A man is in thi rewme, that hath the spirit of hooli goddis in hym silf, and in the daies of thi fadir kunnyng and wisdom weren foundun in hym; for whi and Nabugodonosor, thi fadir, made him prince of astronomyens, of enchaunteris, of Caldeis, and of dyuynouris bi lokyng on auteris; sotheli thi fadir, thou kyng, dide this;
12 Because a more excellent spirit, and knowledge, and vnderstanding (for hee did expound dreames, and declare hard sentences, and dissolued doubtes) were founde in him, euen in Daniel, whome the King named Belteshazzar: nowe let Daniel be called, and hee will declare the interpretation.
for more spirit, and more prudent, and vndurstondyng, and interpretyng of dremes, and schewyng of priuytees, and assoilyng of boundun thingis weren foundun in hym, that is, in Danyel, to whom the kyng puttide the name Balthasar. Now therfor Daniel be clepid, and he schal telle the interpretyng. Therfor Daniel was brouyt in bifor the kyng. To whom the forseid kyng seide,
13 Then was Daniel brought before the King, and the King spake and sayd vnto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captiuitie of Iudah, whom my father the King brought out of Iewrie?
Art thou Danyel, of the sones of caitifte of Juda, whom my fader, the kyng, brouyte fro Judee?
14 Now I haue heard of thee, that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and that light and vnderstanding and excellent wisdome is found in thee.
Y haue herd of thee, that thou hast in thee the spirit of goddis, and more kunnyng, and vndurstondyng, and wisdom be foundun in thee.
15 Now therefore, wisemen and astrologians haue bene brought before me, that they should reade this writing, and shewe me the interpretation thereof: but they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.
And now wise men, astronomyens, entriden in my siyt, to rede this scripture, and to schewe to me the interpretyng therof; and thei myyten not seie to me the vndurstondyng of this word.
16 Then heard I of thee, that thou couldest shewe interpretations, and dissolue doutes: nowe if thou canst reade the writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and shalt haue a chaine of golde about thy necke, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdome.
Certis Y haue herde of thee, that thou maist interprete derk thingis, and vnbynde boundun thingis; therfor if thou maist rede the scripture, and schewe to me the interpretyng therof, thou schalt be clothid in purpur, and thou schalt haue a goldun bie aboute thi necke, and thou schalt be the thridde prince in my rewme.
17 Then Daniel answered, and sayd before the King, Keepe thy rewards to thy selfe, and giue thy giftes to another: yet I will reade the writing vnto the King, and shew him the interpretation.
To whiche thingis Danyel answeride, and seide bifore the kyng, Thi yiftis be to thee, and yyue thou to another man the yiftis of thin hous; forsothe, kyng, Y schal rede the scripture to thee, and Y schal schewe to thee the interpretyng therof.
18 O King, heare thou, The most high God gaue vnto Nebuchad-nezzar thy father a kingdome, and maiestie, and honour and glory.
O! thou kyng, hiyeste God yaf rewme, and greet worschipe, and glorie, and onour, to Nabugodonosor, thi fadir.
19 And for the maiestie that he gaue him, all people, nations, and languages trembled, and feared before him: he put to death whom he would: he smote whome he would: whome he would he set vp, and whome he would he put downe.
And for greet worschip which he hadde youe to thilke Nabugodonosor, alle puplis, lynagis, and langagis, trembliden and dredden hym; he killide whiche he wolde, and he smoot whiche he wolde, and he enhaunside whiche he wolde, and he made low which he wolde.
20 But when his heart was puft vp, and his minde hardened in pride, hee was deposed from his kingly throne, and they tooke his honour from him.
Forsothe whanne his herte was reisid, and his spirit was maad obstynat in pride, he was put doun of the seete of his rewme;
21 And hee was driuen from the sonnes of men, and his heart was made like the beastes, and his dwelling was with the wilde asses: they fed him with grasse like oxen, and his body was wet with the dewe of the heauen, till he knewe, that the most high God bare rule ouer the kingdome of men, and that he appointeth ouer it, whomsoeuer he pleaseth.
and his glorie was takun awei, and he was cast out fro the sones of men; but also his herte was set with beestis, and his dwellyng was with wielde assis; also he eet hei as an oxe doith, and his bodi was colourid with the deew of heuene, til he knewe, that the hiyeste hath power in the rewme of men, and he schal reise on it whom euer he wole.
22 And thou his sonne, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all these things,
And thou, Balthasar, the sone of hym, mekidest not thin herte, whanne thou knewist alle these thingis;
23 But hast lift thy selfe vp against the Lord of heauen, and they haue brought the vessels of his House before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wiues and thy concubines haue drunke wine in them, and thou hast praysed the gods of siluer and golde, of brasse, yron, wood and stone, which neither see, neither heare, nor vnderstand: and the God in whose hand thy breath is and all thy wayes, him hast thou not glorified.
but thou were reisid ayens the Lord of heuene, and the vessels of his hous weren brouyt bifore thee, and thou, and thi beste men, and thi wyues, and thi concubyns, drunken wyn in tho vessels; and thou heriedist goddis of siluer, and of gold, and of bras, and of irun, and of tree, and of stoon, that seen not, nether heren, nether feelen; certis thou glorifiedist not God, that hath thi blast, and alle thi weies in his hond.
24 Then was the palme of the hand sent from him, and hath written this writing.
Therfor the fyngur of the hond was sent of hym, which hond wroot this thing that is writun.
25 And this is the writing that he hath written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.
Sotheli this is the scripture which is discryued, Mane, Techel, Phares.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath nombred thy kingdome, and hath finished it.
And this is the interpretyng of the word. Mane, God hath noumbrid thi rewme, and hath fillid it;
27 TEKEL, thou art wayed in the balance, and art found too light.
Techel, thou art weied in a balaunce, and thou art foundun hauynge lesse;
28 PERES, thy kingdome is deuided, and giuen to the Medes and Persians.
Phares, thi rewme is departid, and is youun to Medeis and Perseis.
29 Then at the commandement of Belshazzar they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chaine of golde about his necke, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdome.
Thanne, for the kyng comaundide, Daniel was clothid in purpur, and a goldun bie was youun aboute in his necke; and it was prechid of hym, that he hadde power, and was the thridde in the rewme.
30 The same night was Belshazzar the King of the Caldeans slaine.
In the same niyt Balthasar, the kyng of Caldeis, was slayn;
31 And Darius of the Medes tooke the kingdome, being threescore and two yeere olde.
and Daryus of Medei was successour in to the rewme, and he was two and sixti yeer eld.

< Daniel 5 >