Daniel 5
1 King Belshazzar prepared a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and before these thousand did he drink wine.
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, drinking wine before the thousand.
2 Belshazzar ordered, through the counsel of the wine, to bring in the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken away out of the temple which was in Jerusalem: that the king, and his lords, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therefrom.
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.
3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that were taken away out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his lords, his wives, and his concubines, drank from them.
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.
4 They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of copper, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
They took their wine and gave praise to the gods of gold and silver, of brass and iron and wood and stone.
5 At that same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote opposite to the chandelier upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
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.
6 Then was the king's color changed, and his thoughts troubled him: so that the bands of his loins were loosed, and his knees knocked one against the other.
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.
7 the king called with might to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king commenced, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whatsoever man will read this writing, and tell me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom.
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.
8 Then came in all the wise men of the king; but they were not able to read the writing, nor to make its interpretation known to the king.
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.
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly terrified, and his color was changed on him, and his lords were confounded.
Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled and the colour went from his face, and his lords were at a loss.
10 [Now] the queen in consequence of the words of the king and of his lords came into the banquet-house; the queen commenced and said, O king, live for ever; let thy thoughts not trouble thee, nor let thy color be changed:
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:
11 There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father enlightenment and intelligence and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him: and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers: —yes, thy father, O king.—
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;
12 Forasmuch as a superior spirit, and knowledge, and intelligence, interpreting of dreams, and solving of riddles, and of untying knotty [doubts], were found in him, in Daniel, to whom the king assigned the name of Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will tell the interpretation.
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.
13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king: the king commenced and said unto Daniel, Art thou Daniel, who art of the children of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?
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.
14 And I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that enlightenment and intelligence and superior wisdom are found in thee.
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.
15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, had been brought before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me its interpretation; but they were not able to tell the interpretation of the matter.
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:
16 But I have truly heard concerning thee, that thou art able to give interpretations, and untie knotty [doubts]: now if thou art able to read the writing, and make known to me its interpretation, thou shalt be clothed with purple, with a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule as the third in the kingdom.
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.
17 Then answered Daniel and said before the king, Let thy gifts remain in thy possession, and bestow thy bounty on another: nevertheless will I read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
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.
18 O thou king! the most high God gave kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honor unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;
As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour:
19 And because of the greatness that he had given unto him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and shook before him: whom he pleased he slew; and whom he pleased he kept alive; and whom he pleased he lifted up; and whom he pleased he brought low.
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.
20 But, when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened to deal presumptuously, he was cast down from the throne of his kingdom, and his dignity did they take from him;
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:
21 And from the sons of men was he driven forth, and his heart became equal with [that of] the beasts, and with the wild asses was his dwelling; they suffered him to eat herbs like oxen, and with the dew of heaven was his body made wet: till he acknowledged that the most high God ruleth over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he pleaseth.
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.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this;
And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this;
23 But against the Lord of heaven hast thou lifted thyself up; and the vessels of his house have they brought before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and the gods of silver, and gold, of copper, iron, wood, and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor know, hast thou praised; and the God in whose hand thy soul is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
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;
24 Thereupon was sent from before him the part of the hand, and this writing was noted down.
Then the part of the hand was sent out from before him, and this writing was recorded.
25 And this is the writing that was noted down, M'ne, M'ne, T'kel, Upharsin.
And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.
26 This the interpretation of the matter: M'ne, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and made an end of it.
This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.
27 T'kel, Thou least been weighed in the balances, and been found wanting.
Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.
28 P'ress; Thy kingdom hath been divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians.
Peres; your kingdom has been cut up and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then gave Belshazzar the order, and they clothed Daniel with purple, with a chain of gold about his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him, that he should rule as the third in the kingdom.
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.
30 In that very night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.
31 And Darius the Median obtained the kingdom, when he was sixty and two years old.
And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being then about sixty-two years old.
