Daniel 5-8

New American Standard Bible 1995

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king ^[a]held a great ^(A)feast 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 ^(B)vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his ^[b]father 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 ^(C)drank the wine and praised the gods of ^(D)gold 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 ^[c]back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶ Then the king’s ^[d](E)face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^(F)hip joints went slack and his ^(G)knees began knocking together. ⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(H)conjurers, the ^[e]Chaldeans 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 ^(I)clothed with purple and have a ^(J)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^[f](K)third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(L)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(M)alarmed, his ^[g](N)face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen entered the banquet ^[h]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “^(O)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^[i]face be pale. ¹¹ There is a ^(P)man in your kingdom in whom is ^[j]a ^(Q)spirit 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 ^[k](R)the king, appointed him chief of the ^[l]magicians, conjurers, ^[m]Chaldeans and diviners. ¹² This was because an ^(S)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^(T)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets Handwriting on the Wall

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 ^[n](U)exiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^(V)brought from Judah? ¹⁴ Now I have heard about you that ^[o]a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵ Just now the ^(W)wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^(X)could not declare the interpretation of the ^[p]message. 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 ^(Y)interpretation known to me, you will be ^(Z)clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the ^[q]third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “^[r]Keep your ^(AA)gifts 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 [s]O king, the ^(AB)Most High God ^(AC)granted ^[t]sovereignty, ^(AD)grandeur, 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 ^[u]language feared and trembled before him; ^(AE)whomever 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 ^(AF)lifted up and his spirit became so ^[v](AG)proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^(AH)deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. ²¹ He was also ^(AI)driven away from ^[w]mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the ^(AJ)wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the ^(AK)Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. ²² Yet you, his ^[x]son, Belshazzar, have ^(AL)not humbled your heart, ^[y]even though you knew all this, ²³ but you have ^(AM)exalted yourself against the ^(AN)Lord 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 ^(AO)gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God ^(AP)in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^(AQ)ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the ^[z](AR)hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

²⁵ “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘^[aa]MENĒ, ^[ab]MENĒ, ^[ac]TEKĒL, ^[ad]UPHARSIN.’ ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the ^[ae]message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^(AS)put an end to it. ²⁷ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been ^(AT)weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^(AU)Medes and ^[af]Persians.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^(AV)clothed 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 ^[ag]third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night ^(AW)Belshazzar the Chaldean king was ^(AX)slain. ^31 [ah]So ^(AY)Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Daniel Serves Darius

6 ^[ai]It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, ² and over them three commissioners (of whom ^(AZ)Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer ^(BA)loss. ³ Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself ^[aj]among the commissioners and satraps because ^[ak]he possessed an ^(BB)extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the ^(BC)entire kingdom. ⁴ Then the commissioners and satraps began ^(BD)trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to ^[al]government affairs; but they could find ^(BE)no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the ^(BF)law of his God.”

⁶ Then these commissioners and satraps came ^[am]by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, ^(BG)live forever! ⁷ All the ^(BH)commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have ^(BI)consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall ^(BJ)be cast into the lions’ ^[an]den. ⁸ Now, O king, ^(BK)establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the ^(BL)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[ao]may not be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius ^(BM)signed the document, that is, the injunction.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open ^(BN)toward Jerusalem); and he continued ^(BO)kneeling on his knees three times a day, ^(BP)praying and ^(BQ)giving thanks before his God, ^[ap]as he had been doing previously. ¹¹ Then these men came ^[aq](BR)by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. ¹² Then they approached and ^(BS)spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the ^(BT)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[ar]may not be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and spoke before the king, “^(BU)Daniel, who is one of the ^[as]exiles from Judah, pays ^(BV)no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.”

¹⁴ Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply ^(BW)distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him. ¹⁵ Then these men came ^[at]by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a ^(BX)law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁶ Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and ^(BY)cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “^[au](BZ)Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” ¹⁷ A ^(CA)stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night ^(CB)fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ^(CC)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ^(CD)your God, whom you constantly serve, been ^(CE)able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel spoke ^[av]to the king, “^(CF)O king, live forever! ²² My God ^(CG)sent His angel and ^(CH)shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as ^[aw]I was found innocent before Him; and also ^[ax]toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” ²³ Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and ^(CI)no injury whatever was found on him, because he had ^(CJ)trusted in his God. ²⁴ The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had ^[ay]maliciously accused Daniel, and they ^(CK)cast them, their ^(CL)children and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁵ Then Darius the king wrote to all the ^(CM)peoples, nations and men of every ^[az]language who were living in all the land: “^(CN)May your ^[ba]peace abound! ^26 [bb]I ^(CO)make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;

²⁸ So this ^(CT)Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of ^(CU)Cyrus the Persian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a ^(CV)dream and visions ^[be]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(CW)wrote the dream down and related the ^[bf]following summary of ^[bg]it. ² Daniel ^[bh]said, “I was ^(CX)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(CY)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great ^(CZ)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was ^(DA)like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human ^[bi]mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(DB)like a leopard, which had on its ^[bj]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(DC)four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(DD)fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(DE)ten horns. ⁸ While I was contemplating the horns, behold, ^(DF)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, ^[bk]this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and ^(DG)a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^[bm]boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(DQ)burning ^[bn]fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed ^[bq]within me, and the ^(DX)visions ^[br]in my mind kept ^(DY)alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were ^(DZ)standing by and began asking him the ^[bs]exact meaning of all this. So he ^(EA)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the ^[bt](EB)saints of the Highest One will ^(EC)receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, ^[bu]for all ages to come.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the ^[bv]exact meaning of the ^(ED)fourth beast, which was different from all ^[bw]the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and ^[bx]which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was ^(EE)waging war with the ^[by]saints and overpowering them ²² until the Ancient of Days came and ^(EF)judgment was ^[bz]passed in favor of the ^[ca]saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^[cb]saints took possession of the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ^(EG)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will ^(EH)speak ^[cc]out against the ^(EI)Most High and ^(EJ)wear down the ^[cd]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(EK)alterations in times and in law; and ^[ce]they will be given into his hand for a ^[cf](EL)time, ^[cg]times, and half a ^[ch]time. ²⁶ But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(EM)taken away, ^[ci]annihilated and destroyed ^[cj]forever. ²⁷ Then the ^[ck](EN)sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^[cl]saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(EO)everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will ^(EP)serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “^[cm]At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(EQ)greatly alarming me and my ^[cn]face grew pale, but I ^(ER)kept the matter ^[co]to myself.”

Vision of the Ram and Goat

8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, ^[cp]Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me ^[cq]previously. ² I ^(ES)looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of ^(ET)Susa, which is in the province of ^(EU)Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai ^[cr]Canal. ³ Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^(EV)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the ^[cs]canal. Now the two horns were ^[ct]long, but one was ^[cu]longer than the other, with the ^[cv]longer one coming up last. ⁴ I saw the ram ^(EW)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his ^[cw]power, but ^(EX)he did as he pleased and magnified himself.

⁵ While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the ^[cx]goat had a ^(EY)conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the ^[cy]canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. ⁷ I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his ^[cz]power. ⁸ Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as ^(EZ)he was mighty, the ^(FA)large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the ^(FB)four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

⁹ Out of one of them came forth a rather ^(FC)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^[da](FD)Beautiful Land. ¹⁰ It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the ^(FE)stars to fall to the earth, and it ^(FF)trampled them down. ¹¹ It even ^(FG)magnified itself ^[db]to be equal with the ^[dc]Commander of the host; and it removed the ^(FH)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. ¹² And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will ^(FI)fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. ¹³ Then I heard a ^(FJ)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “^(FK)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, ^[dd]while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host ^[de]to be ^(FL)trampled?” ¹⁴ He said to me, “For ^(FM)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be ^[df]properly restored.”

Interpretation of the Vision

¹⁵ When ^(FN)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought ^[dg]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one ^[dh]who looked like a ^(FO)man. ¹⁶ And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “^(FP)Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and ^(FQ)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the ^(FR)time of the end.”

¹⁸ Now while he was talking with me, I ^(FS)sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he ^(FT)touched me and made me stand ^[di]upright. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I am going to ^(FU)let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

The Ram’s Identity

²⁰ The ^(FV)ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

The Goat

²¹ The shaggy ^[dj]goat represents the ^[dk]kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. ²² The ^(FW)broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

²⁷ Then I, Daniel, was ^[dx](GD)exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and ^(GE)carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to ^[dy]explain it.