Daniel 5
1 Balthasar, the kyng, made a greet feeste to hise beste men a thousynde, and ech man drank aftir his age.
Belshazzar, the king gave a great feast to his thousands lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 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.
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple at Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 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.
Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God at Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank in them.
4 Thei drunken wyn, and herieden her goddis of gold, and of siluer, of bras, and of irun, and of tree, and of stoon.
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 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.
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the chandelier upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the hand that wrote.
6 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.
Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened, and his knees smote one against the other.
7 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.
The king cried aloud to bring in the magicians, the Chaldaeans, and the astrologers. And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom.
8 Thanne alle the wise men of the kyng entriden, and miyten not rede the scripture, nether schewe to the kyng the interpretyng therof.
Then all the king's wise men came in; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king its signification.
9 Wherof kyng Balthasar was disturblid ynow, and his cheer was chaungid, but also hise beste men weren disturblid.
Then was King Belshazzar in great consternation, and his countenance was changed, and his lords were amazed.
10 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.
Then the queen, on account of this affair of the king and his lords, came into the banquet-house; and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever! Let not thy thoughts terrify thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
11 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;
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, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him chief of the scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers, thy father, O king!
12 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,
forasmuch as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding to interpret dreams, and to explain hard sentences, and solve difficult questions were found in him, in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
13 Art thou Danyel, of the sones of caitifte of Juda, whom my fader, the kyng, brouyte fro Judee?
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said to Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, of the captives of Judah, whom the king, my father, brought out of Judaea?
14 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.
I have heard concerning thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.
15 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.
And now the wise men and the magicians have been brought in before me, that they might read this writing, and make known to me its signification; but they could not show the signification of the thing.
16 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.
But I have heard of thee that thou canst give interpretations, and solve difficult questions. Now if thou canst read the writing and make known to me its signification, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule as the third in the kingdom.
17 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.
Then answered Daniel and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another: yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the signification.
18 O! thou kyng, hiyeste God yaf rewme, and greet worschipe, and glorie, and onour, to Nabugodonosor, thi fadir.
O king, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor.
19 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.
And by reason of the majesty which he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
20 Forsothe whanne his herte was reisid, and his spirit was maad obstynat in pride, he was put doun of the seete of his rewme;
But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened in pride, he was thrust down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.
21 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.
And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart became like the beasts, and his dwelling was with wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the Most High God ruled in the kingdoms of men, and set up over them whomsoever he would.
22 And thou, Balthasar, the sone of hym, mekidest not thin herte, whanne thou knewist alle these thingis;
And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this;
23 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.
but hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven; and the vessels of his house have been brought before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand is thy breath, and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not honored.
24 Therfor the fyngur of the hond was sent of hym, which hond wroot this thing that is writun.
Then was sent from him the hand, and this writing was written.
25 Sotheli this is the scripture which is discryued, Mane, Techel, Phares.
And this is the writing which was written: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and To be Divided.
26 And this is the interpretyng of the word. Mane, God hath noumbrid thi rewme, and hath fillid it;
And this is the interpretation of it. Numbered: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and made an end of it.
27 Techel, thou art weied in a balaunce, and thou art foundun hauynge lesse;
Weighed: Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting.
28 Phares, thi rewme is departid, and is youun to Medeis and Perseis.
Divided: Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 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.
Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In the same niyt Balthasar, the kyng of Caldeis, was slayn;
In the same night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, slain;
31 and Daryus of Medei was successour in to the rewme, and he was two and sixti yeer eld.
and Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
