1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his nobles. And he drank wine before the thousand.
2 While tasting the wine, Belshazzar commanded the golden and silver vessels to be brought, those his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God in Jerusalem. And the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, and of bronze, of iron, wood, and stone.
5 At that moment fingers of a mans hand came out and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the kings palace across from the lampstand. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the kings countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins shook, and his knees knocked one against the other.
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the fortunetellers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever can read this writing and explain its interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold around his neck. And he shall rule third in the kingdom.
8 Then all the kings wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or make the interpretation known to the king.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed, and his nobles were perplexed.
10 The queen came into the banquet house because of the words of the king and his nobles. The queen spoke and said, O king, live forever. Do not let your thoughts terrify you, and do not let your countenance 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 were found in him, like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, appointed him master of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and fortunetellers;
12 because an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and declaring riddles, and the solving of problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.
13 Then Daniel was thrust in before the king. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, Are you that Daniel who is of the sons of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Judah?
14 I have even heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and light, and excellent wisdom, and understanding are found in you.
15 And now, the wise men and the conjurers have been thrust in before me, so that they might read this writing and make the interpretation known to me. But they were not able to declare the interpretation of the thing.
16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations, and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make know to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a golden chain around your neck, and you will rule third in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 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 your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor.
19 And for the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he desired, and whom he desired he kept alive. And whom he would, he set up; and whom he desired, he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him.
21 And he was driven from the sons of men. And his heart was made like the animals, and his home was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until he knew that the Most High God is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He desires.
22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this.
23 But you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of Heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before 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, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, and do not know. And you have not glorified the God in whose hand your life, breath, and all your ways is.
24 Then the part of the hand was sent from Him, and this writing was written.
25 And this is the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.
27 TEKEL: You are weighed in the balances and found deficient.
28 PERES: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a necklace of gold around his neck. And they made a proclamation concerning him, that he should rule third in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed.
31 And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being about sixty two years old.