| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. | 1King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all. |
| 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. | 2While under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels--the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father had confiscated from the temple in Jerusalem--so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. |
| 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. | 3So they brought the gold and silver vessels that had been confiscated from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together with his wives and concubines, drank from them. |
| 4While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. | 4As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, 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 very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king was watching the back of 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. | 6Then all the color drained from the king's face and he became alarmed. The joints of his hips gave way, and his knees began knocking 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 loudly to summon the astrologers, wise men, and diviners. The king proclaimed to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple and have a golden collar placed on his neck and be third 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 were unable to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king. |
| 9So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken. | 9Then King Belshazzar was very terrified, and he was visibly shaken. His nobles were completely dumbfounded. |
| 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. | 10Due to the noise caused by the king and his nobles, the queen mother then entered the banquet room. She said, "O king, live forever! Don't be alarmed! Don't be shaken! |
| 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 within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have insight, discernment, and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. |
| 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 | 12Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. Now summon Daniel, and he will disclose 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 in before the king. The king said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom 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 about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have insight, discernment, 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 astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message. |
| 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.” | 16However, I have heard that you are able to provide interpretations and to decipher knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third 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. | 17But Daniel replied to the king, "Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else! However, I will read the writing for the king and make known its interpretation. |
| 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 bestowed on your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty. |
| 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. | 19Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and language groups were trembling with fear before him. He killed whom he wished, he spared whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low 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. | 20And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed 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 from human society, his mind was changed to that of an animal, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes. |
| 22“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. | 22"But you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, although 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. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone--gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways! |
| 24So God has sent this hand to write this message. | 24Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed. |
| 25“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel , and Parsin . | 25"This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN. |
| 26This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. | 26This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene--God has numbered your kingdom's days and brought it to an end. |
| 27 Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. | 27As for teqel--you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. |
| 28 Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” | 28As for peres--your kingdom is 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, on Belshazzar's orders, Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom. |
| 30That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. | 30And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. |
| 31 And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two. | 31So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old. |
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