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

Read in Logos

Footnotes

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”