Dan 5 | NASB1995 | STEP | Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles , and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand .

Daniel 5

Belshazzar’s Feast

1 Belshazzar the king ^{▼▼ Lit made}held a great ^bfeast 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 ^cvessels which Nebuchadnezzar his ^{▼▼ Or forefather, and so throughout the ch}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 ^edrank the wine and praised the gods of ^fgold 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 ^{▼▼ Or palm}back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s ^{▼▼ Lit brightness changed for him
,} ⁱface grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^jhip joints went slack and his ^kknees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the ^lconjurers, the ^{▼▼ Or master astrologers}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 ⁿclothed with purple and have a ^onecklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^{▼▼ Or a triumvir
,} ^qthird ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^rthey could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^salarmed, his ^{▼▼ Lit brightness was changing upon him
,} ^uface grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet ^{▼▼ Lit house}hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, ^w“O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^{▼▼ Lit brightness be changed}face be pale. 11 “There is a ^yman in your kingdom in whom is ^{▼▼ Or possibly the Spirit of the holy God}a ^aaspirit 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 ^{▼▼ Or O king
,} ^acthe king, appointed him chief of the ^{▼▼ Or soothsayer priests}magicians, conjurers, ^{▼▼ Or master astrologers}Chaldeans and diviners. 12 “This was because an ^afextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^agBelteshazzar. 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 ^{▼▼ Lit sons of the exile
,} ^aiexiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^ajbrought from Judah? 14 “Now I have heard about you that ^{▼▼ Or possibly the Spirit of God}a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15 “Just now the ^alwise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^amcould not declare the interpretation of the ^{▼▼ Lit word}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 ^aointerpretation known to me, you will be ^apclothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the ^{▼▼ Or triumvir}third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^{▼▼ Lit Let...be for}“Keep your ^asgifts 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 ^{▼▼ Lit You, O king}“O king, the ^auMost High God ^avgranted ^{▼▼ Or the kingdom}sovereignty, ^axgrandeur, 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 ^{▼▼ Lit tongue}language feared and trembled before him; ^azwhomever 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 ^balifted up and his spirit became so ^{▼▼ Lit strong
,} ^bcproud that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^bddeposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 “He was also ^bedriven away from ^{▼▼ Lit the sons of man}mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the ^bgwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the ^bhMost High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. 22 “Yet you, his ^{▼▼ Or descendant}son, Belshazzar, have ^bjnot humbled your heart, ^{▼▼ Lit inasmuch as you}even though you knew all this, 23 but you have ^blexalted yourself against the ^bmLord 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 ^bngods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God ^boin whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^bpways, you have not glorified. 24 “Then the ^{▼▼ Lit palm of the hand
,} ^brhand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘ ^{▼▼ Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to number”}MENE, ^{▼▼ Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to number”}MENE, ^{▼▼ Or a shekel from verb “to weigh”}TEKEL, ^{▼▼ Or and half-shekels (sing: peres) from verb “to divide”}UPHARSIN.’ 26 “This is the interpretation of the ^{▼▼ Lit word}message: ‘MENE’— God has numbered your kingdom and ^bxput an end to it. 27 “‘TEKEL’— you have been ^byweighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 “‘PERES’— your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^bzMedes and ^{▼▼ Aram: Pa-ras}Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^cbclothed 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 ^{▼▼ Or triumvir}third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That same night ^cdBelshazzar the Chaldean king was ^ceslain. 31 ^{▼▼ Ch 6:1 in Aram}So ^cgDarius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.