5 *aBelshazzar the king bmade a great feast to a thousand of his clords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring dthe golden and silver vessels ewhich his ||father Nebuchadnezzar had †taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that fthe king, and his cprinces, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and fthe king, and his cprinces, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4 gThey drank wine, gand hpraised ithe gods of gold, and iof silver, iof brass, iof iron, ikof wood, and ikof stone.

5 lIn the same hour mcame forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon nthe plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw othe part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s p†countenance †was changed, and pqhis thoughts troubled him, so that rthe ||†joints of sthis loins were loosed, and this knees smote one against another. 7 uThe king cried †aloud to bring in vythe astrologers, wythe Chaldeans, and xythe soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to zthe wise men of Babylon, aWhosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, ashall be clothed with ||scarlet, and ahave a chain of gold about his neck, and abshall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but cthey could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. 9 Then was king Belshazzar dgreatly troubled, and his †countenance was changed in him, and his elords were astonied.

10 Now fthe queen, by reason of the words of the king and his elords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, gO king, live for ever: let not hthy thoughts trouble thee, nor let hthy countenance be changed: 11 iThere is a man in thy kingdom, iiin whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy ||father jlight and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy ||father, the king, I say, thy father, made kmaster of the magicians, lastrologers, lChaldeans, and lsoothsayers; 12 mForasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, ||interpreting of ndreams, and oshewing of phard sentences, and ||dissolving of †doubts, were found in the same Daniel, qwhom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. 13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art rof the children of the captivity of Judah, swhom the king my ||father brought out of Jewry? 14 I have even heard of thee, that iithe spirit of the gods is in thee, and that jlight and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 15 And now tthe wise men, tthe astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: cbut they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: 16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst u†make interpretations, and udissolve doubts: vnow wif thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, vthou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and vhave a chain of gold about thy neck, and vshalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, xLet thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy ||rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

18 O thou king, ythe most high God zgave Nebuchadnezzar athy father a kingdom, and bmajesty, and bbglory, and bbhonour: 19 And for bthe majesty that he gave him, all cpeople, nations, and languages, dtrembled and feared before him: ewhom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. 20 But eewhen his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened ||in pride, he was †deposed from his kingly throne, and fthey took his bbglory from him: 21 And he was gdriven from the sons of men; and ||his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with hthe wild asses: gthey fed him with grass like oxen, and ihis body was wet with the dew of heaven; gtill he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, khast not humbled thine heart, lthough thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against mthe Lord of heaven; and nthey have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and othou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and pthou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, qwhich see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God rin whose hand thy breath is, and swhose are all thy ways, hast thou not tglorified: 24 Then was uthe part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 vThis is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; wThou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and *given to xthe Medes and yPersians.

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and zthey clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put za chain of gold about his neck, and amade a proclamation concerning him, zthat he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 bIn that night was Belshazzar the king of cthe Chaldeans slain. 31 And dDarius the Median took the kingdom, †being ||about threescore and two years old.