El rey Belsasar dio un gran banquete a mil de sus nobles, y en presencia de los mil se puso a beber vino^a. 2 Mientras saboreaba el vino, Belsasar ordenó traer los vasos de oro y plata que Nabucodonosor su padre¹ había sacado del templo que estaba en Jerusalén^a, para que bebieran en ellos el rey y sus nobles, sus mujeres y sus concubinas. 3 Entonces trajeron los vasos de oro que habían sido sacados del templo, la casa de Dios que estaba en Jerusalén, y el rey y sus nobles, sus mujeres y sus concubinas bebieron en ellos. 4 Bebieron vino y alabaron a los dioses de oro y plata, de bronce, hierro, madera y piedra^a.

5 De pronto aparecieron los dedos de una mano humana y comenzaron a escribir frente al candelabro sobre lo encalado de la pared del palacio del rey, y el rey vio el dorso¹ de la mano que escribía. 6 Entonces el rostro del rey palideció¹, y sus pensamientos lo turbaron^a, las coyunturas de sus caderas se le relajaron^b y sus rodillas comenzaron a chocar una contra otra^c. 7 El rey gritó fuertemente que trajeran a los encantadores, a los caldeos¹ y a los adivinos. El rey habló, y dijo a los sabios de Babilonia: Cualquiera que pueda leer esta inscripción y declararme su interpretación^a, será vestido de púrpura, llevará un collar de oro al cuello y tendrá autoridad como tercero² en el reino^b. 8 Entonces entraron todos los sabios del rey, pero no pudieron leer la inscripción ni dar a conocer al rey su interpretación^a. 9 Y el rey Belsasar se turbó en gran manera, su rostro palideció^a aún más¹; también sus nobles quedaron perplejos^b.

10 La reina, al enterarse de las palabras del rey y de sus nobles, entró en la sala¹ del banquete y² tomando la palabra, dijo: ¡Oh rey, vive para siempre^a! No te turben tus pensamientos ni se mude tu semblante³. 11 Hay un hombre en tu reino en quien está el espíritu de los dioses santos¹; y en los días de tu padre se halló en él luz, inteligencia y sabiduría como la sabiduría de los dioses^a. Y tu padre, el rey Nabucodonosor, tu padre el rey², lo nombró jefe de los magos^3b, encantadores, caldeos⁴ y adivinos^c, 12 debido a que se halló un espíritu extraordinario, conocimiento e inteligencia^a, interpretación de sueños, explicación de enigmas y solución de problemas difíciles en este hombre, Daniel, a quien el rey llamaba Beltsasar. Llámese, pues ahora, a Daniel^b, y él declarará la interpretación.

13 Entonces Daniel fue traído ante el rey. El rey habló y dijo a Daniel: ¿Eres tú aquel Daniel de los deportados¹ de Judá^a, que el rey mi padre trajo de Judá^b? 14 He oído de ti que el espíritu de los dioses¹ está en ti, y que luz, inteligencia y extraordinaria sabiduría se hallan en ti. 15 Ahora mismo los sabios y encantadores fueron traídos delante de mí para que leyeran esta inscripción y me dieran a conocer su interpretación^a, pero no pudieron declarar la interpretación del escrito^1b. 16 Mas yo he oído decir de ti que puedes dar interpretaciones y resolver problemas difíciles. Ahora, si puedes leer la inscripción y darme a conocer su interpretación^a, serás vestido de púrpura y llevarás un collar de oro al cuello, y tendrás autoridad como tercero¹ en el reino^b.

17 Entonces Daniel respondió, y dijo^a delante del rey: Sean para ti tus regalos y da tus recompensas a otro. Yo leeré, sin embargo, la inscripción al rey y le daré a conocer su interpretación. 18 Oh rey¹, el Dios Altísimo^a concedió^b a tu padre Nabucodonosor^c soberanía², grandeza, gloria y majestad. 19 Y a causa de la grandeza que Él le concedió, todos los pueblos, naciones y lenguas temían y temblaban delante de él; a quien quería, mataba, y a quien quería, dejaba con vida; exaltaba a quien quería, y a quien quería humillaba^a. 20 Pero cuando su corazón se enalteció^a y su espíritu se endureció en su arrogancia^b, fue depuesto de su trono real y su gloria le fue quitada^c. 21 Y fue echado de entre los hombres¹, su corazón se hizo semejante al de las bestias y con los asnos monteses^a tuvo su morada. Se le dio a comer hierba como al ganado y su cuerpo se empapó con el rocío del cielo, hasta que reconoció que el Dios Altísimo domina sobre el reino de los hombres y que pone sobre él a quien le place^b. 22 Mas tú, su hijo¹ Belsasar, no has humillado^a tu corazón aunque² sabías todo esto, 23 sino que te has ensalzado contra el Señor del cielo^a; y han traído delante de ti los vasos de su templo¹, y tú y tus nobles, tus mujeres y tus concubinas, habéis estado bebiendo vino en ellos y habéis alabado a los dioses de plata y oro, de bronce, hierro, madera y piedra^b, que ni ven, ni oyen, ni entienden^c; pero al Dios que tiene en su mano tu propio aliento^d y es dueño de todos tus caminos^e, no has glorificado; 24 por lo cual Él envió de su presencia la mano^1a que trazó esta inscripción.

25 Yesta es la inscripción que fue trazada: MENE¹, MENE², TEKEL³, UFARSIN⁴. 26 Esta es la interpretación del escrito¹: MENE: Dios ha contado tu reino y le ha puesto fin^a. 27 TEKEL: has sido pesado en la balanza^a y hallado falto de peso. 28 PERES: tu reino ha sido dividido y entregado a los medos y persas^1a.

29 Entonces Belsasar ordenó que vistieran a Daniel de púrpura y le pusieran un collar de oro al cuello, y que proclamaran acerca de él, que él tenía ahora autoridad como tercero¹ en el reino^a.

30 Aquella misma noche fue asesinado Belsasar^a, rey de los caldeos^b. 31 ¹Y Darío el medo recibió el reino^a cuando tenía sesenta y dos años.

Belshazzar the king who was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar gave a great ^afeast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking his wine in the presence of the thousand guests. 2 Belshazzar, as he tasted the wine, gave a command to bring in the gold and silver ^avessels which his ¹father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the ²temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his ³concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the gold and silver 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 ^adrank the wine and praised the gods of ^bgold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing opposite the lampstand on a well-lit area of the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s ^aface grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; the ^bjoints and muscles of his hips and back weakened and his ^cknees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the ^aenchanters (Magi) , the Chaldeans who were master astrologers and the diviners. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^bclothed with purple and have a ^cchain of gold put around his neck, and have authority as the ^1dthird ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^athey could not ¹read the writing or reveal to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^aperplexed, his ^bface became even paler, and his nobles were bewildered and alarmed.

10 Now the queen mother, overhearing the excited words of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet area. The queen mother spoke and said, “^aO king, live forever! Do not be alarmed at your thoughts or let your face be changed. 11 There is a ^aman in your kingdom in whom is ¹a ^bspirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And ²King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father ^cthe king, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans and diviners. 12 It was because an ^aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, the ability to interpret dreams, clarify riddles, and solve complex problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^bBelteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called and he will give the interpretation.”

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the sons of the ^aexiles of Judah, whom my father the king ^bbrought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15 Now the ^awise men and the enchanters, were brought in before me so that they might read this writing and reveal its meaning to me, but they ^bcould not give the interpretation of the message. 16 But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to make interpretations and solve complex problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and reveal its ^ainterpretation to me, you shall be ^bclothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around your neck, and you shall have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your ^agifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and reveal the interpretation to him. 18 O king, the ^aMost High God ^bgave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and ^cgreatness and glory and majesty; 19 and because of the greatness that He gave him, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language trembled and feared him. ^aWhomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive; whomever he wished he promoted and whomever he wished he humbled. 20 But when his heart was ^alifted up and his spirit became so ^bproud that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^cdeposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 He was also ^adriven from mankind, and his mind was made like that of an animal, and his dwelling place was with the ^bwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he came to know without any doubt that the ^cMost High God rules over the kingdom of mankind and He appoints it to whomever He wills. 22 And you, his ¹son, O Belshazzar, have ^anot humbled your heart (mind) , even though you knew all this. 23 And you have ^aexalted yourself against the ^bLord of heaven, and the vessels of His house have been brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the ^cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But the God who holds ^din His hand your breath of life and your ^eways you have not honored and glorified but have dishonored and defied. 24 Then the ^ahand was sent from the presence of the Most High God, and this inscription was written:

25 “This is the ¹inscription that was written, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided.’ 26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENE’—God has numbered the days of your kingdom and ^aput an end to it; 27 ‘TEKEL’—you have been ^aweighed on the scales of righteousness and found deficient; 28 ‘¹PERES’—²your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^aMedes and ³Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was ^aclothed with purple and a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation concerning him was issued declaring that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 During that same ¹night ^aBelshazzar the last Chaldean king was ^bslain by troops of the ²invading army. 31 ^aSo ¹Darius the Mede received the kingdom; he was about the age of sixty-two.

Belshazzar the king ¹held a great ^afeast 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 ^avessels which Nebuchadnezzar his ¹father 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 ^adrank the wine and praised the gods of ^bgold 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 ¹back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s ^1aface grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^bhip joints went slack and his ^cknees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the ^aconjurers, the ¹Chaldeans 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 ^bclothed with purple and have a ^cnecklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^2dthird ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^athey could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^aalarmed, his ^1bface grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet ¹hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “^aO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ²face be pale. 11 There is a ^aman in your kingdom in whom is ¹a ^bspirit 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 ^2cthe king, appointed him chief of the ³magicians, conjurers, ⁴Chaldeans and diviners. 12 This was because an ^aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^bBelteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

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 ^1aexiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^bbrought from Judah? 14 Now I have heard about you that ¹a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15 Just now the ^awise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^bcould not declare the interpretation of the ¹message. 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 ^ainterpretation known to me, you will be ^bclothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the ¹third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “¹Keep your ^agifts 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 ¹O king, the ^aMost High God ^bgranted ²sovereignty, ^cgrandeur, 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 ¹language feared and trembled before him; ^awhomever 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 ^alifted up and his spirit became so ^1bproud that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^cdeposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 He was also ^adriven away from ¹mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the ^bwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the ^cMost High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. 22 Yet you, his ¹son, Belshazzar, have ^anot humbled your heart, ²even though you knew all this, 23 but you have ^aexalted yourself against the ^bLord 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 ^cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God ^din whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^eways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the ^1ahand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘¹MENĒ, ²MENĒ, ³TEKĒL, ⁴UPHARSIN.’ 26 This is the interpretation of the ¹message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^aput an end to it. 27 ‘TEKĒL’—you have been ^aweighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^aMedes and ¹Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^aclothed 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 ¹third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That same night ^aBelshazzar the Chaldean king was ^bslain. 31 ¹So ^aDarius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.