Daniel 5-6

Complete Jewish Bible

5 Belshatzar the king gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand he was drinking wine. ²While tasting the wine, Belshatzar ordered that the gold and silver vessels which his father N’vukhadnetzar had removed from the temple in Yerushalayim be brought; so that the king, his lords, his wives and his concubines could drink from them. ³So they brought the gold vessels which had been removed from the sanctuary of the house of God in Yerushalayim; and the king, his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴They drank their wine and praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

⁵Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the palace wall by the lampstand. When the king saw the palm of the hand that was writing, ⁶the king’s face took on a different look. As frightening thoughts rose up within him, his hip joints gave way and his knees started knocking together. ⁷The king cried out to bring in the exorcists, astrologers and diviners. The king said to the sages of Bavel, “Whoever can read this inscription and tell me what it means will be dressed in royal purple, wear a gold chain around his neck and be one of the three men ruling the kingdom.” ⁸But although all the king’s sages came in, none could read the inscription or tell the king what it meant. ⁹Then King Belshatzar became terrified; his face turned pale, and his lords were thrown into confusion.

¹⁰At this point the queen mother, because of what the king and his lords were saying, entered the banquet hall. The queen mother said, “May the king live forever! Don’t be scared by your thoughts or let your face be so pale. ¹¹There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he was found to have light, discernment and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. King N’vukhadnetzar your father — the king, your father — made him chief of the magicians, exorcists, astrologers and diviners; ¹²because he was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, discernment, and the ability to interpret dreams, unlock mysteries and solve knotty problems. He is called Dani’el, but the king gave him the name Belt’shatzar. Now have Dani’el summoned, and he will tell you what this means.”

¹³Dani’el was brought into the king’s presence. The king said to Dani’el, “Are you Dani’el, one of the exiles from Y’hudah whom the king my father brought out of Y’hudah? ¹⁴I’ve heard about you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have been found to have light, discernment and extraordinary wisdom. ¹⁵Now the sages, the exorcists, were brought in to me so that they could read this inscription and tell me what it means, but they couldn’t interpret it for me. ¹⁶However, I’ve heard that you can give interpretations and solve knotty problems. Now if you can read the inscription and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in royal purple, wear a gold chain around your neck and be one of the three men ruling the kingdom.”

¹⁷Dani’el answered the king, “Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else. However, I will read the inscription to the king and tell him what it means. ¹⁸Your majesty, the Most High God gave N’vukhadnetzar your father the kingdom, as well as greatness, glory and majesty. ¹⁹Because of the greatness he gave him, all the peoples, nations and languages trembled with fear before him. Anyone he wanted to, he put to death; anyone he wanted to, he kept alive; anyone he wanted to, he advanced; and anyone he wanted to, he humbled. ²⁰But when he grew proud and his spirit became hard, he began treating people arrogantly, so he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. ²¹He was driven from human society, his heart was made like that of an animal, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed with grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky; until he learned that the Most High God rules in the human kingdom and sets up over it whomever he pleases. ²²But, Belshatzar, you, his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. ²³Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven by having them bring you the vessels from his house; and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them; then you offered praise to your gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone, which can’t see, hear or know anything. Meanwhile, God, who holds your very breath in his hands, and to whom belongs everything you do, you have not glorified. ²⁴This is why he sent the hand to write this inscription; ²⁵and the inscription says, ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin.’ ^[a] ²⁶This is what it means: ‘M’ne!’ — God has counted up your kingdom and brought it to an end. ²⁷‘T’kel’ — you are weighed on the balance-scale and come up short. ²⁸‘P’res’ — your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹Then Belshatzar gave the order; and they clothed Dani’el in royal purple, put a gold chain around his neck and proclaimed of him that he was to be one of the three men ruling the kingdom.

³⁰That very night Belshatzar, the king of the Kasdim, was killed.

6 ^(5:31)The kingdom passed to Daryavesh the Mede when he was about sixty-two years old. ²⁽¹⁾Daryavesh decided to set over the kingdom 120 viceroys to rule throughout the entire kingdom, ³⁽²⁾with three chiefs over them, of whom Dani’el was one, so that these viceroys could be responsible to them and so that the king’s interests would be safeguarded. ⁴⁽³⁾But because an extraordinary spirit was in this Dani’el, he so distinguished himself above the other chiefs and the viceroys that the king considered putting him in charge of the whole kingdom. ⁵⁽⁴⁾The other chiefs and the viceroys tried to find a cause for complaint against Dani’el in regard to how he performed his governing duties, but they could find nothing to complain about, no fault; on the contrary, because he was so faithful, not a single instance of negligence or faulty administration could be found.

⁶⁽⁵⁾Then these men said, “We’re not going to find any cause for complaint against this Dani’el unless we can find something against him in regard to the law of his god.” ⁷⁽⁶⁾So these chiefs and viceroys descended on the king and said to him, “King Daryavesh, live forever! ⁸⁽⁷⁾All the chiefs of the kingdom, along with the prefects, viceroys, advisers and governors, have met and agreed that the king should issue a decree putting in force the following law: ‘Whoever makes a request of any god or man during the next thirty days, except of you, your majesty, is to be thrown into the lion pit.’ ⁹⁽⁸⁾Now, your majesty, issue this decree over your signature, so that it cannot be revoked, as required by the law of the Medes and Persians, which is itself irrevocable.” ¹⁰⁽⁹⁾So King Daryavesh signed the document, and the decree became law.

¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾On learning that the document had been signed, Dani’el went home. The windows of his upstairs room were open in the direction of Yerushalayim; and there he kneeled down three times a day and prayed, giving thanks before his God, just as he had been doing before. ¹²⁽¹¹⁾Then these men descended on Dani’el and found him making requests and pleading before his God. ¹³⁽¹²⁾So they went to remind the king of his royal decree: “Didn’t you sign a law prohibiting anyone from making requests of any god or man within thirty days, except yourself, your majesty, on pain of being thrown into the lion pit?” The king answered, “Yes, that is true, as required by the law of the Medes and Persians, which is itself irrevocable.” ¹⁴⁽¹³⁾They replied to the king, “That Dani’el, one of the exiles from Y’hudah, respects neither you, your majesty, nor the decree you signed; instead, he continues praying three times a day.” ¹⁵⁽¹⁴⁾When the king heard this report, he was very upset. He determined to save Dani’el and worked until sunset to find a way to rescue him. ¹⁶⁽¹⁵⁾But these men descended on the king and said to him, “Remember, your majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or edict, once issued by the king, can be revoked.”

¹⁷⁽¹⁶⁾So the king gave the order, and they brought Dani’el and threw him into the lion pit. The king said to Dani’el, “Your God, whom you are always serving, will save you.” ¹⁸⁽¹⁷⁾A stone was brought to block the opening of the pit, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, so that nothing concerning Dani’el could be changed.

¹⁹⁽¹⁸⁾Then the king returned to his palace. He spent the night fasting and refusing to be entertained, as sleep eluded him. ²⁰⁽¹⁹⁾Early in the morning, the king got up and hurried to the lion pit. ²¹⁽²⁰⁾On approaching the pit where Dani’el was, the king cried in a pained voice to Dani’el, “Dani’el, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you are always serving, been able to save you from the lions?” ²²⁽²¹⁾Then Dani’el answered the king, “May the king live forever! ²³⁽²²⁾My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, so they haven’t hurt me. This is because before him I was found innocent; and also I have done no harm to you, your majesty.” ²⁴⁽²³⁾The king was overjoyed and ordered Dani’el taken up from the pit. So Dani’el was taken up from the pit, and he was found to be completely unharmed, because he had trusted in his God.

²⁵⁽²⁴⁾Then the king gave an order, and they brought those men who had accused Dani’el, and they threw them into the lion pit — them, their children and their wives — and before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions had them in their control and broke all their bones to pieces.

²⁶⁽²⁵⁾King Daryavesh wrote all the peoples, nations and languages living anywhere on earth:

“Shalom rav! [Abundant peace!]

²⁷⁽²⁶⁾“I herewith issue a decree that everywhere in my kingdom, people are to tremble and be in awe of the God of Dani’el.

    “For he is the living God;
    he endures forever.
    His kingdom will never be destroyed;
    his rulership will last till the end.
²⁸⁽²⁷⁾He saves, rescues, does signs and wonders
    both in heaven and on earth.
    He delivered Dani’el
    from the power of the lions.”

²⁹⁽²⁸⁾So this Dani’el prospered during the reign of Daryavesh, and also during the reign of Koresh the Persian.

Footnotes

Daniel 5:25 M’ne — a maneh was a coin; Aramaic mena means “to count.” T’kel is Aramaic for shekel, a unit of weight; Aramaic tekilta means “you are weighed.” P’res (an Aramaic noun, plural parsin), is half a maneh; p’ris means “cut up, divided”; Paras is Persia. (The “f” in ufarsin is the Aramaic letter peh, sometimes pronounced “p” and sometimes, “f.”)