Daniel 5–6

^aBelshazzar the king ^bmade a great feast to a thousand of his ^clords, and drank wine before the thousand. ²Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring ^dthe golden and silver vessels ^ewhich his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that ^fthe king, and his ^cprinces, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. ³Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and ^fthe king, and his ^cprinces, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. ^4gThey drunk wine, ^gand ^hpraised ⁱthe gods of gold, and ⁱof silver, ⁱof brass, ⁱof iron, ^ikof wood, and ^ikof stone.

^5lIn the same hour ^mcame forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon ⁿthe plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw ^othe part of the hand that wrote. ⁶Then the king’s ^pcountenance was changed, and ^pqhis thoughts troubled him, so that ^rthe joints of ^sthis loins were loosed, and ^this knees smote one against another. ^7uThe king cried aloud to bring in ^vythe astrologers, ^wythe Chaldeans, and ^xythe soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to ^zthe wise men of Babylon, ^aWhosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, ^ashall be clothed with scarlet, and ^ahave a chain of gold about his neck, and ^abshall be the third ruler in the kingdom. ⁸Then came in all the king’s wise men: but ^cthey could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. ⁹Then was king Belshazzar ^dgreatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his ^elords were astonied.

¹⁰Now ^fthe queen, by reason of the words of the king and his ^elords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, ^gO king, live for ever: let not ^hthy thoughts trouble thee, nor let ^hthy countenance be changed. ¹¹ⁱThere is a man in thy kingdom, ⁱⁱin whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father ^jlight and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made ^kmaster of the magicians, ^lastrologers, ^lChaldeans, and ^lsoothsayers; ^12mforasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of ⁿdreams, and ^oshewing of ^phard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, ^qwhom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. ¹³Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art ^rof the children of the captivity of Judah, ^swhom the king my father brought out of Jewry? ¹⁴I have even heard of thee, that ⁱⁱthe spirit of the gods is in thee, and that ^jlight and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. ¹⁵And now ^tthe wise men, ^tthe astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: ^cbut they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: ¹⁶and I have heard of thee, that thou canst ^umake interpretations, and ^udissolve doubts: ^vnow ^wif thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, ^vthou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and ^vhave a chain of gold about thy neck, and ^vshalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. ¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^xLet thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

¹⁸O thou king, ^ythe most high God ^zgave Nebuchadnezzar ^athy father a kingdom, and ^bmajesty, and ^bbglory, and ^bbhonour: ¹⁹and for ^bthe majesty that he gave him, all ^cpeople, nations, and languages, ^dtrembled and feared before him: ^ewhom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. ²⁰But ^eewhen his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and ^fthey took his ^bbglory from him: ²¹and he was ^gdriven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with ^hthe wild asses: ^gthey fed him with grass like oxen, and ⁱhis body was wet with the dew of heaven; ^gtill he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. ²²And thou his son, O Belshazzar, ^khast not humbled thine heart, ^lthough thou knewest all this; ²³but hast lifted up thyself against ^mthe Lord of heaven; and ⁿthey have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and ^othou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and ^pthou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, ^qwhich see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God ^rin whose hand thy breath is, and ^swhose are all thy ways, hast thou not ^tglorified: ²⁴then was ^uthe part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. ²⁵And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. ^26vThis is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. ²⁷TEKEL; ^wThou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. ²⁸PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to ^xthe Medes and ^yPersians.

²⁹Then commanded Belshazzar, and ^zthey clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put ^za chain of gold about his neck, and ^amade a proclamation concerning him, ^zthat he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. ^30bIn that night was Belshazzar the king of ^cthe Chaldeans slain. ³¹And ^dDarius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two year old.

VI.^aIt pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^ban hundred and twenty ^cprinces, which should be over the whole kingdom; ²and over these ^dthree ^epresidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the ^cprinces might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. ³Then this Daniel was ^fpreferred above ^ethe presidents and ^cprinces, ^ghbecause an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought ⁱto set him over the whole realm.

⁴Then ^ethe presidents and ^cprinces ^ksought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor ^lfault; ^hforasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any ^merror or ^lfault found in him. ⁵Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, ⁿexcept we find it against him concerning the law of his God. ⁶Then these ^epresidents and ^cprinces assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, ^oKing Darius, live for ever. ⁷All ^ethe presidents of the kingdom, ^pthe governors, and the ^cprinces, ^qthe counsellers and ^rthe captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, ⁿsave of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to ^sthe law of ^tthe Medes and Persians, ^swhich altereth not. ^9uWherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

¹⁰Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and ^vhis windows being open ^win his chamber ^xtoward Jerusalem, he ^ykneeled upon his knees ^zthree times a day, and prayed, and ^agave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. ¹¹Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. ¹²Then they ^bcame near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask ^ca petition of any God or man within thirty days, ^dsave of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, ^eaccording to the law of the Medes and Persians, ^ewhich altereth not. ¹³Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, ^fwhich is ^gof the children of the captivity of Judah, ^hregardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. ¹⁴Then the king, when he heard these words, ⁱwas sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. ¹⁵Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that ^ethe law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. ¹⁶Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and ^kcast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God ^lwhom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. ¹⁷And ^ma stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and ⁿthe king sealed it ^owith his own signet, and with the signet of his ^plords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

¹⁸Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: ^qneither were instruments of musick brought before him: and ^rhis sleep went from him. ¹⁹Then the king arose very early in ^sthe morning, and went ^tin haste unto the den of lions. ²⁰And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of ^uthe living God, ^vis thy God, ^lwhom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? ²¹Then said Daniel unto the king, ^wO king, live for ever. ^22xMy God hath sent his angel, and ^yhath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: ^zforasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. ²³Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^ano manner of hurt was found upon him, ^bbecause he believed in his God. ²⁴And the king commanded, and ^cthey brought those men which had ^daccused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, ^etheir children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of…