Daniel 5

Revised Geneva Translation

5 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his princes and drank wine before the thousand.

² And Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and silver vessels, which his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink from them.

³ Then were brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the Temple of the Lord’s House at Jerusalem. And the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank from them.

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

⁵ At the same hour, appeared fingers of a man’s hand, which wrote over near the candlestick, upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. And the king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.

⁶ Then the king’s countenance was changed. And his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened, and his knees struck against each other.

⁷ Therefore, the king loudly cried that they should bring the astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babel, “Whoever can read this writing, and declare me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold around his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom!”

⁸ Then came all the king’s wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor show the king the interpretation.

⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed, and his princes were astonished.

¹⁰ Now the queen, by reason of the talk of the king and his princes, came into the banquet house. And the queen spoke, and said, “O king, live forever. Let not your thoughts trouble you, nor your countenance change.

¹¹ “There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him whom the king Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the king, I say, your father, made chief of the enchanters, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

¹² “Because a more excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding (for he expounded dreams, and declared hard sentences, and dissolved doubts) were found in him, even in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called. And he will declare the interpretation.”

¹³ Then Daniel was brought before the king. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Jewry?

¹⁴ “Now, I have heard of you; that the spirit of the holy gods is in you; and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.

¹⁵ “Now therefore, wise men and astrologers have been brought before me, that they should read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof. But they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.

¹⁶ “Then I heard of you; that you could show interpretations, and dissolve doubts. Now, if you can read the writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, you shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Keep your rewards to yourself, and give your gifts to another. I will still read the writing to the king and show him the interpretation.

¹⁸ “O king, hear. The most high God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, a kingdom, and majesty, and honor, and glory.

¹⁹ “And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled, and feared before him. He put to death whom he would. He struck whom he would; whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.

²⁰ “But when his heart was puffed up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his honor from him.

²¹ “And he was driven from the sons of men. And his heart was made like the beasts. And his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass, like oxen. And his body was wet with the dew of the heaven, till he knew that the most high God bore rule over the kingdom of men, and that he appoints whomever he pleases over it.

²² “And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all these things,

²³ “But have lifted yourself up against the Lord of Heaven. And they have brought the vessels of his House before you. And you and your princes, your wives and your concubines have drunk wine in them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand. And the God in whose hand your breath is, and all your ways, him have you not glorified.

²⁴ “Then was the palm of the hand sent from him and has written this writing.

²⁵ “And this is the writing that he has written, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN’.

²⁶ “This is the interpretation of the thing. MENE, God has numbered your kingdom, and has finished it.

²⁷ TEKEL, you are weighed in the balance, and are found too light.

²⁸ PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹ Then, at the commandment of Belshazzar, they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ The same night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, killed.

³¹ And Darius of the Medes took the kingdom, being sixty-two years old.