^5:1King Belshazzar¹ prepared a great banquet² for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of³ them all.⁴^5:2While under the influence⁵ of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels—the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father⁶ had confiscated⁷ from the temple in Jerusalem⁸—so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them.⁹^5:3So they brought the gold and silver¹⁰ vessels that had been confiscated from the temple, the house of God¹¹ in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together with his wives and concubines, drank from them. ^5:4As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

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Footnotes

1 As is clear from the extra-biblical records, it was actually Nabonidus ( 556–539 b.c.) who was king of Babylon at this time. However, Nabonidus spent long periods of time at Teima, and during those times Belshazzar his son was de facto king of Babylon. This arrangement may help to explain why later in this chapter Belshazzar promises that the successful interpreter of the handwriting on the wall will be made third ruler in the kingdom. If Belshazzar was in effect second ruler in the kingdom, this would be the highest honor he could grant.
2 This scene of a Babylonian banquet calls to mind a similar grandiose event recorded in Esth 1:3–8. Persian kings were also renowned in the ancient Near Eastern world for their lavish banquets.
3 The king probably sat at an elevated head table.
4 Aram “the thousand.”
5 Or perhaps, “when he had tasted” (cf. ) in the sense of officially initiating the commencement of the banquet. The translation above seems preferable, however, given the clear evidence of inebriation in the context (cf. also “he got drunk and ordered”).
6 Or “ancestor”; or “predecessor” (also in vv. 11, 13, 18). The Aramaic word translated “father” can on occasion denote these other relationships.
7 Or “taken.”
8 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
9 Making use of sacred temple vessels for an occasion of reveling and drunkenness such as this would have been a religious affront of shocking proportions to the Jewish captives.
10 The present translation reads וְכַסְפָּא (vékhaspa’, “and the silver”) with Theodotion and the . Cf. v. 2. The form was probably accidentally dropped from the Aramaic text by homoioteleuton.
11 Aram “the temple of the house of God.” The phrase seems rather awkward. The lacks “of the house of God,” while Theodotion and the lack “the house.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

NLTNew Living Translation

Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand lords he was drinking wine. When he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines may drink from them. Then 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, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

KJV 1900King James Version

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

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