| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. | 1Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. |
| 2While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. | 2Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. |
| 3So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. | 3Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. |
| 4While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. | 4As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. |
| 5Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, | 5At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, |
| 6and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. | 6his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together. |
| 7The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!” | 7The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” |
| 8But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. | 8So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him. |
| 9So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken. | 9Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered. |
| 10But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened. | 10Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale. |
| 11There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. | 11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king, |
| 12This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” Daniel Explains the Writing | 12did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.” |
| 13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles brought from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? | 13So Daniel was brought before the king, who asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? |
| 14I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. | 14I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom. |
| 15My wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell me their meaning, but they cannot do it. | 15Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation. |
| 16I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” | 16But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” |
| 17Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. | 17In response, Daniel said to the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the inscription for the king and interpret it for him. |
| 18Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. | 18As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor. |
| 19He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. | 19Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished. |
| 20But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. | 20But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him. |
| 21He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them. | 21He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes. |
| 22“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. | 22But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. |
| 23For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! | 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways. |
| 24So God has sent this hand to write this message. | 24Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription. |
| 25“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel , and Parsin . | 25Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. |
| 26This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. | 26And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. |
| 27 Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. | 27TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. |
| 28 Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” | 28PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” |
| 29Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. | 29Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom. |
| 30That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. | 30That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, |
| 31 And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two. | 31and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two. |
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