Daniel 5

5 ¹ King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand nobles, drinking wine before them all. ² While tasting the wine, Belshazzar ordered in the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem's temple, for the king, his nobles, wives, and concubines to drink from. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels taken from the temple, our Father's house in Jerusalem; the king, his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

⁵ Just then a human hand's fingers appeared and wrote on the plaster of the king's palace wall opposite the lampstand, and the king watched the hand writing. ⁶ The king's face changed color, his thoughts terrified him, his hips gave way, and his knees knocked.

⁷ The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers, telling Babylon's wise men, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will wear purple, a gold chain on his neck, and rule third in the kingdom." ^a a v7 Belshazzar was co-regent under his absent father Nabonidus, so 'third in the kingdom' was the highest rank he could grant.

⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but none could read the writing or tell him its meaning. ⁹ So King Belshazzar grew even more terrified, his face paler still, and his nobles were bewildered.

¹⁰ At the king's and his nobles' words, the queen entered the banquet hall, saying, "King, live forever! Don't let your thoughts terrify you or your face turn pale. ¹¹ A man in your kingdom has the spirit of the holy gods. In your father's days he showed insight, understanding, and wisdom like the gods' wisdom. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers, ¹² because extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and understanding — interpreting dreams, explaining riddles, untying knots — were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now call Daniel; he will interpret."

Daniel Reads the Father's Verdict

¹³ Daniel was brought before the king, who asked, "Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I heard the spirit of the gods is in you — light, understanding, and rare wisdom found in you. ¹⁵ The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me its meaning, but couldn't. ¹⁶ I've heard you can interpret and untie knots. If you read this writing and tell me its meaning, you'll wear purple, a gold chain on your neck, and rule third in the kingdom."

¹⁷ Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts; give your rewards to another. Still, I will read the king the writing and tell him its meaning." ¹⁸ Your Majesty, the Most High our Father gave your father Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom, greatness, glory, and majesty. ¹⁹ Because of the greatness given him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wished, let live whom he wished, raised whom he wished, humbled whom he wished. ²⁰ When his heart grew proud and his spirit hardened into arrogance, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory taken away. ²¹ He was driven from people, his mind made like an animal's; he lived with wild donkeys, was fed grass like an ox, and heaven's dew soaked him — until he knew the Most High our Father rules the kingdom of men and sets over it whomever he chooses.

²² But you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this. ²³ Instead, you lifted yourself against heaven's Sovereign. You had his house's vessels brought before you, and you, your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them. You praised gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone — gods that cannot see, hear, or know anything. But the One holding your breath in his hand, who owns all your ways — our Father — you have not honored. ²⁴ Therefore he sent the hand that wrote this inscription.

²⁵ This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

²⁶ This is what it means: MENE — our Father counted your kingdom's days and ended it.

²⁷ TEKEL — you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

²⁸ PERES — your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

²⁹ Then Belshazzar ordered Daniel dressed in purple, a gold chain put on his neck, and proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was killed. ³¹ And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.