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Belshazzar held a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels 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. 3 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, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, and of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6 his face turned pale and he became so terrified that his legs gave way and his knees knocked together.
7 The king called out for the enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners to be brought in. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
10 The queen, when she heard the outcry of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “O king, live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face be so pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar—your father the king—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. So summon Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
13 Then Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they were not able to give me an interpretation of what it means. 16 Now I have heard about you that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. So if you can read this writing and interpret what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep the gifts for yourself, and give your rewards to someone else. However, I will read the writing to the king, and make the interpretation known to him.
18 “O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 Because of the greatness He gave him, all the peoples and nations and languages dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted put to death, he had put to death; those he wanted spared, he had spared; those he wanted honoured he had honoured; and those he wanted humbled, he had humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was stripped away from him. 21 He was driven away from people and his mind was made like that of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He chooses.
22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels of His temple have been brought in to you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not honoured the God who holds your very breath of life in His hand, and to whom belong all your ways. 24 Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 “This is the writing that was inscribed:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN
26 “This is the interpretation of these words:
MENE: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27 TEKEL: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 PERES: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and a proclamation was issued concerning him that he should be the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.