23 but you have aexalted yourself against the bLord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God din whose hand are your life-breath and all your eways, you have not glorified.

24 “Then the 1ahand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘1MENĒ, 1MENĒ, 2TEKĒL, 3UPHARSIN.’

26 “This is the interpretation of the 1message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and aput an end to it.

27 “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been aweighed on the scales and found deficient.

28 “ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the aMedes and 1Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they aclothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the 1third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That same night aBelshazzar the Chaldean king was bslain.