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The BibleDaniel 5

The Bible

Daniel 5

1
English · Berean Standard Bible

Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.

2
English · Berean Standard Bible

Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

3
English · Berean Standard Bible

Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

4
English · Berean Standard Bible

As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5
English · Berean Standard Bible

At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing,

6
English · Berean Standard Bible

his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.

7
English · Berean Standard Bible

The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

8
English · Berean Standard Bible

So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him.

9
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.

10
English · Berean Standard Bible

Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.

11
English · Berean Standard Bible

There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king,

12
English · Berean Standard Bible

did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”

13
English · Berean Standard Bible

So Daniel was brought before the king, who asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?

14
English · Berean Standard Bible

I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.

15
English · Berean Standard Bible

Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation.

16
English · Berean Standard Bible

But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

17
English · Berean Standard Bible

In response, Daniel said to the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the inscription for the king and interpret it for him.

18
English · Berean Standard Bible

As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor.

19
English · Berean Standard Bible

Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.

20
English · Berean Standard Bible

But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him.

21
English · Berean Standard Bible

He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.

22
English · Berean Standard Bible

But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.

23
English · Berean Standard Bible

Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.

24
English · Berean Standard Bible

Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25
English · Berean Standard Bible

Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

26
English · Berean Standard Bible

And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27
English · Berean Standard Bible

TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

28
English · Berean Standard Bible

PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

29
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

30
English · Berean Standard Bible

That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,

31
English · Berean Standard Bible

and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

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Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain). Original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb (CC BY 4.0). · Source ↗

Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. Original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes: lemma and morphology markup removed; morpheme separators removed; qere readings shown in [brackets] after the ketiv, which is shown in (parentheses); petucha/setuma marks omitted; verses renumbered to English versification (Psalm titles moved to headings).

The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB. Dedicated to the public domain. · Source ↗

The Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version), standard text of 1769; electronic text courtesy of eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Public domain outside the United Kingdom. In the UK, rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown under Letters Patent, administered by Cambridge University Press. · Source ↗

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