^5:11There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have²⁸ insight, discernment, and wisdom like that²⁹ of the gods.³⁰ King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners.³¹^5:12Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret³² dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems.³³ Now summon³⁴ Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”

^5:13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? ^5:14I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have³⁵ insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom. ^5:15Now the wise men and³⁶ astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message. ^5:16However, I have heard³⁷ that you are able to provide interpretations and to decipher knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third³⁸ ruler in the kingdom.”

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Footnotes

28 Aram “[there were] discovered to be in him.”
29 Aram “wisdom like the wisdom.” This would be redundant in terms of English style.
30 Theodotion lacks the phrase “and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.”
31 The includes a redundant reference to “your father the king” at the end of v. 11. None of the attempts to explain this phrase as original are very convincing. The present translation deletes the phrase, following Theodotion and the .
32 The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the מְפַשַּׁר (méfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the וּמְשָׁרֵא (méshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.
33 Aram “to loose knots.”
34 Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”
35 Aram “there has been found in you.”
36 The Aramaic text does not have “and.” The term “astrologers” is either an appositive for “wise men” (cf. , , , , ), or the construction is to be understood as asyndetic (so the translation above).
37 The Aramaic text has also the words “about you.”
38 Or perhaps “one of three rulers,” in the sense of becoming part of a triumvir. So also v. 29.