Daniel 5
New International Version
The Writing on the Wall
5Â King Belshazzar(A) gave a great banquet(B) for a thousand of his nobles(C) and drank wine with them. 2Â 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) 3Â 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. 4Â As they drank the wine, they praised the gods(H) of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.(I)
5Â 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. 6Â His face turned pale(J) and he was so frightened(K) that his legs became weak(L) and his knees were knocking.(M)
7Â The king summoned the enchanters,(N) astrologers[b](O) and diviners.(P) Then he said to these wise(Q) men of Babylon, âWhoever 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.â(T)
8Â Then all the kingâs wise men(U) came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.(V) 9Â So King Belshazzar became even more terrified(W) and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
10Â The queen,[c] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. âMay the king live forever!â(X) she said. âDonât be alarmed! Donât look so pale! 11Â 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) 12Â 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)â
13Â So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, âAre you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?(AG) 14Â I have heard that the spirit of the gods(AH) is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.(AI) 15Â 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) 16Â 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.â(AM)
17Â Then Daniel answered the king, âYou 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.
18Â âYour Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar(AO) sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.(AP) 19Â 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) 20Â 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) 21Â 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)
22Â âBut you, Belshazzar, his son,[d] have not humbled(AY) yourself, though you knew all this. 23Â 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) 24Â Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25Â âThis is the inscription that was written:
mene, mene, tekel, parsin
26Â âHere is what these words mean:
Mene[e]: God has numbered the days(BE) of your reign and brought it to an end.(BF)
27Â Tekel[f]: You have been weighed on the scales(BG) and found wanting.(BH)
28Â Peres[g]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes(BI) and Persians.â(BJ)
29Â Then at Belshazzarâs 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)
30Â That very night Belshazzar,(BM) king(BN) of the Babylonians,[h] was slain,(BO) 31Â and Darius(BP) the Mede(BQ) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.[i]
Footnotes
- Daniel 5:2 Or ancestor; or predecessor; also in verses 11, 13 and 18
- Daniel 5:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 11
- Daniel 5:10 Or queen mother
- Daniel 5:22 Or descendant; or successor
- Daniel 5:26 Mene can mean numbered or mina (a unit of money).
- Daniel 5:27 Tekel can mean weighed or shekel.
- Daniel 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) can mean divided or Persia or a half mina or a half shekel.
- Daniel 5:30 Or Chaldeans
- Daniel 5:31 In Aramaic texts this verse (5:31) is numbered 6:1.
Daniel 5
King James Version
5Â Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2Â Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
3Â Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4Â They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5Â In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6Â Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
7Â The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8Â Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
9Â Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
10Â Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
11Â There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
12Â Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
13Â Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
14Â I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15Â And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:
16Â And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17Â Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18Â O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
19Â And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
20Â But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
21Â And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
22Â And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23Â But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
24Â Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
25Â And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
26Â This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27Â Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28Â Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29Â Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30Â In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31Â And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
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Daniel 5
New King James Version
Belshazzarâs Feast
5Â Belshazzar the king (A)made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2Â While 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. 3Â Then 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. 4Â They drank wine, (D)and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5Â (E)In the same hour the fingers of a manâs hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the kingâs palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6Â Then the kingâs countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his (F)knees knocked against each other. 7Â (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, âWhoever 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.â 8Â Now all the kingâs wise men came, (J)but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9Â Then King Belshazzar was greatly (K)troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were [c]astonished.
10Â The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, âO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11Â (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]fatherâyour father the kingâmade him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12Â Inasmuch 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.â
The Writing on the Wall Explained
13Â Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, âAre you that Daniel [g]who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my [h]father the king brought from Judah? 14Â I 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. 15Â Now (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. 16Â And 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.â
17Â Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, âLet 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. 18Â O king, (Q)the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your [k]father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19Â And 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. 20Â (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. 21Â Then 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.
22Â âBut you his son, Belshazzar, (W)have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23Â (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. 24Â Then the [o]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
25Â âAnd this is the inscription that was written:
[p]MENE, MENE, [q]TEKEL, [r]UPHARSIN.
26Â This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27Â TEKEL: (AB)You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28Â PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the (AC)Medes and (AD)Persians.â[s] 29Â Then 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.
Belshazzarâs Fall
30Â (AF)That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31Â (AG)And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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 âto numberâ
- Daniel 5:25 Lit. a shekel from the verb âto weighâ
- Daniel 5:25 Lit. and half-shekels from the verb âto divideâ; pl. of Peres, v. 28
- Daniel 5:28 Aram. Paras, consonant with Peres
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Scripture taken from the New King James VersionŸ. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.