CHAPTER 5
1 Years later, Belshazzar, the king, made a great feast to his best men a thousand, and each man drank after his age.
2 Forsooth the king, then drunken, commanded that the golden and silveren vessels should be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar, his father*, had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, that the king, and his best men, his wives, and his concubines, should drink in those vessels.
3 Then the golden vessels and silveren, which he had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, were brought forth; and the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, drank in those vessels.
4 They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, and of iron, and of tree, and of stone.
5 In the same hour fingers appeared, as of the hand of a man, writing over against the candlestick, in the plain part of the wall of the king’s hall; and the king beheld the fingers of the hand that was writing.
6 Then the face of the king was changed, and his thoughts disturbed him; and the jointures of his reins were loosed, and his knees were hurtled to themselves together.
7 Therefore the king cried strongly, that they should bring in astronomers, Chaldees, and false diviners by look-ing of altars. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this scripture, and maketh open the interpreting thereof to me, shall be clothed in purple, and he shall have a golden band in the neck, and he shall be the third in my realm.
8 Then all the wise men of the king entered, and might not read the scripture, neither show to the king the interpreting thereof.
9 Wherefore king Belshazzar was disturbed enough, and his cheer was changed, but also his best men were disturbed.
10 Forsooth the queen entered into the house of feast, for the thing that had befelled to the king, and his best men; and she spake, and said, King, live thou without end. Thy thoughts disturb not thee, and thy face be not changed.
11 A man is in thy realm, that hath the spirit of holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy father knowing and wisdom were found in him; for why and Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him prince of astronomers, of enchant-ers, of Chaldees, and of false diviners by looking on altars; soothly thy father, thou king, did this;
12 for [the] more spirit, and more prudent, and understanding, and interpreting of dreams, and showing of privates, and solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king putted the name Belteshazzar. Now therefore Daniel be called, and he shall tell the interpreting.
13 Therefore Daniel was brought in before the king. To whom the fore-said king said, Art thou Daniel, of the sons of the captivity of Judah, whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
14 I have heard of thee, that thou hast in thee the spirit of gods, and more knowing, and understanding, and wisdom be found in thee.
15 And now wise men, astronomers, entered in my sight, to read this scripture, and to show to me the interpreting thereof; and they might not say to me the understanding of this word.
16 Certainly I have heard of thee, that thou mayest interpret dark things, and unbind bound things; therefore if thou mayest read the scripture, and show to me the interpreting thereof, thou shalt be clothed in purple, and thou shalt have a golden band about thy neck, and thou shalt be the third prince in my realm.
17 To which things Daniel answered, and said before the king, Thy gifts be to thee, and give thou to another man the gifts of thine house; forsooth, king, I shall read the scripture to thee, and I shall show to thee the inter-preting thereof.
18 O! thou king, [the] highest God gave realm, and great worship, and glory, and honour, to Nebuchadnezzar, thy father.
19 And for [the] great worship which he had given to that Nebuchadnezzar, all peoples, lineages, and languages, trembled and dreaded him; he killed which he would, and he smote which he would, and he enhanced which he would, and he made low which he would.
20 Forsooth when his heart was raised [up], and his spirit was made obstinate in pride, he was put down off the seat of his realm; and his glory was taken away,
21 and he was cast out from the sons of men; but also his heart was set [or put] with beasts, and his dwelling was with wild asses; also he ate hay as an ox doeth, and his body was coloured with the dew of heaven, till he knew, that the Highest hath power in the realm of men, and he shall raise on it whomever he will.
22 And thou, Belshazzar, the son of him, meekedest not thine heart, when thou knewest all these things;
23 but thou were raised [up] against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his house were brought before thee, and thou, and thy best men, and thy wives, and thy concubines, drank wine in those vessels; and thou praisedest gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, and of iron, and of tree, and of stone, that see not, neither hear, neither feel; certainly thou glorifiedest not God, that hath thy blast or breathe, and all thy ways in his hand.
24 Therefore the finger of the hand was sent of him, which hand wrote this thing that is written.
25 Soothly this is the scripture which is described, Mene, Tekel, Phares.
26 And this is the interpreting of the word. Mene, God hath numbered thy realm, and hath [ful] filled it;
27 Tekel, thou art weighed in a balance, and thou art found having less;
28 Phares, thy realm is parted, and is given to Medes and Persians.
29 Then, for the king commanded, Daniel was clothed in purple, and a golden bie was given about his neck; and it was preached of him, that he had power, and was the third in the realm.
30 In the same night, Belshazzar, the king of Chaldees, was slain;
31 and Darius of Media or of Medes was successor to the realm, and he was two and sixty years eld.
* CHAPTER 5:2 There were several kings of Babylon between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. ‘Father’ may mean ‘predecessor’ or the name ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ may have been used for ‘Nabonidus’. (Good News Bible)