1 Belshazzar the king 1Lit madeheld a great AEsth 1:3; Is 22:12-14feast 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 A2 Kin 24:13; 25:15; Ezra 1:7-11; Dan 1:2vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his 1Or forefather, and so throughout the chfather 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 AIs 42:8; Dan 5:23; Rev 9:20drank the wine and praised the gods of BPs 115:4; 135:15; Is 40:19, 20; Dan 3:1; Hab 2:19gold 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 1Or palmback of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s 1Lit brightness changed for himADan 5:9, 10; 7:28face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his BPs 69:23hip joints went slack and his CEzek 7:17; 21:7; Nah 2:10knees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the AIs 44:25; 47:13; Dan 4:6, 7; 5:11, 15conjurers, the 1Or master astrologersChaldeans 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 BGen 41:42-44; Dan 5:16, 29clothed with purple and have a CEzek 16:11necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as 2Or a triumvirDDan 2:48; 5:16, 29; 6:2, 3third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but AGen 41:8; Dan 2:27; 4:7; 5:15they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly AJob 18:11; Is 21:2-4; Jer 6:24; Dan 2:1; 5:6alarmed, his 1Lit brightness was changing upon himBIs 13:6-8face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet 1Lit househall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “ADan 3:9; 6:6O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your 2Lit brightness be changedface be pale. 11  “There is a AGen 41:11-15; Dan 2:47man in your kingdom in whom is 1Or possibly the Spirit of the holy Goda BDan 4:8, 9, 18; 5:14spirit 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 2Or O kingCDan 2:48the king, appointed him chief of the 3Or soothsayer priestsmagicians, conjurers, 4Or master astrologersChaldeans and diviners. 12  “This was because an ADan 5:14; 6:3extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named BDan 1:7; 4:8Belteshazzar. 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 1Lit sons of the exileAEzra 4:1; 6:16, 19, 20; Dan 2:25; 6:13exiles from Judah, whom my father the king BDan 1:1, 2brought from Judah? 14  “Now I have heard about you that 1Or possibly the Spirit of Goda spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15  “Just now the ADan 5:7wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they BIs 47:12f; Dan 5:8could not declare the interpretation of the 1Lit wordmessage. 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 AGen 40:8interpretation known to me, you will be BDan 5:7, 29clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the 1Or triumvirthird ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “1Lit Let...be forKeep your A2 Kin 5:16gifts 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  “1Lit You, O kingO king, the ADan 4:2; 5:21Most High God BDan 2:37, 38; 4:17granted 2Or the kingdomsovereignty, CJer 25:9; 27:5-7grandeur, 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 1Lit tonguelanguage feared and trembled before him; ADan 2:12, 13; 3:6; 11:3, 16, 36whomever 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 AEx 9:17; Job 15:25; Is 14:13-15; Dan 4:30, 31lifted up and his spirit became so 1Lit strongB2 Kin 17:14; 2 Chr 36:13proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was CJob 40:11, 12; Jer 13:18deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21  “He was also AJob 30:3-7; Dan 4:32, 33driven away from 1Lit the sons of manmankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the BJob 39:5-8wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the CEx 9:14-16; Ps 83:17, 18; Ezek 17:24; Dan 4:17, 34, 35Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. 22  “Yet you, his 1Or descendantson, Belshazzar, have AEx 10:3; 2 Chr 33:23; 36:12not humbled your heart, 2Lit inasmuch as youeven though you knew all this, 23 but you have A2 Kin 14:10; Is 2:12; 37:23; Jer 50:29; Dan 5:3, 4exalted yourself against the BDan 4:37Lord 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 CPs 115:4-8; Is 37:19; Hab 2:18, 19gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God DJob 12:10in whose hand are your life-breath and all your EJob 31:4; Ps 139:3; Prov 20:24; Jer 10:23ways, you have not glorified. 24  “Then the 1Lit palm of the handADan 5:5hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘1Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to number”MENĒ, 1Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to number”MENĒ, 2Or a shekel from verb “to weigh”TEKĒL, 3Or and half-shekels (sing: perēs) from verb “to divide”UPHARSIN.’ 26  “This is the interpretation of the 1Lit wordmessage: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and AIs 13:6, 17-19; Jer 50:41-43put an end to it. 27  “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been AJob 31:6; Ps 62:9weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28  “ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the AIs 13:17; 21:2; 45:1, 2; Dan 5:31; 6:8, 28; Acts 2:9Medes and 1Aram: PārasPersians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ADan 5:7, 16clothed 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 1Or triumvirthird ruler in the kingdom.

30 That same night ADan 5:1, 2Belshazzar the Chaldean king was BIs 21:4-9; 47:9; Jer 51:11, 31, 39, 57slain. 31 1Ch 6:1 in AramSo ADan 6:1; 9:1Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.