Daniel 5
Legacy Standard Bible►► 

Belshazzar’s Feast

1Belshazzar the king [†]held a great feast for one thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he said to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his [†]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. 3Then 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. 4They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand came out and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the [†]back of the hand that did the writing. 6Then the [†]splendor of the king’s face changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints [†]went slack, and his knees were knocking against each other. 7The king called out loudly to bring in the conjurers, the [†]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and declare its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck and rule with power as [†]third ruler in the kingdom.” 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and the [†]splendor of his face changed further, and his nobles were perplexed.

10The queen entered the banquet [†]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen answered and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or the [†]splendor of your face be changed. 11There is a man in your kingdom in whom is [†]a 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, set him as chief of the [†]magicians, conjurers, [†]Chaldeans, and diviners. 12This was because an 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 Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall

13Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the [†]exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14Now I have heard about you that [†]a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this writing and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the [†]message. 16But 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 writing and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will rule with power as the [†]third ruler in the kingdom.”

17Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts remain with you or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18[†]O king, the Most High God granted the kingdom, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue feared and were in dread before him; whomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive, and whomever he wished he raised up, and whomever he wished he made low. 20But when his heart was raised up and his spirit became so strong that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. 21He was also driven away from the sons of [†]men, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his place of habitation was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the sky until he knew that the Most High God is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and that He sets up over it whomever He wishes. 22Yet you, his [†]son, Belshazzar, have not made your heart lowly, [†]even though you knew all this, 23but you have raised yourself up 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 been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear, or know. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not honored. 24Then the [†]hand was sent from Him, and this writing was [†]inscribed.

25“Now this is the writing that was [†]inscribed: ‘[†]MENE, [†]MENE, [†]TEKEL, [†]UPHARSIN.’ 26This is the interpretation of the [†]message: ‘MENE’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27‘TEKEL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found lacking. 28‘PERES’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and [†]Persians.”

29Then Belshazzar said the word, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now would be the [†]third powerful ruler in the kingdom.

30That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

31[†]So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.



1 Lit made
2 Or forefather, so in ch
5 Or palm
6 Lit brightness changed for him
6 Lit became loosened
7 Or master astrologers
7 Or a triumvir
9 Lit brightness was changing upon him
10 Lit house
10 Lit brightness be changed
11 Or the Spirit of the holy God
11 Or O king
11 Or soothsayer priests
11 Or master astrologers
12 Lit loosening
13 Lit sons of the exile
14 Or possibly the Spirit of God
15 Lit word
16 Lit loosen
16 Or triumvir
18 Lit You, O king
21 Lit man
22 Or descendant
22 Lit inasmuch as you
24 Lit palm of the hand
24 Or signed, cf. 6:9-14
25 Or signed, cf. 6:9-14
25 Or a mina (50 shekels), from verb “to number”
25 Or a mina (50 shekels), from verb “to number”
25 Or a shekel, from verb “to weigh”
25 Or and half-shekels (sing: peres), from verb “to divide”
26 Lit word
28 Aram: Paras
29 Or triumvir
31 Ch 6:1 in Aram

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