Daniel 5:1–12

Belshazzar’s Feast

1 Belshazzar the king 1held a great afeast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver avessels which Nebuchadnezzar his 1father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.

3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.

4 They adrank the wine and praised the gods of bgold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the 1back of the hand that did the writing.

6 Then the king’s 1aface grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his bhip joints went slack and his cknees began knocking together.

7 The king called aloud to bring in the aconjurers, the 1Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be bclothed with purple and have a cnecklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as 2dthird ruler in the kingdom.”

8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but athey could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.

9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly aalarmed, his 1bface grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

10 The queen entered the banquet 1hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “aO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your 2face be pale.

11 “There is a aman in your kingdom in whom is 1a bspirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father 2cthe king, appointed him chief of the 3magicians, conjurers, 4Chaldeans and diviners.

12 “This was because an aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named bBelteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”