< Daniel 5 >

1 Belshazzar the king, made a great feast, to a thousand of his nobles, —and, before the thousand, was drinking, wine.
Baltasar the king made a great supper for his thousand nobles, and [there was] wine before the thousand.
2 Belshazzar, gave word, at the flavour of the wine, to bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar his father, had brought forth, out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, —that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein.
And Baltasar drinking gave orders as he tasted the wine that they should bring the gold and silver vessels, which Nabuchodonosor his father had brought forth from the temple in Jerusalem; that the king, and his nobles, and his mistresses, and his concubines, should drink out of them.
3 Then brought they the vessels of gold which had been taken out of the temple of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, —and the king and his nobles, his wives and, his concubines, drank therein:
So the gold and silver vessels were brought which [Nabuchodonosor] had taken out of the temple of God in Jerusalem; and the king, and his nobles, and his mistresses, and his concubines, drank out of them.
4 they drank wine, —and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of iron, and of wood, and of stone.
5 Immediately, came forth the fingers of the hand of a man, and wrote, over against the chandelier, upon the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, —and, the king, saw the part of the hand which was writing,
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote in front of the lamp on the plaster of the wall of the king’s house: and the king saw the knuckles of the hand that wrote.
6 Then, as for the king, his bright looks, changed in him, and, his thoughts, terrified him, —and, the joints of his loins, were loosed, and, his knees, smote, one against another.
Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one another.
7 The king began crying out again, to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans and the astrologers, —the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever it is that shall read this writing, and, the interpretation thereof, shall declare unto me, with purple, shall he be clothed, and have a chain of gold upon his neck, and, as the third in the kingdom, shall he have dominion.
And the king cried aloud to bring in the magicians, Chaldeans, [and] soothsayers; and he said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation, shall be clothed with scarlet, and [there shall be] a golden chain upon his neck, and he shall be the third ruler in my kingdom.
8 Then were coming in all the wise men of the king, —but, the writing, could they not read, nor, the interpretation, make known to the king.
Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known the interpretation to the king.
9 Then, King Belshazzar, was greatly terrified, and, his bright looks, were changed upon him, —and, his nobles, were perplexed.
And king Baltasar was troubled, and his countenance changed upon him, and his nobles were troubled with him.
10 The queen, by reason of the words of the king and his nobles, into the house of banqueting, entered, —the queen spake and said, O king! for ages, live! Let not thy thoughts, terrify thee, and, as for thy bright looks, let them not be changed.
Then the queen came into the banquet house, and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, and let not 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 intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, —and, King Nebuchadnezzar thy father, appointed him, chief of the sacred scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers, —thy father, O king!
There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of God; and in the days of thy father watchfulness and understanding were found in him; and king Nabuchodonosor thy father made him chief of the enchanters, magicians, Chaldeans, [and] soothsayers.
12 Forasmuch as, a distinguished spirit, and knowledge and intelligence, ability to interpret dreams and solve riddles and unravel knotty points, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let, Daniel, be called, and, the interpretation, will he declare.
For [there is] an excellent spirit in him, and sense and understanding are in him, interpreting dreams [as he does], and answering hard [questions], and solving difficulties: [it is] Daniel, and the king gave him the name of Baltasar: now then let him be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation of the writing.
13 Then, Daniel, was brought in before the king, —the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art, thou, that Daniel, that is of the sons of the exile of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?
Then Daniel was brought in before the king: and the king said to Daniel, Art thou Daniel, of the children of the captivity of Judea, which the king my father brought?
14 Then, I have heard concerning thee, that, the spirit of the gods, is in thee, —and, light and intelligence and distinguished wisdom, are found in thee.
I have heard concerning thee, that the Spirit of God is in thee, and [that] watchfulness and understanding and excellent wisdom have been found in thee.
15 Now, therefore, have been brought in before me, the wise men, the magicians, that, this writing, they might read, and, the interpretation thereof, might make known unto me, —but they were not able, the interpretation of the thing, to declare.
And now the wise men, magicians, [and] soothsayers have come in before me, to read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation: but they could not tell it me.
16 I, however, have heard concerning thee, that thou art able, interpretations, to unfold, and, knotty points, to unravel, —Now, if thou be able, the writing, to read, and, the interpretation thereof, to make known unto me, with purple, shalt thou be clothed, and, a chain of gold, shalt thou have upon thy neck, and, as the third in the kingdom, shalt thou have dominion.
And I have heard concerning thee, that thou art able to make interpretations: now then if thou shalt be able to read the writing, and to make known to me the interpretation of it, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and there shall be a golden chain upon thy neck, and thou shalt be third ruler in my kingdom.
17 Then spake Daniel, and said before the king, As for thy gifts, thine own let them remain, and, thy presents, on another, bestow, —howbeit, the writing, will I read to the king, and, the interpretation thereof, will I make known to him.
And Daniel said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give the present of thine house to another; but I will read the writing, and will make known to thee the interpretation of it.
18 As for thee, O king, the Most High God, gave, kingship and greatness and honour and majesty, unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;
O king, the most high God gave to thy father Nabuchodonosor a kingdom, and majesty, and honour, and glory:
19 and, for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, races and tongues, used to tremble and to withdraw falteringly from 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.
and by reason of the majesty which he gave to him, all nations, tribes [and] languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he smote; and whom he would he exalted; and whom he would he abased.
20 But, when uplifted was his heart and, his spirit, became obstinate so as to act arrogantly, he was put down from the throne of his kingdom, and, his dignity, took they from him;
But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was emboldened to act proudly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and [his] honour was taken from him.
21 And, from among the sons of men, was he driven, and, his heart, to a wild beast’s, became equal, and, with the wild asses, was his dwelling, and, grass—like oxen, they suffered him to eat, and, with the dew of the heavens, his body, was drenched—until that he came to know that the Most High God, hath dominion, over the kingdom of men, and, whomsoever he pleaseth, he setteth up over it.
And he was driven forth from men; and his heart was given him after the nature of wild beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; and they fed him with grass as an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven; until he knew that the most high God is Lord of the kingdom of men, and will give it to whomsoever he shall please.
22 And yet, thou, his son, O Belshazzar! hast not humbled thy heart, though, all this, thou knewest;
And thou accordingly, his son, O Baltasar, hast not humbled thine heart before God: knowest thou not all this?
23 but, against the Lord of the heavens, hast uplifted thyself, and, the vessels of his house, have they brought before thee, and, thou, and thy nobles, thy wives and thy concubines, have been drinking, wine, therein, and, gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which see not nor hear nor know, hast thou praised, —whereas, God, in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy ways, him, hast thou not glorified.
And thou hast been exalted against the Lord God of heaven; and they have brought before thee the vessels of his house, and thou, and thy nobles, and thy mistresses, and thy concubines, have drunk wine out of them; and thou hast praised the gods of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone, which see not, and which hear not, and know not: and the God in whose hand are thy breath and all thy ways hast thou not glorified.
24 Then was there put forth from before him the part of the hand, —and, this writing, was inscribed:
Therefore from his presence has been sent forth the knuckle of a hand; and he has ordered this writing.
25 And this is the writing which was inscribed, M’ne, M’ne, T’kel, u-Pharsin.
And this is the ordered writing, Mane, Thekel, Phares.
26 This, is the interpretation of the thing, —M’ne ["Reckoned-up"], God hath reckoned up thy reign, and ended it:
This is the interpretation of the sentence: Mane; God has measured thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 T’kel, —thou art weighed ["Weighed"] in the balances, and found wanting;
Thekel; it has been weighed in the balance, and found wanting.
28 P’res ["Snatched-away"], —snatched away is thy kingdom, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Phares; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then Belshazzar, gave word, that they should clothe Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold upon his neck, —and should make a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler over the kingdom.
Then Baltasar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put the golden chain about his neck, and proclaimed concerning him that he was the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night, was slain—Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans.
In the same night was Baltasar the Chaldean king slain.
31 And, Darius the Mede, received the kingdom, —when about sixty-two years of age.
And Darius the Mede succeeded to the kingdom, being sixty-two years [old].

< Daniel 5 >