< Daniel 5 >

1 Belshazzar the king, made a great feast, to a thousand of his nobles, —and, before the thousand, was drinking, wine.
Balthasar, the kyng, made a greet feeste to hise beste men a thousynde, and ech man drank aftir his age.
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.
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 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:
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 drank wine, —and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and 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 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 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, 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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, King Belshazzar, was greatly terrified, and, his bright looks, were changed upon him, —and, his nobles, were perplexed.
Wherof kyng Balthasar was disturblid ynow, and his cheer was chaungid, but also hise beste men weren disturblid.
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.
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 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!
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 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 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, 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?
Art thou Danyel, of the sones of caitifte of Juda, whom my fader, the kyng, brouyte fro Judee?
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.
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, 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 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 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.
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 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.
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 As for thee, O king, the Most High God, gave, kingship and greatness and honour and majesty, unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;
O! thou kyng, hiyeste God yaf rewme, and greet worschipe, and glorie, and onour, to Nabugodonosor, thi fadir.
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 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 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;
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, 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 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 yet, thou, his son, O Belshazzar! hast not humbled thy heart, though, all this, thou knewest;
And thou, Balthasar, the sone of hym, mekidest not thin herte, whanne thou knewist alle these thingis;
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.
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 there put forth from before him the part of the hand, —and, this writing, was inscribed:
Therfor the fyngur of the hond was sent of hym, which hond wroot this thing that is writun.
25 And this is the writing which was inscribed, M’ne, M’ne, T’kel, u-Pharsin.
Sotheli this is the scripture which is discryued, Mane, Techel, Phares.
26 This, is the interpretation of the thing, —M’ne ["Reckoned-up"], God hath reckoned up thy reign, and ended it:
And this is the interpretyng of the word. Mane, God hath noumbrid thi rewme, and hath fillid it;
27 T’kel, —thou art weighed ["Weighed"] in the balances, and found wanting;
Techel, thou art weied in a balaunce, and thou art foundun hauynge lesse;
28 P’res ["Snatched-away"], —snatched away is thy kingdom, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Phares, thi rewme is departid, and is youun to Medeis and Perseis.
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.
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 In that night, was slain—Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans.
In the same niyt Balthasar, the kyng of Caldeis, was slayn;
31 And, Darius the Mede, received the kingdom, —when about sixty-two years of age.
and Daryus of Medei was successour in to the rewme, and he was two and sixti yeer eld.

< Daniel 5 >