1King Belshazzar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and drank wine before the thousand.
2And Belshazzar while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein.
3Then were brought the golden vessels, that were taken out of the Temple of the Lord’s house at Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines drank in them.
4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5At the same hour appeared fingers of a man’s hand, which wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.
6Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other.
7Wherefore the king cried loud, that they should bring the astrologians, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babel, Whosoever can read this writing, and declare me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8Then came all the king’s wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor show the king the interpretation.
9Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his princes were astonied.
10Now the Queen by reason of the talk of the King and his princes, came into the banquet house, and the Queen spake, and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
11There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him: whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made chief of the enchanters, astrologians, Chaldeans, and soothsayers,
12Because a more excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding (for he did expound dreams, and declare hard sentences, and dissolved doubts) were found in him, even in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will declare the interpretation.
13Then was Daniel brought before the king, and the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Jewry?
14Now I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and that light and understanding, and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15Now therefore wise men and Astrologians have been brought before me, that they should read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof: but they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.
16Then heard I of thee, that thou couldest show interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, Keep thy rewards to thyself, and give thy gifts to another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and show him the interpretation.
18O king, hear thou, The most high God gave unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and honor, and glory.
19And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled, and feared before him: he put to death whom he would: he smote whom he would: whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
20But when his heart was puffed up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his honor from him.
21And he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heaven, till he knew that the most high God bare rule over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it, whomsoever he pleaseth.
22And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all these things,
23But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his House before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines have drunk wine in them, and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which neither see, neither hear, nor understand: and the God in whose hand thy breath is and all thy ways, him hast thou not glorified.
24Then was the palm of the hand sent from him, and hath written this writing.
25And this is the writing that he hath written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.
26This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
27TEKEL, thou art weighed in the balance, and art found too light.
28PERES, thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
29Then at the commandment of Belshazzar they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30The same night was Belshazzar the King of the Chaldeans slain.
31And Darius of the Medes took the kingdom, being threescore and two years old.