Belshazzar Dishonors the Father's House
Belshazzar drinks from the vessels looted from our Father's house and praises gods of metal and stone. A hand writes on the plaster and his knees knock. Daniel names the real charge — you knew about your father and honored no one. That night the king dies.
5 1King Belshazzar held a great feast for 1,000 nobles, drinking wine in the presence of the 1,000. 2While tasting the wine, Belshazzar ordered in the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem's temple, for the king, his nobles, wives, and concubines to drink from. 3Then they brought the gold vessels taken from the temple, our Father's house in Jerusalem; the king, his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5Just then a human hand's fingers appeared and wrote on the plaster of the king's palace wall opposite the lampstand, and the king watched the hand writing. 6The king's face changed color, his thoughts terrified him, his hips gave way, and his knees knocked.
7The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers, telling Babylon's wise men, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will wear purple, a gold chain on his neck, and rule third in the kingdom." a a v7 Belshazzar was co-regent under his absent father Nabonidus, so 'third in the kingdom' was the highest rank he could grant.
8Then all the king's wise men came in, but none could read the writing or tell him its meaning. 9So King Belshazzar grew even more terrified, his face paler still, and his nobles were bewildered.
10At the king's and his nobles' words, the queen entered the banquet hall, saying, "King, live forever! Don't let your thoughts terrify you or your face turn pale. 11A man in your kingdom has the spirit of the holy gods. In your father's days he showed insight, understanding, and wisdom like the gods' wisdom. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers, 12because extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and understanding—interpreting dreams, explaining riddles, untying knots—were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now call Daniel; he will interpret."
Daniel Reads the Father's Verdict
13Daniel was brought before the king, who asked, "Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14I heard the spirit of the gods is in you—light, understanding, and rare wisdom found in you. 15The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me its meaning, but couldn't. 16I've heard you can interpret and untie knots. If you read this writing and tell me its meaning, you'll wear purple, a gold chain on your neck, and rule third in the kingdom."
17Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts; give your rewards to another. Still, I will read the king the writing and tell him its meaning. 18Your Majesty, the Most High our Father gave your father Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom, greatness, glory, and majesty. 19Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wished, let live whom he wished, raised whom he wished, humbled whom he wished. 20When his heart grew proud and his spirit hardened into arrogance, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory taken away. 21He was driven from people, his mind made like an animal's; he lived with wild donkeys, was fed grass like an ox, and the dew of heaven soaked him—until he knew the Most High our Father rules the kingdom of men and sets over it whomever he chooses.
22But you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this. 23Instead, you lifted yourself against heaven's Sovereign. You had his house's vessels brought before you, and you, your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them. You praised gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that cannot see, hear, or know anything. But the One holding your breath in his hand, who owns all your ways—our Father—you have not honored. 24Therefore he sent the hand that wrote this inscription.
25This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
26This is what it means: MENE—our Father counted your kingdom's days and ended it.
27TEKEL—you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28PERES—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29Then Belshazzar gave the order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, put a gold chain on his neck, and proclaimed him third ruler in the kingdom.
30That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was killed. 31And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
