Daniel 5

New King James Version

Belshazzar’s Feast

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

⁵^(E)In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. ⁶Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his ^(F)knees knocked against each other. ⁷^(G)The king cried ^[b]aloud to bring in ^(H)the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; ^(I)and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸Now all the king’s wise men came, ^(J)but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. ⁹Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(K)troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were ^[c]astonished.

¹⁰The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. ¹¹^(L)There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your ^[d]father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your ^[e]father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹²Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and ^[f]explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, ^(M)whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing on the Wall Explained

¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel ^[g]who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my ^[h]father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴I have heard of you, that ^(N)the ^[i]Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵Now ^(O)the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. ¹⁶And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and ^[j]explain enigmas. ^(P)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸O king, ^(Q)the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your ^[k]father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. ¹⁹And because of the majesty that He gave him, ^(R)all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he ^(S)executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. ²⁰^(T)But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹Then he was ^(U)driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^(V)till he ^[l]knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

²²“But you his son, Belshazzar, ^(W)have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³^(X)And you have ^[m]lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the ^(Y)vessels of ^[n]His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, ^(Z)which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand ^(AA)and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴Then the ^[o]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

²⁵“And this is the inscription that was written:

^[p]MENE, MENE, ^[q]TEKEL, ^[r]UPHARSIN.

²⁶This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; ²⁷TEKEL: ^(AB)You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; ²⁸PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the ^(AC)Medes and ^(AD)Persians.”^[s] ²⁹Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him ^(AE)that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

³⁰^(AF)That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. ³¹^(AG)And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Footnotes

Daniel 5:2 Or ancestor
Daniel 5:7 Lit. with strength
Daniel 5:9 perplexed
Daniel 5:11 Or ancestor
Daniel 5:11 Or ancestor
Daniel 5:12 Lit. untying knots
Daniel 5:13 Lit. who is of the sons of the captivity
Daniel 5:13 Or ancestor
Daniel 5:14 Or spirit of the gods
Daniel 5:16 Lit. untie knots
Daniel 5:18 Or ancestor
Daniel 5:21 Recognized
Daniel 5:23 Exalted
Daniel 5:23 The temple
Daniel 5:24 Lit. palm
Daniel 5:25 Lit. a mina (50 shekels) from the verb “to number”
Daniel 5:25 Lit. a shekel from the verb “to weigh”
Daniel 5:25 Lit. and half-shekels from the verb “to divide”; pl. of Peres, v. 28
Daniel 5:28 Aram. Paras, consonant with Peres

Psalm 94:12-23

New King James Version

¹²Blessed is the man whom You ^(A)instruct, O Lord,
And teach out of Your law,
¹³That You may give him ^[a]rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not ^[b]cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
¹⁵But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
¹⁷Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
¹⁸If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
¹⁹In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.

²⁰Shall ^(B)the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You?
²¹They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn ^(C)innocent blood.
²²But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
²³He has brought on them their own iniquity,
And shall ^[c]cut them off in their own wickedness;
The Lord our God shall cut them off.

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Footnotes

Psalm 94:13 relief
Psalm 94:14 abandon
Psalm 94:23 destroy them

Proverbs 19

New King James Version

The Fear of the Lord Leads to Life

19 Better ^(A)is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

²Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.

³The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.

⁴^(B)Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.

⁵A ^(C)false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies will not escape.

⁶Many entreat the favor of the nobility,
And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.
⁷^(D)All the brothers of the poor hate him;
How much more do his friends go ^(E)far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they ^[a]abandon him.

⁸He who gets ^[b]wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding ^(F)will find good.

⁹A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish.

¹⁰Luxury is not fitting for a fool,
Much less ^(G)for a servant to rule over princes.

¹¹^(H)The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
^(I)And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

¹²^(J)The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is ^(K)like dew on the grass.

¹³^(L)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
^(M)And the contentions of a wife are a continual ^[c]dripping.

¹⁴^(N)Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But ^(O)a prudent wife is from the Lord.

¹⁵^(P)Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will ^(Q)suffer hunger.

¹⁶^(R)He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But he who ^[d]is careless of his ways will die.

¹⁷^(S)He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.

¹⁸^(T)Chasten your son while there is hope,
And do not set your heart ^[e]on his destruction.

¹⁹A man of great wrath will suffer punishment;
For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

²⁰Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise ^(U)in your latter days.

²¹There are many plans in a man’s heart,
^(V)Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

²²What is desired in a man is ^[f]kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.

²³^(W)The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.

²⁴^(X)A lazy man buries his hand in the ^[g]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

²⁵Strike a scoffer, and the simple ^(Y)will become wary;
^(Z)Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge.

²⁶He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is ^(AA)a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

²⁷Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A ^[h]disreputable witness scorns justice,
And ^(AB)the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
^(AC)And beatings for the backs of fools.

Footnotes

Proverbs 19:7 Lit. are not
Proverbs 19:8 Lit. heart
Proverbs 19:13 Irritation
Proverbs 19:16 Is reckless, lit. despises
Proverbs 19:18 Lit. to put him to death; a Jewish tradition on his crying
Proverbs 19:22 Lit. lovingkindness
Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
Proverbs 19:28 Lit. witness of Belial, worthless witness

1 Corinthians 5

New King James Version

Immorality Defiles the Church

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even ^[a]named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s ^(A)wife! ²^(B)And you are ^[b]puffed up, and have not rather ^(C)mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. ³^(D)For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. ⁴In the ^(E)name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, ^(F)with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁵^(G)deliver such a one to ^(H)Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord ^[c]Jesus.

⁶^(I)Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that ^(J)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷Therefore ^[d]purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed ^(K)Christ, our ^(L)Passover, was sacrificed ^[e]for us. ⁸Therefore ^(M)let us keep the feast, ^(N)not with old leaven, nor ^(O)with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Immorality Must Be Judged

⁹I wrote to you in my epistle ^(P)not to ^[f]keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go ^(Q)out of the world. ¹¹But now I have written to you not to keep company ^(R)with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—^(S)not even to eat with such a person.

¹²For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? ¹³But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ^(T)“put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 5:1 NU omits named
1 Corinthians 5:2 arrogant
1 Corinthians 5:5 NU omits Jesus
1 Corinthians 5:7 clean out
1 Corinthians 5:7 NU omits for us
1 Corinthians 5:9 associate

1 Corinthians 6

New King James Version

Do Not Sue the Brethren

6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the ^(A)saints? ²Do you not know that ^(B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³Do you not know that we shall ^(C)judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? ⁴If then you have ^[a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? ⁵I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? ⁶But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

⁷Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. ^(D)Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? ⁸No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! ⁹Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. ^(E)Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ^[b]homosexuals, nor ^[c]sodomites, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And such were ^(F)some of you. ^(G)But you were washed, but you were ^[d]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

¹²^(H)All things are lawful for me, but all things are not ^[e]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of ^[f]any. ¹³^(I)Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for ^(J)sexual immorality but ^(K)for the Lord, ^(L)and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴And ^(M)God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up ^(N)by His power.

¹⁵Do you not know that ^(O)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! ¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ^(P)“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” ¹⁷^(Q)But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

¹⁸^(R)Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins ^(S)against his own body. ¹⁹Or ^(T)do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, ^(U)and you are not your own? ²⁰For ^(V)you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body ^[g]and in your spirit, which are God’s.