Daniel 5:1-12 ▼

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and before the thousand he was drinking wine.

2 Belshazzar commanded during the tasting of the wine to bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that they might drink from them—the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines.

3 So they brought the vessels of gold that had been taken from the temple of the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and they drank from them—the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines.

4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5 At that moment appeared the fingers of the hand of a man, and they were writing over against of the lampstand upon the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king. And the king saw the palm of the hand that was writing.

6 Then the king, his countenance changed about him, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked, this against this.

7 The king called out with strength to bring in the enchanters, the astrologers, and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon that, “Any man who can read this writing and show to me its interpretation, with purple he shall be clothed, and a chain of gold shall be around his neck, and as the third in the kingdom he shall rule!”

8 Then all the wise men of the king came in, and they were not able to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king.

9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly dismayed, and his countenance was changed about him, so that his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his nobles, came to the house of the banquet. The queen answered and said, “O king, may you live forever. Do not let your thoughts trouble you, and do not let your countenance change.

11 There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and insight and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar your father, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners—your father the king—

12 all because that an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, the interpreting of dreams, and the solution of riddles, and explaining enigmas, were found in him—in this Daniel, whom the king had set as his name Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”