Daniel 5

Wycliffe Bible

5 (Years later,) Belshazzar, the king, made a great feast to his best men a thousand, and each man drank after his age. (Years later, King Belshazzar had a great feast for a thousand of his best men, and they all drank together.)

² Forsooth the king, then drunken, commanded that the golden and silveren vessels should be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar, his father^[a], had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, (so) that the king, and his best men, his wives, and his concubines, should drink in those vessels. (And then the king, now drunk, commanded that the gold and silver vessels should be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor, had carried out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, could drink out of those vessels.)

³ Then the golden vessels and silveren, which he had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, were brought forth; and the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, drank in those vessels. (Then the gold and silver vessels, which had been carried out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, were brought forth; and the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, drank from those vessels.)

⁴ They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, and of iron, and of tree, and of stone. (They drank wine, and praised their gods made of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone.)

⁵ In the same hour fingers appeared, as of the hand of a man, writing (over) against the candlestick, in the plain part of the wall of the king’s hall; and the king beheld the fingers of the hand (that was) writing. (In the same hour fingers appeared, like a man’s hand, writing opposite the lamp, on the plain part of the wall of the king’s hall; and the king watched the fingers of the hand that was writing.)

⁶ Then the face of the king was changed, and his thoughts disturbed him; and the jointures of his reins were loosed, and his knees were hurtled to themselves together. (Then the king’s face went pale, and his thoughts disturbed him; and his joints became loose, and his knees were hurtled together against themselves.)

⁷ Therefore the king cried strongly, that they should bring in (the) astronomers, Chaldees, and diviners by looking of altars. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this scripture, and maketh open the interpreting thereof to me, shall be clothed in purple, and he shall have a golden band in the neck, and he shall be the third in my realm. (And so the king loudly cried out, that they should bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners by looking on altars. And then the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and maketh open to me its interpretation, shall be clothed in purple, and he shall have a gold band around his neck, and he shall be the third in power in my kingdom.)

⁸ Then all the wise men of the king entered, and might not read the scripture, neither show to the king the interpreting thereof. (Then all the wise men of the king entered, but they could not read the writing, nor could they tell the king its interpretation.)

⁹ Wherefore king Belshazzar was disturbed enough, and his cheer was changed, but also his best men were disturbed. (And so King Belshazzar was greatly disturbed, and his face was pale, and also his best men were disturbed.)

¹⁰ Forsooth the queen entered into the house of feast, for the thing that had befelled to the king, and (his) best men; and she spake, and said, (O) King, live thou without end. Thy thoughts disturb not thee, and thy face be not changed (Let not thy thoughts disturb thee, and thy face be so pale).

¹¹ A man is in thy realm, that hath the spirit of holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy father knowing and wisdom were found in him; for why and Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him prince of astronomers, of enchanters, of Chaldees, and of diviners by looking on altars; soothly thy father, thou king, did this; (There is a man in thy kingdom, who hath the spirit of the holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy predecessor, knowledge and wisdom were found in him; because of this, Nebuchadnezzar, thy predecessor, made him the chief of the astrologers, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners by looking on altars; truly thy predecessor, O king, did this;)

¹² for [the] more spirit, and more prudent, and understanding, and interpreting of dreams, and showing of privates, and solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king putted the name Belteshazzar. Now therefore Daniel be called, and he shall tell the interpreting. (for great ability, and much prudence, or wisdom, and understanding, and the interpreting of dreams, and the revealing of mysteries, or of secrets, and the solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king gave the name Belteshazzar. And so now let Daniel be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation.)

¹³ Therefore Daniel was brought in before the king. To whom the foresaid king said, Art thou Daniel, of the sons of the captivity of Judah, whom my father, the king (whom my predecessor, the king), brought from Judah?

¹⁴ I have heard of thee, that thou hast in thee the spirit of (the) gods, and (that) more knowing, and understanding, and wisdom be found in thee.

¹⁵ And now wise men, astronomers, entered in my sight, to read this scripture, and to show to me the interpreting thereof; and they might not say to me the understanding of this word. (And now wise men, yea, the astrologers, have come before me, to read this writing, and to tell me its interpretation; but they could not say to me the understanding, or the meaning, of these words.)

¹⁶ Certainly I have heard of thee, that thou mayest interpret dark things, and unbind bound things; therefore if thou mayest read the scripture, and show to me the interpreting thereof, thou shalt be clothed in purple, and thou shalt have a golden band about thy neck, and thou shalt be the third prince in my realm. (Certainly I have heard of thee, that thou can interpret secret, or hidden, things, and unbind bound things; and so if thou can read this writing, and tell me its interpretation, thou shalt be clothed in purple, and thou shalt have a gold band around thy neck, and thou shalt be the third in power in all my kingdom.)

¹⁷ To which things Daniel answered, and said before the king, Thy gifts be to thee, and give thou to another man the gifts of thine house; forsooth, king, I shall read the scripture to thee, and I shall show to thee the interpreting thereof. (To which Daniel answered, and said to the king, Let thy gifts be to thee, and give thou to someone else the gifts of thy house; but, O king, I shall read this writing to thee, and I shall tell thee its interpretation.)

¹⁸ O! thou king, [the] highest God gave realm, and great worship, and glory, and honour, to Nebuchadnezzar, thy father. (O! thou king, the Most High God gave kingdom, and great worship, and glory, and honour, to Nebuchadnezzar, thy predecessor.)

¹⁹ And for [the] great worship which he had given to that Nebuchadnezzar, all peoples, lineages, and languages, trembled and dreaded him; he killed which he would, and he smote which he would, and he enhanced which he would, and he made low which he would. (And for the great power which he gave to that Nebuchadnezzar, all the peoples, and the tribes, or the nations, of every language, trembled and feared him; he killed whom he would, and he struck down whom he would, and he exalted, or he lifted up, whom he would, and he made low whom he would.)

²⁰ Forsooth when his heart was raised [up], and his spirit was made obstinate in pride, he was put down off the seat of his realm (he was taken down off the throne of his kingdom); and his glory was taken away,

²¹ and he was cast out from the sons of men; but also his heart was set with beasts, and his dwelling was with wild asses; also he ate hay as an ox doeth, and his body was coloured with the dew of heaven, till he knew, that the Highest hath power in the realm of men, and he shall raise on it whomever he will. (and he was thrown out from among people; and his mind became like that of the beasts, and his habitation was with the wild donkeys, or with the wild beasts; and he ate grass, like an ox doeth, and his body was sprinkled with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged, that the Most High God hath power over the kingdom of people, and that he shall raise upon it whomever he will.)

²² And thou, Belshazzar, the son of him, meekedest not thine heart, when thou knewest all these things; (And thou, Belshazzar, his successor, hast not humbled, or made meek, thy heart, even though thou knewest all these things;)

²³ but thou were raised [up] against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his house were brought before thee, and thou, and thy best men, and thy wives, and thy concubines, drank wine in those vessels; and thou praisedest gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, and of iron, and of tree, and of stone, that see not, neither hear, neither feel; certainly thou glorifiedest not God, that hath thy blast, and all thy ways in his hand. (but thou were raised up against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his House were brought before thee, and thou, and thy best men, and thy wives, and thy concubines, drank wine from those vessels; and thou praisedest gods made of silver, and gold, and bronze, and iron, and wood, and stone, that see not, neither hear, nor feel; certainly thou glorifiedest not God, who hath thy breath, and all thy ways, in his hands.)

²⁴ Therefore the finger of the hand was sent of him, which hand wrote this thing that is written. (And so the fingers of this hand were sent from him, which hand wrote this thing that is written.)

²⁵ Soothly this is the scripture which is described, Mene, Tekel, Peres. (Truly this is the writing that is written there, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.)

²⁶ And this is the interpreting of the word. Mene, God hath numbered thy realm, and hath [ful]filled it; (And this is the interpretation of the words. Mene, God hath numbered the days of thy kingdom, and hath finished, or hath ended, it;)

²⁷ Tekel, thou art weighed in a balance, and thou art found having less; (Tekel, thou art weighed in a balance, and thou art found wanting;)

²⁸ Peres, thy realm is parted, and is given to Medes and Persians. (Peres, thy kingdom is parted, or divided, and it is given to the Medes and the Persians.)

²⁹ Then, for the king commanded, Daniel was clothed in purple, and a golden band was given about his neck; and it was preached of him, that he had power, and was the third in the realm. (Then, for the king commanded, Daniel was clothed in purple, and a gold band was put around his neck; and it was preached of him, that he had power, and was the third in the kingdom.)

³⁰ In the same night, Belshazzar, the king of Chaldees, was slain; (On that same night, Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed;)

³¹ and Darius of Media/and Darius of Medes was successor to the realm, and he was two and sixty years eld. (and Darius the Mede was his successor in the realm/and Darius the Mede took his kingdom, and he was sixty-two years old.)