The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah

1 After Ahab’s death, Moab^(A) rebelled against Israel. ² Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers,^(B) saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub,^(C) the god of Ekron,^(D) to see if I will recover^(E) from this injury.”

³ But the angel^(F) of the Lord said to Elijah^(G) the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel^(H) that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave^(I) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.

⁵ When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”

⁶ “A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave^(J) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”

⁷ The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”

⁸ They replied, “He had a garment of hair^[a](K) and had a leather belt around his waist.”

The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then he sent^(L) to Elijah a captain^(M) with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

¹⁰ Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire^(N) fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

¹¹ At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

¹² “If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life^(O) and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! ¹⁴ See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”

¹⁵ The angel^(P) of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid^(Q) of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶ He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers^(R) to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave^(S) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” ¹⁷ So he died,^(T) according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.

Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram^[b](U) succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. ¹⁸ As for all the other events of Ahaziah’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

The Writing on the Wall

5 King Belshazzar^(A) gave a great banquet^(B) for a thousand of his nobles^(C) and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking^(D) his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets^(E) that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines^(F) might drink from them.^{(G) 3} So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple 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^(H) of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.^(I)

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ His face turned pale^(J) and he was so frightened^(K) that his legs became weak^(L) and his knees were knocking.^(M)

⁷ The king summoned the enchanters,^(N) astrologers^[b](O) and diviners.^(P) Then he said to these wise^(Q) men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,^(R) and he will be made the third^(S) highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(T)

⁸ Then all the king’s wise men^(U) came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.^{(V) 9} So King Belshazzar became even more terrified^(W) and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

¹⁰ The queen,^[c] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”^(X) she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods^(Y) in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom^(Z) like that of the gods.^(AA) Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.^{(AB) 12} He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,^(AC) was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles^(AD) and solve difficult problems.^(AE) Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.^(AF)”

¹³ So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?^{(AG) 14} I have heard that the spirit of the gods^(AH) is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.^{(AI) 15} The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.^{(AJ) 16} Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems.^(AK) If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck,^(AL) and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(AM)

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.^(AN) Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

¹⁸ “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar^(AO) sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.^{(AP) 19} Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;^(AQ) those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.^{(AR) 20} But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,^(AS) he was deposed from his royal throne^(AT) and stripped^(AU) of his glory.^{(AV) 21} He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign^(AW) over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.^(AX)

²² “But you, Belshazzar, his son,^[d] have not humbled^(AY) yourself, though you knew all this. ²³ Instead, you have set yourself up against^(AZ) the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives^(BA) and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.^(BB) But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life^(BC) and all your ways.^{(BD) 24} Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

²⁵ “This is the inscription that was written:

²⁶ “Here is what these words mean:

²⁹ Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,^(BK) and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.^(BL)

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar,^(BM) king^(BN) of the Babylonians,^[h] was slain,^{(BO) 31} and Darius^(BP) the Mede^(BQ) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.^[i]