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^(A) and he was so frightened^(B) that his legs became weak^(C) and his knees were knocking.^(D)

⁷ The king summoned the enchanters,^(E) astrologers^[a](F) and diviners.^(G) Then he said to these wise^(H) 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,^(I) and he will be made the third^(J) highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(K)

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

¹⁰ The queen,^[b] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”^(O) 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^(P) in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom^(Q) like that of the gods.^(R) Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.^{(S) 12} He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,^(T) was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles^(U) and solve difficult problems.^(V) Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.^(W)”

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,^(G) and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.^(H)

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar,^(I) king^(J) of the Babylonians,^[d] was slain,^{(K) 31} and Darius^(L) the Mede^(M) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.^[e]