Daniel 5:1–16

*aBelshazzar the king bmade a great feast to a thousand of his clords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, 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. 3 Then 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. 4 gThey drank wine, gand hpraised ithe gods of gold, and iof silver, iof brass, iof iron, ikof wood, and ikof stone.

5 lIn 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. 6 Then the king’s p†countenance †was changed, and pqhis thoughts troubled him, so that rthe ||†joints of sthis loins were loosed, and this knees smote one against another. 7 uThe 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. 8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but cthey could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. 9 Then was king Belshazzar dgreatly troubled, and his †countenance was changed in him, and his elords were astonied.

10 Now 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: 11 iThere 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; 12 mForasmuch 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. 13 Then 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? 14 I 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. 15 And 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: 16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst u†make 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.