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 ¹While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver ^avessels which his ²father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of 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 out of 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 human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s ^1aface became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^bhip joints ²loosened and his ^cknees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the ^asorcerers, the ¹Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone 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 ^dthird 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 more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet ¹hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak 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 soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. 12 This was because an ^aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, 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 began speaking 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 sorcerers were brought in before me to 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 third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel replied 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, ^cgreatness, honor, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 Now because of the greatness which He granted him, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ¹languages trembled and feared in his presence; ^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 ¹was ^aarrogant and his spirit became so ^2boverbearing that he behaved presumptuously, he was ^cdeposed from his royal throne, and his dignity was taken away from him. 21 He was also ^adriven away from ¹mankind, and his heart was made like that of animals, 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, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have ^arisen up 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 out of them; and you have praised the ^cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor 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:

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 ‘¹PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the ^aMedes and ²Persians.”

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 third ruler in the kingdom.

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

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 one thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he said 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 came out 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 ^1asplendor of the king’s face changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^bhip joints ²went slack, and his ^cknees were knocking against each other. 7 The king called out loudly to bring in the ^aconjurers, the ¹Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and declare its interpretation to me shall be ^bclothed with purple and have a ^cnecklace of gold around his neck and rule with power as ^2dthird ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^athey could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^aalarmed, and the ^1bsplendor of his face changed further, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet ¹hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen answered and said, “^aO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or the ²splendor of 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, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father ^2cthe king, set him as 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 ¹solving 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 answered 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 writing 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 ¹solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing 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 rule with power as the ²third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your ^agifts remain with you or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18 ¹O king, the ^aMost High God ^bgranted the kingdom, ^cgrandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue feared and were in dread before him; ^awhomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive, and whomever he wished he raised up, and whomever he wished he made low. 20 But when his heart was ^araised up and his spirit became so ^bstrong 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 the sons of ¹men, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his place of habitation was with the ^bwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the sky until he knew that the ^cMost High God is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and that He sets up over it whomever He wishes. 22 Yet you, his ¹son, Belshazzar, have ^anot made your heart lowly, ²even though you knew all this, 23 but you have ^araised yourself up 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 know. But the God ^din whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^eways, you have not honored. 24 Then the ^1ahand was sent from Him, and this writing was ²inscribed.

25 “Now this is the writing that was ¹inscribed: ‘²MENĒ, ³MENĒ, ⁴TEKĒL, ⁵UPHARSIN.’ 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 lacking. 28 ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^aMedes and ¹Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar said the word, and they ^aclothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now would be the ¹third powerful ruler in the kingdom.

30 That same night ^aBelshazzar the Chaldean king was ^bkilled.

31 ¹So ^aDarius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.