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Belshazzar's Feast

¹ Belshazzar the king ^(F1)held a great ^(C1)feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.² When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver ^(C1)vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his ^(F1)father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.³ Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.⁴ They ^(C1)drank the wine and praised the gods of ^(C2)gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a man's hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the ^(F1)back of the hand that did the writing.⁶ Then the king's ^(F1)(C1)face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^(C2)hip joints went slack and his ^(C3)knees began knocking together.⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(C1)conjurers, the ^(F1)Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^(C2)clothed with purple and have a ^(C3)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^(F2)(C4)third ruler in the kingdom."⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but ^(C1)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(C1)alarmed, his ^(F1)(C2)face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen entered the banquet ^(F1)hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, "^(C1)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^(F2)face be pale.¹¹ "There is a ^(C1)man in your kingdom in whom is ^(F1)a ^(C2)spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father ^(F2)(C3)the king, appointed him chief of the ^(F3)magicians, conjurers, ^(F4)Chaldeans and diviners.¹² "This was because an ^(C1)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^(C2)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation."

Daniel Interprets Handwriting on the Wall

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the ^(F1)(C1)exiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^(C2)brought from Judah?¹⁴ "Now I have heard about you that ^(F1)a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.¹⁵ "Just now the ^(C1)wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^(C2)could not declare the interpretation of the ^(F1)message.¹⁶ "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its ^(C1)interpretation known to me, you will be ^(C2)clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the ^(F1)third ruler in the kingdom."

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "^(F1)Keep your ^(C1)gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.¹⁸ "^(F1)O king, the ^(C1)Most High God ^(C2)granted ^(F2)sovereignty, ^(C3)grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.¹⁹ "Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every ^(F1)language feared and trembled before him; ^(C1)whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.²⁰ "But when his heart was ^(C1)lifted up and his spirit became so ^(F1)(C2)proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^(C3)deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.²¹ "He was also ^(C1)driven away from ^(F1)mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the ^(C2)wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the ^(C3)Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.²² "Yet you, his ^(F1)son, Belshazzar, have ^(C1)not humbled your heart, ^(F2)even though you knew all this,²³ but you have ^(C1)exalted yourself against the ^(C2)Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the ^(C3)gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God ^(C4)in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^(C5)ways, you have not glorified.²⁴ "Then the ^(F1)(C1)hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

²⁵ "Now this is the inscription that was written out: '^(F1)MENE, ^(F1)MENE, ^(F2)TEKEL, ^(F3)UPHARSIN.'²⁶ "This is the interpretation of the ^(F1)message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and ^(C1)put an end to it.²⁷ " 'TEKEL'--you have been ^(C1)weighed on the scales and found deficient.²⁸ " 'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^(C1)Medes and ^(F1)Persians."

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^(C1)clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the ^(F1)third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night ^(C1)Belshazzar the Chaldean king was ^(C2)slain.^31 (F1)So ^(C1)Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.