The Writing on the Wall

5 King Belshazzarz gave a great banqueta for a thousand of his noblesb and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinkingc his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver gobletsd that Nebuchadnezzar his fathera had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubinese might drink from them.f 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the godsg of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.h

5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned palei and he was so frightenedj that his legs became weakk and his knees were knocking.l

7 The king summoned the enchanters,m astrologersb n and diviners.o Then he said to these wisep men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,q and he will be made the thirdr highest ruler in the kingdom.”s

8 Then all the king’s wise ment came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.u 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrifiedv and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

10 The queen,c hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”w she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy godsx in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdomy like that of the gods.z Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.a 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,b was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddlesc and solve difficult problems.d Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.e”

13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?f 14 I have heard that the spirit of the godsg is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.h 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.i 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems.j If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck,k and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”l

17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.m Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzarn sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.o 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;p those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.q 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,r he was deposed from his royal thrones and strippedt of his glory.u 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereignv over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.w

22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son,d have not humbledx yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up againsty the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wivesz and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.a But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your lifeb and all your ways.c 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26 “Here is what these words mean:

Menee: God has numbered the daysd of your reign and brought it to an end.e

27 Tekelf: You have been weighed on the scalesf and found wanting.g

28 Peresg: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medesh and Persians.”i

29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,j and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.k

30 That very night Belshazzar,l kingm of the Babylonians,h was slain,n 31 and Dariuso the Medep took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.i

Daniel in the Den of Lions

6 a It pleased Dariusq to appoint 120 satrapsr to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel.s The satraps were made accountablet to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.u 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for chargesv against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”w

6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever!x 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governorsy have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.z 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”a 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towardb Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his kneesc and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.d 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.e 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”f

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah,g pays no attentionh to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed;i he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”j

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.k The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescuel you!”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealedm it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eatingn and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.o

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”p

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever!q 22 My God sent his angel,r and he shut the mouths of the lions.s They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.t Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no woundu was found on him, because he had trustedv in his God.

24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den,w along with their wives and children.x And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.y

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every languagez in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!a

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverenceb the God of Daniel.c

“For he is the living Godd

and he endures forever;e

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.f

27 He rescues and he saves;g

he performs signs and wondersh

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”i

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrusb j the Persian.k

Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzarl king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visionsm passed through his mindn as he was lying in bed.o He wrotep down the substance of his dream.

2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heavenq churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts,r each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

4 “The first was like a lion,s and it had the wings of an eagle.t I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’u

6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.v And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 “After that, in my visionw at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large ironx teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampledy underfoot whatever was left.z It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.a

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a littleb one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human beingc and a mouth that spoke boastfully.d

9 “As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,

and the Ancient of Dayse took his seat.f

His clothing was as white as snow;g

the hair of his head was white like wool.h

His throne was flaming with fire,

and its wheelsi were all ablaze.

10 A river of firej was flowing,

coming out from before him.k

Thousands upon thousands attended him;

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

The court was seated,

and the booksl were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.m I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.n 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,a o comingp with the clouds of heaven.q He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority,r glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.s His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdomt is one that will never be destroyed.u

The Interpretation of the Dream

15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.v 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretationw of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy peoplex of the Most High will receive the kingdomy and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’z

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten hornsa on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.b 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,c 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.d

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.e 24 The ten hornsf are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most Highg and oppress his holy peopleh and try to change the set timesi and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.b j

26 “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyedk forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdomsl under heaven will be handed over to the holy peoplem of the Most High.n His kingdom will be an everlastingo kingdom, and all rulers will worshipp and obey him.’

28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubledq by my thoughts,r and my face turned pale,s but I kept the matter to myself.”

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’st reign, I, Daniel, had a vision,u after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susav in the province of Elam;w in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up,x and there before me was a ramy with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power.z It did as it pleaseda and became great.

5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it,b and none could rescue the ram from its power.c 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off,d and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.e

9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started smallf but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.g 10 It grew until it reachedh the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earthi and trampledj on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the commanderk of the army of the Lord;l it took away the daily sacrificem from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.n 12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s peoplea and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.o

13 Then I heard a holy onep speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilledq—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfootr of the Lord’s people?”

14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”s

The Interpretation of the Vision

15 While I, Daniel, was watching the visiont and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.u 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulaiv calling, “Gabriel,w tell this man the meaning of the vision.”x

17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate.y “Son of man,”b he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”z

18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.a Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.b

19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath,c because the vision concerns the appointed timed of the end.c e 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.f 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece,g and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.h 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.i 25 He will cause deceitj to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.k Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.l

26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,m but sealn up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”o

27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhaustedp for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business.q I was appalledr by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Daniel’s Prayer

9 In the first year of Dariuss son of Xerxesa t (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonianb kingdom—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventyu years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,v and in sackcloth and ashes.w

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:x

“Lord, the great and awesome God,y who keeps his covenant of lovez with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinneda and done wrong.b We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned awayc from your commands and laws.d 6 We have not listenede to your servants the prophets,f who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors,g and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous,h but this day we are covered with shamei—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scatteredj us because of our unfaithfulnessk to you.l 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.m 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,n even though we have rebelled against him;o 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.p 11 All Israel has transgressedq your lawr and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the cursess and sworn judgmentst written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinnedu against you. 12 You have fulfilledv the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.w Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done likex what has been done to Jerusalem.y 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lordz our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.a 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disasterb on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does;c yet we have not obeyed him.d

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hande and who made for yourself a namef that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts,g turn awayh your anger and your wrathi from Jerusalem,j your city, your holy hill.k Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scornl to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favorm on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear,n our God, and hear;o open your eyes and seep the desolation of the city that bears your Name.q We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.r 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive!s Lord, hear and act! For your sake,t my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessingu my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hillv—21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel,w the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.x 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.y 23 As soon as you began to pray,z a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.a Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:b

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’c are decreed for your people and your holy cityc to finishd transgression, to put an end to sin, to atoned for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,e to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.e

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuildf Jerusalem until the Anointed One,f g the ruler,h comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.i 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to deathj and will have nothing.g The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:k War will continue until the end, and desolationsl have been decreed.m 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’h In the middle of the ‘seven’i he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the templej he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreedn is poured out on him.k”l