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.

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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.

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24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26 “Here is what these words mean:

Mene[a]: God has numbered the days(A) of your reign and brought it to an end.(B)

27 Tekel[b]: You have been weighed on the scales(C) and found wanting.(D)

28 Peres[c]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes(E) and Persians.”(F)

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)

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 5:26 Mene can mean numbered or mina (a unit of money).
  2. Daniel 5:27 Tekel can mean weighed or shekel.
  3. Daniel 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) can mean divided or Persia or a half mina or a half shekel.

24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

25 And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

29 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.

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