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Daniel 5:1-31 — The Writing on the Wall

Dan.5.1-31

¹King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine in front of the thousand. ²Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded to bring in the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³Then they brought in the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. ⁵In that very hour, the fingers of a human hand came out and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that was writing. ⁶Then the king's face grew pale, and his thoughts terrified him; the joints of his hips were loosened, and his knees knocked together. ⁷The king called out loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who reads this writing and declares its interpretation to me shall be clothed in purple garments, and have a chain of gold around his neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom.” ⁸Then all the king's wise men came in, but they were not able to read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹Then King Belshazzar was greatly terrified, and his face grew pale, and his nobles were perplexed. ¹⁰The queen , because of the words of the king and his nobles, entered the banquet hall. The queen spoke and said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you, and do not let your face grow pale. ¹¹There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the 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 the king—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners. ¹²Because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and insight to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will declare the interpretation." ¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah? ¹⁴I have heard about you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵Now the wise men and the enchanters were brought in before me to read this writing and make known its interpretation to me, but they were not able to declare the interpretation of the matter. ¹⁶But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and make known its interpretation to me, you shall be clothed in purple garments , and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom." ¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known the interpretation to him. ¹⁸O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty. ¹⁹And because of the greatness that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he wished, he killed, and whom he wished, he kept alive; whom he wished, he raised up, and whom he wished, he humbled. ²⁰But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became stubborn so that he acted proudly, he was brought down from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. ²¹He was driven away from the sons of men, and his mind was made like that of the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, and He sets over it whomever He wishes. ²²But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. ²³Instead, you have exalted yourself against the 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 drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, or hear, or know. But the God in whose hand is your breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴Then from His presence the back of the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. ²⁶This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE—God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. ²⁷TEKEL—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸PERES—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." ²⁹Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple garments, and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should rule as the third in the kingdom. ³⁰That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. ³¹And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

Translation Notes

4/11/2026

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