Daniel 05

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast
to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine
before the thousand.

2 Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine,
commanded that the golden and silver
vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father
had taken out of the temple which was
in Jerusalem be brought to him, that the
king and his lords, his wives and his concubines,
might drink from them.

3 Then they brought the golden vessels
that were taken out of the temple of God’s
house which was at Jerusalem; and the
king and his lords, his wives and his
concubines, drank from them.

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

5 In the same hour, the fingers of a man’s
hand came out and wrote near the lamp
stand on the plaster ofthe wall ofthe king’s
palace. The king saw the part of the hand
that wrote.

6 Then the king’s face was changed in
him, and his thoughts troubled him; and
the joints of his thighs were loosened, and
his knees struck one against another.

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the
enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.
The king spoke and said to the
wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this
writing and shows me its interpretation
shall be clothed with purple, and have a
chain of gold about his neck, and shall be
the third ruler in the kingdom.”

8 Then all the king’s wise men came in;
but they could not read the writing, and
couldn’t make known to the king the interpretation.

9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled,
and his face was changed in him, and
his lords were perplexed.

10 The queen by reason of the words of
the king and his lords came into the banquet house.
The queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever;
don’t let your thoughts trouble you,
nor let your face be changed.

11 There is a man in your kingdom in
whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and
in the days of your father, light and
understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom
of the gods, were found in him. The king,
Nebuchadnezzar, your father—yes,
the king, your father—made him master of
the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and
soothsayers,

12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding,
interpreting of dreams, showing of dark sentences, and
dissolving of doubts were found in the
same Daniel, whom the king named
Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called,
and he will show the interpretation.”

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the
king. The king spoke and said to Daniel,
“Are you that Daniel of the children of
the captivity of Judah, whom the king my
father brought out of Judah?

14 I have heard of you, that the spirit of
the gods is in you and that light, understanding,
and excellent wisdom are found in you.

15 Now the wise men, the enchanters,
have been brought in before me, that they
should read this writing, and make known
to me its interpretation; but they could not
show the interpretation of the thing.