Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king ^[a]held a great ^(A)feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. ^2 [b]While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver ^(B)vessels which his ^[c]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them. ⁴ They ^(C)drank the wine and praised the gods of ^(D)gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶ Then the king’s ^[d](E)face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^(F)hip joints ^[e]loosened and his ^(G)knees began knocking together. ⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(H)sorcerers, the ^[f]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^(I)clothed with purple and have a ^(J)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^(K)third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(L)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(M)alarmed, his ^[g](N)face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen entered the banquet ^[h]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak and said, “^(O)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^[i]face be pale. ¹¹ There is a ^(P)man in your kingdom in whom is ^[j]a ^(Q)spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father ^[k](R)the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. ¹² This was because an ^(S)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^(T)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the ^[l](U)exiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^(V)brought from Judah? ¹⁴ Now I have heard about you that ^[m]a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵ Just now the ^(W)wise men and the sorcerers were brought in before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^(X)could not declare the interpretation of the ^[n]message. ¹⁶ But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its ^(Y)interpretation known to me, you will be ^(Z)clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel replied and said before the king, “^[o]Keep your ^(AA)gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. ^18 [p]O king, the ^(AB)Most High God ^(AC)granted ^[q]sovereignty, ^(AD)greatness, honor, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. ¹⁹ Now because of the greatness which He granted him, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[r]languages trembled and feared in his presence; ^(AE)whomever he wished, he killed, and whomever he wished, he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated, and whomever he wished he humbled. ²⁰ But when his heart ^[s]was ^(AF)arrogant and his spirit became so ^[t](AG)overbearing that he behaved presumptuously, he was ^(AH)deposed from his royal throne, and his dignity was taken away from him. ²¹ He was also ^(AI)driven away from ^[u]mankind, and his heart was made like that of animals, and his dwelling place was with the ^(AJ)wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the ^(AK)Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. ²² Yet you, his ^[v]son, Belshazzar, have ^(AL)not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, ²³ but you have ^(AM)risen up against the ^(AN)Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine out of them; and you have praised the ^(AO)gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor understand. But the God ^(AP)in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^(AQ)ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the ^[w](AR)hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

²⁵ “Now this is the inscription that was written:

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the ^[ab]message: ‘Menē’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^(AS)put an end to it. ²⁷ ‘Tekēl’—you have been ^(AT)weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘^[ac]Perēs’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the ^(AU)Medes and ^[ad]Persians.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^(AV)clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night ^(AW)Belshazzar the Chaldean king was ^(AX)killed. ^31 [ae]So ^(AY)Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Daniel Serves Darius

6 ^[af]It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, to be in charge of the whole kingdom, ² and over them, three commissioners (of whom ^(AZ)Daniel was one), so that these satraps would be accountable to them, and that the king would not ^[ag]suffer ^(BA)loss. ³ Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself ^[ah]among the commissioners and satraps because ^[ai]he possessed an ^(BB)extraordinary spirit, and the king intended to appoint him over the ^(BC)entire kingdom. ⁴ Then the commissioners and satraps began ^(BD)trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel regarding ^[aj]government affairs; but they could find ^(BE)no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him regarding the ^(BF)law of his God.”

⁶ Then these commissioners and satraps came ^[ak]by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, ^(BG)live forever! ⁷ All the ^(BH)commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have ^(BI)consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall ^(BJ)be thrown into the lions’ ^[al]den. ⁸ Now, O king, ^(BK)establish the injunction and sign the document so that it will not be changed, according to the ^(BL)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[am]may not be revoked.” ⁹ Thereupon, King Darius ^(BM)signed the document, that is, the injunction.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open ^(BN)toward Jerusalem); and he continued ^(BO)kneeling on his knees three times a day, ^(BP)praying and ^(BQ)offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously. ¹¹ Then these men came ^[an](BR)by agreement and found Daniel offering a prayer and imploring favor before his God. ¹² Then they approached and ^(BS)spoke before the king about the king’s injunction: “Did you not sign an injunction that any person who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the ^(BT)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[ao]may not be revoked.” ¹³ Then they responded and spoke before the king, “^(BU)Daniel, who is one of the ^[ap]exiles from Judah, pays ^(BV)no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps offering his prayer three times a day.”

¹⁴ Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply ^(BW)distressed, and set his mind on rescuing Daniel; and until sunset he kept exerting himself to save him. ¹⁵ Then these men came ^[aq]by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a ^(BX)law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁶ Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and ^(BY)thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “^[ar](BZ)Your God whom you continually serve will Himself rescue you.” ¹⁷ And a ^(CA)stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed regarding Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night ^(CB)fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ^(CC)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then the king got up at dawn, at the break of day, and went in a hurry to the lions’ den. ²⁰ And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ^(CD)your God, whom you continually serve, been ^(CE)able to rescue you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel spoke ^[as]to the king, “^(CF)O king, live forever! ²² My God ^(CG)sent His angel and ^(CH)shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, since ^[at]I was found innocent before Him; and also ^[au]toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” ²³ Then the king was very glad and gave orders for Daniel to be lifted up out of the den. So Daniel was lifted up out of the den, and ^(CI)no injury whatever was found on him, because he had ^(CJ)trusted in his God. ²⁴ The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had ^[av]maliciously accused Daniel, and they ^(CK)threw them, their ^(CL)children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁵ Then Darius the king wrote to all the ^(CM)peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[aw]languages who were living in all the land: “^(CN)May your ^[ax]peace be great! ^26 [ay]I ^(CO)issue a decree that in all the realm of my kingdom people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;

²⁸ So this ^(CT)Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of ^(CU)Cyrus the Persian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a ^(CV)dream and visions ^[bb]in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ^(CW)wrote the dream down and told the ^[bc]following summary of ^[bd]it. ² Daniel ^[be]said, “I was ^(CX)looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ^(CY)four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. ³ And four great ^(CZ)beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. ⁴ The first was ^(DA)like a lion but had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and set up on two feet like a man; a human ^[bf]mind also was given to it. ⁵ And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said this to it: ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ ⁶ After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ^(DB)like a leopard, which had on its ^[bg]back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ^(DC)four heads, and dominion was given to it. ⁷ After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ^(DD)fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^(DE)ten horns. ⁸ While I was thinking about the horns, behold, ^(DF)another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, ^[bh]this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and ^(DG)a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

¹¹ Then I kept looking because of the sound of the ^[bk]boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the ^(DQ)burning ^[bl]fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

The Vision Interpreted

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within ^[bo]me, and the ^(DW)visions ^[bp]in my mind kept ^(DX)alarming me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those who were ^(DY)standing by and began requesting of him the ^[bq]exact meaning of all this. So he ^(DZ)told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the ^[br](EA)saints of the Highest One will ^(EB)receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, ^[bs]for all ages to come.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the ^[bt]exact meaning of the ^(EC)fourth beast, which was different from all ^[bu]the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, ²⁰ and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of the horns fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and ^[bv]which was larger in appearance than its associates. ²¹ I kept looking, and that horn was ^(ED)waging war with the ^[bw]saints and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and ^(EE)judgment was ^[bx]passed in favor of the ^[by]saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the ^[bz]saints took possession of the kingdom.

²³ “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it. ²⁴ As for the ^(EF)ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will ^[ca]humble three kings. ²⁵ And he will ^[cb](EG)speak against the ^(EH)Most High and ^(EI)wear down the ^[cc]saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ^(EJ)alterations in times and in law; and ^[cd]they will be handed over to him for a ^[ce](EK)time, ^[cf]times, and half a ^[cg]time. ²⁶ But the court will ^[ch]convene for judgment, and his dominion will be ^(EL)taken away, ^[ci]annihilated and destroyed ^[cj]forever. ²⁷ Then the ^[ck](EM)sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the ^[cl]saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an ^(EN)everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will ^(EO)serve and obey Him.’

²⁸ “^[cm]At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were ^(EP)greatly alarming me and my ^[cn]face became pale, but I ^(EQ)kept the matter ^[co]to myself.”

Walk According to His Commandments

^1 (A)The elder to the ^(B)chosen ^(C)lady and her children, whom I ^(D)love in truth; and not only I, but also all who ^(E)know the truth, ^2 (F)because of the truth which remains ^(G)in us and will be ^(H)with us forever: ^3 (I)Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

^4 (J)I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received a commandment to do from the Father. ⁵ Now I ask you, lady, ^(K)not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had ^(L)from the beginning, that we ^(M)love one another. ⁶ And ^(N)this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, ^(O)just as you have heard ^(P)from the beginning, that you are to walk in it.

⁷ For ^(Q)many deceivers have ^(R)gone out into the world, those who ^(S)do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is ^(T)the deceiver and the ^(U)antichrist. ^8 (V)Watch yourselves, ^(W)that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. ^9 [a]Anyone who ^[b]goes too far and ^(X)does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, ^(Y)do not receive him into your house, and do not ^[c]give him a greeting; ¹¹ for the one who ^[d]gives him a greeting ^[e](Z)participates in his evil deeds.

^12 (AA)Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak ^[f]face to face, so that ^[g]your ^(AB)joy may be made complete.

¹³ The children of your ^(AC)chosen sister greet you.