Daniel 5:18–31

18 O king, qthe Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your 1father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, rall peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he sexecuted; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 tBut when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was udriven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, vtill he 2knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, whave not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 xAnd you have 3lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the yvessels of 4His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, zwhich do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand aand owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the 5fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 “And this is the inscription that was written:

6MENE, MENE, 7TEKEL, 8UPHARSIN

26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 Tekel: bYou have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the cMedes and dPersians.” 9 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him ethat he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

30 fThat very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 gAnd Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

q	Je 27:5–7 Da 2:37 Da 2:38 Da 4:17 Da 4:22 Da 4:25
1	Or ancestor
r	Je 27:7
s	Da 2:12 Da 2:13 Da 3:6
t	Ex 9:17 Job 15:25 Is 14:13–15 Da 4:30 Da 4:37
u	Job 30:3–7 Da 4:32 Da 4:33
v	Ex 9:14–16 Ps 83:17 Ps 83:18 Eze 17:24 Da 4:17 Da 4:34 Da 4:35
2	Recognized
w	Ex 10:3 2 Ch 33:23 2 Ch 36:12
x	Da 5:3 Da 5:4
3	Exalted
y	Ex 40:9 Nu 18:3 Is 52:11 Heb 9:21
4	The temple
z	Ps 115:5 Ps 115:6 Is 37:19 Hab 2:18 Hab 2:19 Ac 17:24–26 Ro 1:21
a	Ps 139:3 Pr 20:24 Je 10:23
5	Lit. palm
6	Lit. a mina (50 shekels) from the verb “to number”
7	Lit. a shekel from the verb “to weigh”
8	Lit. and half-shekels from the verb “to divide”; pl. of Peres, v. 28
b	Job 31:6 Ps 62:9 Je 6:30
c	Is 21:2 Da 5:31 Da 9:1
d	Da 6:28 Ac 2:9
9	Aram. Paras, consonant with Peres
e	Da 5:7 Da 5:16
f	Je 51:31 Je 51:39 Je 51:57
g	Da 2:39 Da 9:1