Belshazzar’s feast, and the writing on the wall
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📚✭Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 📚Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine✭, gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father✭ Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which was in Jerusalem✭, so that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink from them. 3 ✭Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank from them. 4 📚They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.The writing
5 📚In the same hour✭ the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that was writing. 6 📚✭Then the king’s expression✭ changed, and his thoughts so alarmed him that the joints of his hips became slack and his knees knocked together.
The failure of Babylon’s wise men
7 📚✭The king loudly called out orders to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, will be clothed in scarlet, and have a chain of gold placed around his neck, and will become the third ruler in the kingdom”.
8 📚So in came all the king’s wise men, but they could not read the writing, or reveal its interpretation to the king. 9 📚Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and the expression on his face changed, and his nobles were astonished.
The queen’s advice
10 📚Now the queen, because of the words of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall, and the queen✭ spoke and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you, or let your expression change. 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, was found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, made him the head over the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers, 12 📚because an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, the ability to interpret dreams and explain riddles and solve difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will reveal the interpretation”.
The king’s words to Daniel
13 📚Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of those captives from Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah? 14 📚I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 📚And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought into my presence that they might read this writing, and reveal its interpretation to me, but they could not tell the interpretation of the thing. 16 📚✭And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you can read this writing, and make known to me its interpretation, you will be clothed in scarlet, and have a chain of gold around your neck, and will become the third ruler in the kingdom”.
Daniel’s words to the king
17 📚✭Then Daniel answered and said in the king’s presence, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18 📚“O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour. 19 📚And because of the majesty that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and men of all languages, trembled and were afraid in his presence. He killed whomever he wished, and kept alive whomever he wished, and he elevated whomever he wished, and put down whomever he wished. 20 📚But when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened with pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him, 21 📚and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like that of the beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he appoints over it whomever he will.
22 📚“And you, his son✭, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew✭ all this, 23 📚but have lifted up yourself✭ against the Lord of heaven. And they have brought the vessels of his temple to you, and you, and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know anything; and the God in whose hands your breath is✭, and all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 📚So the part of the hand was sent from him, and this inscription was written.
Daniel explains the writing
25 ✭“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN✭
26 📚✭“This is the interpretation of the words: MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and put an end to it.
27 📚✭TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
28 📚✭PERES: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians”.
29 📚✭Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel in scarlet, and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he would be the third ruler in the kingdom.
The fulfillment