THE BOOK OF
DANIEL
Daniel 5 ©
Belshazzar at his wicked banquet mocking the God of Israel, and desecrating the vessels of His temple, v. 1, etc. Is grievously affrighted by a writing upon the wall, which his wise men could neither read nor understand, 5, etc. Daniel is called for by the advice of the elderly queen, 10. He refuses the king’s gifts, and gives him good counsel, 17, 18, etc. After that Daniel reads the writing, and shows that it portends the king’s ruin, 24, etc. Which has also followed thereupon the self-same night, 30. Darius receives the kingdom of Babel, 31.
BELSHAZZAR1 the king 2made 3a great feast to a 4thousand of his lords, and drank wine 5before the thousand.
Belshazzar, whiles he 6tasted the wine, commanded 7to bring the golden and silver vessels which 8his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his 9wives, and his concubines, might drink 10therein.
Then they brought 11the golden vessels 12that 13were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
14They drank wine, and praised 15the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
¶In the same hour 16came forth 17fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against 18the candlestick 19upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and 20the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Then the king’s 21countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins 22were loosed, and his knees smote 23one against another.
The king cried 24aloud to bring in 25the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king 26spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed 27with scarlet, and have a 28chain of gold about his neck, and 29shall be the third ruler 30in the kingdom.
Then came in all the king's wise men: but 31they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and 32his countenance was changed in him, and 33his lords were astonied.
¶Now 34the queen, 35by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, 36O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and ina the days 37of thy father 38light and understanding and wisdom, 39like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar 40thy father, the king, I say, thy father, 41made 42master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, 43and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king 44named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king 45spake and said unto Daniel, 46Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king 47my father brought out of Jewryb?
48I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but 49they could not shew the interpretation 50of the thing:
And I have heard of thee, that thou canst 51make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, 52thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
¶Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 53Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
54O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar 55thy father a kingdom, and 56majesty, and 57glory, and honour:
And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared 58before 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.
But 59when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, 60he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
Andc61he was driven from the sons of men; and 62his heart was made like the beasts, and 63his dwelling was with the wild asses: 64they fed him 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 kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
And thou his 65son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, 66though thou knewest all this;
But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels 67of his house 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, 68which see not, nor hear, 69nor know: and the God 70in whose hand 71thy breath is, and whose are 72all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
73Then was the part of the hand sent 74from him; and this writing was written.
¶And this is the writing that was written, 75MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and 76finished it.
77TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and 78art found wanting.
79PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Then commanded Belshazzar, 80and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation 81concerning him, 82that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
¶ 83In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans 84slain.
85And 86Darius the Median 87took the kingdom, being 88about threescore and two years old.