Daniel 5–6

5TH CHAPTER

The Handwriting on the Wall

¹King Belshazzar threw a large banquet for 1,000 nobles and drank wine with them. ²As they were tasting the wine, Belshazzar ordered that the gold and silver utensils which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought to him. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.^a

³So the servants brought the gold utensils that had been taken from God’s temple in Jerusalem. The king, his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. ⁴They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, or stone. 

⁵Suddenly, the fingers of a person’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster wall opposite the lamp stand of the royal palace. The king watched as the hand wrote. ⁶Then the king turned pale, and his thoughts frightened him. His hip joints became loose, and his knees knocked against each other. 

⁷The king screamed for the psychics, astrologers, and fortunetellers to be brought to him. He told these wise advisers of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me its meaning will be dressed in purple, wear a gold chain on his neck, and become the third-highest ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸All the king’s wise advisers came, but they couldn’t read the writing or tell the king its meaning. ⁹King Belshazzar was terrified, and his face turned pale. His nobles didn’t know what to do. 

¹⁰The discussion between the king and his nobles brought the queen herself into the banquet hall. The queen said, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! Don’t let your thoughts frighten you, and don’t turn pale. ¹¹There’s a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your grandfather, he was found to have insight, good judgment, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him head of the magicians, psychics, astrologers, and fortunetellers. ¹²This Daniel (who had been renamed Belteshazzar) was found to have knowledge, judgment, and an extraordinary spirit. He has the ability to interpret dreams, solve riddles, and untangle problems. Now, call Daniel, and he will tell ⸤you⸥ what it means.” 

¹³So Daniel was taken to the king. The king asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the captives that my grandfather brought from Judah? ¹⁴I’ve heard that you have the spirit of the gods and that you have insight, good judgment, and extraordinary wisdom. ¹⁵The wise advisers and the psychics were brought to me to read this writing and tell me its meaning. But they couldn’t tell me its meaning. ¹⁶I have heard that you can interpret such things and untangle problems. If you can read the writing and tell ⸤me⸥ its meaning, you will be dressed in purple, wear a gold chain on your neck, and become the third-highest ruler in the kingdom.” 

¹⁷Daniel told the king, “Keep your gifts. Give your gifts and awards to someone else. I’ll still read the writing for you and tell you its meaning. 

¹⁸“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, might, honor, and glory. ¹⁹People from every province, nation, and language trembled and were terrified by him, because God gave him power. Nebuchadnezzar killed whomever he wanted to kill, and he kept alive whomever he wanted to keep alive. He promoted whomever he wanted to promote, and he demoted whomever he wanted to demote. ²⁰But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him. ²¹He was chased away from people, and his mind was changed into an animal’s mind. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like cattle, and his body became wet with dew from the sky. This happened until he realized that the Most High God has power over human kingdoms. God puts whomever he wishes in charge of them. 

²²“Belshazzar, you are one of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors. You didn’t remain humble, even though you knew all this. ²³But you made yourself greater than the Lord of heaven. You had the utensils from his temple brought to you. You, your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them. You praised your gods made of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, or stone. These gods can’t see, hear, or know anything. You didn’t honor God, who has power over your life and everything you do. ²⁴So he sent the hand to write this inscription. ²⁵This is what has been written: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided. ²⁶This is its meaning: Numbered—God has numbered the days of your kingdom and will bring it to an end. ²⁷Weighed—you have been weighed on a scale and found to be too light. ²⁸Divided—your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”^b

²⁹Then Belshazzar ordered that Daniel be dressed in purple and wear a gold chain on his neck. He made Daniel the third-highest ruler in the kingdom. ³⁰That night King Belshazzar of Babylon was killed.^c31Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. He was 62 years old. 

6TH CHAPTER^a

Daniel in the Lion’s Den

¹Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom. ²Over these satraps were three officials. Daniel was one of these officials. The satraps were to report to these three officials so that the king wouldn’t be cheated. 

³This man, Daniel, distinguished himself among the other officials and satraps because there was an extraordinary spirit in him. The king thought about putting him in charge of the whole kingdom. ⁴So the other officials and satraps tried to find something to accuse Daniel of in his duties for the kingdom. But they couldn’t find anything wrong because he was trustworthy. No error or fault could be found. ⁵These men said, “We won’t find anything to accuse this man, Daniel, unless we find it in his religious practices.” 

⁶So these officials and satraps went to the king as a group. They said to him, “May King Darius live forever! ⁷All the officials, governors, satraps, advisers, and mayors agree that the king should make a statute and enforce a decree. The decree should state that for the next 30 days whoever asks for anything from any god or person except you, Your Majesty, will be thrown into a lions’ den. ⁸Your Majesty, issue this decree, and sign it. According to the law of the Medes and Persians no one could change it or repeal it.” ⁹So Darius signed the written decree. 

¹⁰When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went to his house. An upper room in his house had windows that opened in the direction of Jerusalem. Three times each day he got down on his knees and prayed to his God. He had always praised God this way. 

¹¹One of those times the men came in as a group and found Daniel praying and pleading to his God. ¹²Then they went and spoke to the king about his decree. ⸤They asked,⸥ “Didn’t you sign a decree which stated that for 30 days whoever asks for anything from any god or person except you, Your Majesty, will be thrown into a lions’ den?” 

The king answered, “That’s true. According to the law of the Medes and Persians the decree can’t be repealed.” 

¹³They replied, “Your Majesty, Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, refuses to obey your order or the decree that you signed. He prays three times each day.” 

¹⁴The king was very displeased when he heard this. He tried every way he could think of to save Daniel. Until sundown he did everything he could to rescue him. 

¹⁵Then Daniel’s accusers gathered in front of the king. They said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, the Medes and Persians have a law that no decree or statute the king makes can be changed.” 

¹⁶So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought to him and thrown into the lions’ den. The king told Daniel, “May your God, whom you always worship, save you!” 

¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the opening of the den. The king put his seal on the stone, using his ring and the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation could not be changed. 

¹⁸Then the king went to his palace and spent the night without food or company. He couldn’t get to sleep. ¹⁹At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king got up and quickly went to the lions’ den. ²⁰As he came near the den where Daniel was, the king called to Daniel with anguish in his voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was God, whom you always worship, able to save you from the lions?” 

²¹Daniel said to the king, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! ²²My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they couldn’t hurt me. He did this because he considered me innocent. Your Majesty, I haven’t committed any crime.” 

²³The king was overjoyed and had Daniel taken out of the den. When Daniel was taken out of the den, people saw that he was completely unharmed because he trusted his God. 

²⁴The king ordered those men who had brought charges against Daniel to be brought to him. They, their wives, and their children were thrown into the lions’ den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them and crushed all their bones. 

²⁵Then King Darius wrote to the people of every province, nation, and language all over the world: 

I wish you peace and prosperity. 

²⁶I decree that in every part of my kingdom people should tremble with terror in front of Daniel’s God, the living God who continues forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. His power lasts to the end ⸤of time⸥. ²⁷He saves, rescues, and does miraculous signs and amazing things in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from the lions. 

²⁸This man, Daniel, prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.