5Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords,^a and in the presence of^b the thousand lords he was drinking wine.^c ²When he tasted the wine,^d Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor^e had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords,^f his wives and his concubines may drink from them. ³Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords,^g his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.^h

⁵Immediatelyⁱ human fingers^j appeared and they wrote opposite^k the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, and the king was watching^l the palm of the hand that was writing. ⁶Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and his hip joints gave way^m and his knees knocked together.ⁿ ⁷The king cried aloud^o to bring in the conjurers,^p the astrologers^q and the diviners; the king spoke^r and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom.” ⁸Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.^s ⁹Then the king, Belshazzar, became greatly terrified, and his facial features^t changed upon him, and his lords^u were perplexed.

¹⁰Because of the words of the king and his lords,^v the queen came into the banqueting hall^w and the queen spoke up^x and said, “O king, live forever,^y and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions grow pale.^z ¹¹There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.^a And in the days of your predecessor,^b enlightenment and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; and, O king, Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor^c appointed him as chief of the magicians,^d the conjurers,^e the astrologers,^f and the diviners. Your predecessor^g the king did this ¹²because^h there was found in him an excellent spirit and understanding and insight for interpreting dreams and explaining riddles and solving riddles; that is, in Daniel whom the king namedⁱ Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called and he will tell the explanation.”^j

Daniel Deciphers and Interprets the Writing

¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king spoke^k and said to Daniel, “You are Daniel who are one of the exiles^l of Judah^m whom my predecessor,ⁿ the king, brought from Judah.^o ¹⁴And I have heard that a spirit of the gods is in you and enlightenment and insight and excellent wisdom was found in you. ¹⁵And now the wise men and the conjurers^p were brought in before me so that they could read this writing in order to make its explanation^q known to me, but they were not able to disclose the explanation^r of the matter. ¹⁶But I have heard concerning you that you are able to produce interpretations^s and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation^t to me, you will be clothed in purple and a necklace of gold will be placed around your neck and you will rule as third in command in the kingdom.”

¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself or your rewards give to another; nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and I will make known to him the explanation.^u ¹⁸O king,^v the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor.^w ¹⁹And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled. ²⁰But when^x his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard so as to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the^y glory was taken away from him.^z ²¹And he was driven away from human society^a and his mind was made like the animals^b and his dwelling was with the wild asses; and he was given^c grass like oxen to eat, and with^d the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and whoever^e he wants he sets over it.

²²“But you his successor,^f Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though^g you knew all this. ²³And now you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords,^h your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine fromⁱ them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone^j that do not see and do not hear and do not know, but the God who holds your life in his hand^k and all of your ways come from him,^l you have not honored. ²⁴So then the palm of the hand was sent out from his presence and this writing was inscribed.

²⁵“Now this was the writing that was inscribed: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.’

²⁶“This is the explanation of the matter:^m ‘Mene’—God has numbered your kingdom and brought an end to it.

²⁷“ ‘Tekel’—you have been weighed on scales and you have been found wanting.ⁿ

²⁸“ ‘Peres’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’ ”

²⁹Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple and placed a necklace of gold around his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him that he would be the third ruler in authority in the kingdom. ³⁰That same night^o Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. ³¹^p And Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.^q

Daniel’s Integrity and His Entrapment by His Enemies

6It pleased Darius,^a and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were throughout the whole kingdom,^b ²and over them were three administrators, of whom Daniel was one, so that these satraps were giving account to them, and the king would not be suffering loss. ³Then Daniel began distinguishing himself^c above the administrators and the satraps because^d an exceptional spirit was in him, and so the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. ⁴Then the other administrators and satraps began to seek^e to find a pretext against Daniel in connection with the kingdom,^f but they were not able to find any pretext and corruption^g because^h he was trustworthy, and noⁱ negligence or corruption^j could be found in him.^k ⁵Then these men said,^l “We will not find any pretext^m against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

⁶So the administrators and the satraps conspired with respect toⁿ the king and so they said to him, “Darius, O king, live forever!^o ⁷All of the administrators of the kingdom, and the prefects, the satraps, the counselors and the governors took counsel and have agreed to establish an edict of the king and to enforce a decree that whoever^p will seek a prayer from any god or human except from you for up to thirty days will be thrown into the lion pit.^q ⁸Now, O king, establish the edict and you must sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”

⁹So^r the king, Darius, signed the writing and the interdict.^s ¹⁰Now when^t Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open^u toward Jerusalem), and three times daily^v he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as^w he had been doing previously.^x ¹¹Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. ¹²Then they approached and spoke with the king^y concerning the edict of the king, “Did you not sign an edict^z that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lion pit?”^a The king answered and said, “The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”

God’s Miraculous Deliverance of Daniel Again

¹³Then they responded^b and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the exiles^c of Judah,^d is not paying any attention^e to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily^f he says his prayer.” ¹⁴Then the king, when^g he heard that report,^h he was extremely distressed over it; and concerning Danielⁱ he was determined^j to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. ¹⁵Then these men came as a group to the king and said,^k “Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of^l the Medes and Persians that any^m decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed.”

¹⁶Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought in and they threw him into the lion pit.ⁿ The king said^o to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve faithfully,^p may he rescue you!” ¹⁷And a^q stone was brought and it was put on the entrance of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords,^r so that nothing would be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸Then the king went to his palace and spent the night in fasting, and no food was brought in before him and his sleep fled from him.

¹⁹Then the king got up at daybreak, at first light, and he went in haste^s to the lion pit.^t ²⁰And when he came near^u to the pit, he cried out to Daniel with a distressed voice, and the king spoke^v and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve faithfully, was he able to rescue you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel spoke to^w the king, “O king, live forever!^x ²²My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Daniel 5–6 in Logos

Footnotes

aOr “nobles”
bLiterally “to over against”
cOr “the wine”
dLiterally “At the taste of the wine”
eLiterally “father”
fOr “nobles”
gOr “nobles”
hAll these metals have the definite article that does not have to be translated into English to retain the meaning
iLiterally “In its the hour”
jLiterally “fingers of the hand of a man”
kLiterally “to over against”
lOr “gazing at”
mLiterally “the limbs of his hip became loose”
nLiterally “his knees this to this they knocked together”
oLiterally “with strength”
pOr “enchanters”
qLiterally “Chaldeans”
rLiterally “answered”
sAramaic “the explanation/ interpretation”
tLiterally “shining of his face”
uOr “nobles”
vOr “nobles”
wLiterally “the house of the drinking”
xLiterally “answered”
yLiterally “to eternity”
zLiterally “change”
aLiterally “who the spirit of holy gods is in him”
bLiterally “father”
cLiterally “father”
dOr “soothsayer-priests”
eOr “enchanters”
fLiterally “Chaldeans”
gLiterally “father”
hLiterally “all of because that”
iLiterally “whom the king gave his name”
jOr “interpretation”
kLiterally “answered”
lLiterally “who from sons of the exile”
mAramaic “Jehud”
nLiterally “father”
oAramaic “Jehud”
pOr “enchanters”
qOr “interpretation”
rOr “interpretation”
sLiterally “to interpret interpretations”
tOr “interpretation”
uOr “interpretation”
vLiterally “You, O king”
wLiterally “father”
xLiterally “as that”
yOr “his”
zLiterally “they took away”
aLiterally “from the sons of the humankind”
bAramaic “with the animals”
cLiterally “they gave him”
dAramaic “from”
eLiterally “to from that”
fLiterally “son”
gLiterally “all of because that”
hOr “nobles”
iAramaic “with”
jAll the materials in this list have the definite article that does not have to be translated into English
kLiterally “who your breath is in his hand”
lLiterally “belong to him”
mOr “word, message”
nOr “deficient”
oLiterally “In it, in the night”
p Daniel 5:31–6:28 in the English Bible is 6:1–29 in the Hebrew Bible
qLiterally “when a son of sixty and two years”
aLiterally “It was pleasant before Darius”
bLiterally “in all the kingdom”
cLiterally “was distinguishing himself”
dLiterally “all of because that”
eLiterally “were seeking”
fLiterally “from the side of the kingdom”
gLiterally “being corrupt”
hLiterally “all because that”
iAramaic “any”
jLiterally “being corrupt”
kLiterally “not could be found”
lLiterally “were saying”
mOr “basis for accusation”
nLiterally “on/upon”
oLiterally “to eternity”
pLiterally “all that”
qLiterally “pit of lions”
rLiterally “Like to before this”
sOr “the writing that is the interdict”
tLiterally “as that”
uLiterally “and windows were open to him in his upper room”
vLiterally “in the day”
wLiterally “all because that”
xLiterally “from before this”
yLiterally “and saying before the king”
zLiterally “Not an edict you signed?”
aLiterally “pit of lions”
bLiterally “they answered”
cLiterally “the sons of the exile”
dAramaic “Jehud”
eLiterally “not he sets his mind”
fLiterally “and three times on the day”
gAramaic “as ”
hLiterally “word”
iLiterally “upon Daniel”
jLiterally “he set his heart”
kLiterally “saying”
lAramaic “to”
mLiterally “all/every”
nLiterally “pit of lions”
oLiterally “The king answered and saying”
pLiterally “in the loyalty”
qAramaic “one”
rOr “nobles”
sLiterally “to hasten”
tLiterally “pit of lions”
uLiterally “as coming near him”
vLiterally “answered”
wAramaic “with”
xLiterally “unto endless ages”