Daniel 5

¹Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine before the thousand.

²Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, so that the king and his nobles, his consort and his concubines might drink from them.

³Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his queen, and his concubines drank from them.

⁴They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

⁵In that very hour the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the kings palace, opposite the lampstand; and the king saw the back of the hand that was writing.

⁶Then the king's color changed and his thoughts alarmed him, and the joints of his hips went slack and his knees knocked together.

⁷The king called out loudly to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon, whoever can read this inscription and make known to me its interpretation shall be clothed with purple and have a golden collar around his neck and shall rule as third in the kingdom.

⁸Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the inscription or make its interpretation known to the king.

⁹Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed upon him, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰The queen, because of the words of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. The queen answered and said, "O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts terrify you, and let not your countenance change.

¹¹There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners.

¹²Because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, reveal riddles, and loose knots was found in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be summoned, and he will show its interpretation.

¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah?"

¹⁴I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods and illumination and insight and exceptional wisdom were found in you.

¹⁵Now the wise men and astrologers were brought before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they were not able to make known the interpretation of the matter.

¹⁶And I have heard concerning you that you are able to interpret interpretations and to loose knots. Now, if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you shall be clothed in purple, and a chain of gold shall be placed on your neck, and you shall rule as third in the kingdom.

¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.

¹⁸You, O king -- the God Most High gave the kingdom and greatness and honor and splendor to Nebuchadnezzar your father.

¹⁹And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were trembling and fearing before him. Whom he willed, he killed; whom he willed, he kept alive; whom he willed, he exalted; and whom he willed, he humbled.

²⁰But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with arrogance, he was brought down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory was taken away from him.

²¹He was driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys; they fed him grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the God Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men and sets over it whomever he wills.