Daniel 5
King James Version
5 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 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.
3 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.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
10 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:
11 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;
12 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.
13 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?
14 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.
15 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:
16 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.
17 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.
18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
19 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.
20 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:
21 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.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23 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:
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.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Daniel 5
Amplified Bible
Belshazzar’s Feast
5 Belshazzar the king [who was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar] gave a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking his wine in the presence of the thousand [guests]. 2 Belshazzar, as he tasted the wine, gave a command to bring in the gold and silver vessels which his [a]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the [b]temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his [c]concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the gold and silver vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing opposite the lampstand on [a well-lit area of] the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; the joints and muscles of his hips and back weakened and his knees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the enchanters (Magi), the Chaldeans [who were master astrologers] and the diviners. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around his neck, and have authority as the [d]third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not [e]read the writing or reveal to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly perplexed, his face became even paler, and his nobles were bewildered and alarmed.
10 Now the queen [mother], overhearing the [excited] words of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet area. The queen [mother] spoke and said, “O king, live forever! Do not be alarmed at your thoughts or let your face be changed. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is [f]a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And [g]King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans and diviners. 12 It was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, the ability to interpret dreams, clarify riddles, and solve complex problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called and he will give the interpretation.”
Daniel Interprets Handwriting on the Wall
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the sons of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. 15 Now the wise men and the enchanters, were brought in before me so that they might read this writing and reveal its meaning to me, but they could not give the interpretation of the message. 16 But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to make interpretations and solve complex problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and reveal its interpretation to me, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around your neck, and you shall have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and reveal the interpretation to him. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and greatness and glory and majesty; 19 and because of the greatness that He gave him, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language trembled and feared him. Whomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive; whomever he wished he promoted and whomever he wished he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 He was also driven from mankind, and his mind was made like that of an animal, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he came to know [without any doubt] that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind and He appoints it to whomever He wills. 22 And you, his [h]son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart (mind), even though you knew all this. 23 And you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of His house have been brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But the God who holds in His hand your breath of life and your ways you have not honored and glorified [but have dishonored and defied]. 24 Then the hand was sent from the presence [of the Most High God], and this inscription was written:
25 “This is the [i]inscription that was written, ‘mene, mene, tekel, upharsin [numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided].’ 26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘mene’—God has numbered the days of your kingdom and put an end to it; 27 ‘tekel’—you have been weighed on the scales [of righteousness] and found deficient; 28 ‘[j]peres’—[k]your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and [l]Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple and a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation concerning him was issued [declaring] that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 During that same [m]night Belshazzar the [last] Chaldean king was slain [by troops of the [n]invading army]. 31 So [o]Darius the Mede received the kingdom; he was about the age of sixty-two.
Footnotes
- Daniel 5:2 This Aramaic word (see note 2:4) may also mean “ancestor” (see vv 11, 13, 18).
- Daniel 5:2 Gold utensils had been used in the temple building itself, and silver utensils had originally been stored in the “treasuries of the house of God” (2 Chr 5:1).
- Daniel 5:2 See note Gen 22:24.
- Daniel 5:7 Nabonidus was first, Belshazzar, his son, was second.
- Daniel 5:8 In light of what Daniel says in v 25, it is hard to escape the conclusion that for some reason the letters were unreadable to the wise men. The ancient rabbis speculated that the words were written in some kind of code that had to be deciphered. Among the suggestions were reversing the order of the letters (e.g. ENM for MENE etc.) and an elaborate puzzle in which the letters of each word were separated and spread out to form three senseless words: “MMTUS NNKFE EELRN” (“M...N...E” etc.).
- Daniel 5:11 Or possibly the Spirit of the Holy God, and so throughout the chapter.
- Daniel 5:11 Twenty-three years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar’s death in 562 b.c.
- Daniel 5:22 The Aramaic (see note 2:4) word may also mean “grandson” or “descendant.”
- Daniel 5:25 These words are ordinary Aramaic from that time, so some commentators have speculated that the wise men recognized them but just could not put them into orderly sentences. Yet here Daniel seems to clearly “read” the words simply by pronouncing them in Aramaic (cf note v 8). His interpretation (vv 26-28) goes far beyond what the simple words mean by themselves.
- Daniel 5:28 The singular of upharsin (see v 25).
- Daniel 5:28 Foretold in Is 21:2, 5, 9.
- Daniel 5:28 Aram Paras.
- Daniel 5:30 The 16th of Tishri (October 12, 539 b.c).
- Daniel 5:30 The Persian army had been outside the walls of Babylon for some time, but waited until this time of national feasting before invading.
- Daniel 5:31 Some scholars believe “Darius” may be a title rather than a proper name and in this context refers either to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, who conquered Babylon or (more likely) to Gubaru, Cyrus’ commander who led the nighttime attack on the city and was appointed governor of the Babylonian territories.
Daniel 5
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
La escritura en la pared
5 Belsasar, rey de Babilonia ofreció un gran banquete a mil de sus nobles, y en presencia de los mil se puso a beber vino(A). 2 Mientras saboreaba el vino, Belsasar ordenó traer los vasos de oro y plata que Nabucodonosor su padre[a] había sacado del templo que estaba en Jerusalén(B), para que bebieran en ellos el rey y sus nobles, sus mujeres y sus concubinas. 3 Entonces trajeron los vasos de oro que habían sido sacados del templo, la casa de Dios que estaba en Jerusalén, y el rey y sus nobles, sus mujeres y sus concubinas bebieron en ellos. 4 Bebieron vino y alabaron a los dioses de oro y plata, de bronce, hierro, madera y piedra(C).
5 De pronto aparecieron los dedos de una mano humana y comenzaron a escribir frente al candelabro sobre lo encalado de la pared del palacio del rey, y el rey vio el dorso[b] de la mano que escribía. 6 Entonces el rostro del rey palideció[c], y sus pensamientos lo turbaron(D), las coyunturas de sus caderas se le relajaron(E) y sus rodillas comenzaron a chocar una contra otra(F). 7 El rey gritó fuertemente que trajeran a los encantadores, a los caldeos[d] y a los adivinos. El rey habló, y dijo a los sabios de Babilonia: «Cualquiera que pueda leer esta inscripción y declararme su interpretación(G), será vestido de púrpura, llevará un collar de oro al cuello y tendrá autoridad como tercero[e] en el reino(H)».
8 Entonces entraron todos los sabios del rey, pero no pudieron leer la inscripción ni dar a conocer al rey su interpretación(I). 9 Y el rey Belsasar se turbó en gran manera, su rostro palideció(J) aún más[f]. También sus nobles quedaron perplejos(K).
10 La reina, al enterarse de las palabras del rey y de sus nobles, entró en la sala[g] del banquete y[h] tomando la palabra, dijo: «¡Oh rey, viva para siempre(L)! No le turben sus pensamientos ni se mude su semblante[i]. 11 Hay un hombre en su reino en quien está el espíritu de los dioses santos[j]. Y en los días de su padre se halló en él luz, inteligencia y sabiduría como la sabiduría de los dioses(M). Y su padre, el rey Nabucodonosor, su padre el rey[k], lo nombró jefe de los magos[l](N), encantadores, caldeos[m] y adivinos(O), 12 debido a que se halló un espíritu extraordinario, conocimiento e inteligencia(P), interpretación de sueños, explicación de enigmas y solución de problemas difíciles en este hombre, Daniel, a quien el rey llamaba Beltsasar. Que llamen ahora a Daniel(Q), y él declarará la interpretación».
13 Entonces Daniel fue traído ante el rey. El rey preguntó a Daniel: «¿Eres tú aquel Daniel de los deportados[n] de Judá(R), que el rey mi padre trajo de Judá(S)? 14 He oído de ti que el espíritu de los dioses[o] está en ti, y que luz, inteligencia y extraordinaria sabiduría se hallan en ti. 15 Ahora mismo los sabios y encantadores fueron traídos delante de mí para que leyeran esta inscripción y me dieran a conocer su interpretación(T), pero no pudieron declarar la interpretación del escrito[p](U). 16 Pero yo he oído decir de ti que puedes dar interpretaciones y resolver problemas difíciles. Ahora, si puedes leer la inscripción y darme a conocer su interpretación(V), serás vestido de púrpura y llevarás un collar de oro al cuello, y tendrás autoridad como tercero[q] en el reino(W)».
17 Entonces Daniel respondió(X) delante del rey: «Sean para ti tus regalos y da tus recompensas a otro. Yo leeré, sin embargo, la inscripción al rey y le daré a conocer su interpretación. 18 Oh rey[r], el Dios Altísimo(Y) concedió(Z) a tu padre Nabucodonosor(AA) soberanía[s], grandeza, gloria y majestad. 19 Y a causa de la grandeza que Él le concedió, todos los pueblos, naciones y lenguas temían y temblaban delante de él. A quien quería, mataba, y a quien quería, dejaba con vida; exaltaba a quien quería, y a quien quería humillaba(AB). 20 Pero cuando su corazón se enalteció(AC) y su espíritu se endureció en su arrogancia(AD), fue depuesto de su trono real y su gloria le fue quitada(AE). 21 Fue echado de entre los hombres[t], su corazón se hizo semejante al de las bestias y con los asnos monteses(AF) tuvo su morada. Se le dio a comer hierba como al ganado y su cuerpo se empapó con el rocío del cielo, hasta que reconoció que el Dios Altísimo domina sobre el reino de los hombres y que pone sobre él a quien le place(AG).
22 »Pero usted, su hijo[u] Belsasar, no se ha humillado(AH) su corazón aunque[v] sabía todo esto, 23 sino que se ha ensalzado usted contra el Señor del cielo(AI). Y han traído delante de usted los vasos de Su templo[w], y usted y sus nobles, sus mujeres y sus concubinas, han estado bebiendo vino en ellos y han alabado a los dioses de plata y oro, de bronce, hierro, madera y piedra(AJ), que ni ven, ni oyen, ni entienden(AK). Pero al Dios que tiene en Su mano su propio aliento(AL) y es dueño de todos sus caminos(AM), no ha glorificado. 24 Por lo cual Él envió de Su presencia la mano[x](AN) que trazó esta inscripción.
25 »Esta es la inscripción que fue trazada: Mene[y], Mene[z], Tekel[aa], Ufarsin[ab]. 26 Esta es la interpretación del escrito[ac]: Mene: Dios ha contado su reino y le ha puesto fin(AO). 27 Tekel: ha sido pesado en la balanza(AP) y hallado falto de peso. 28 Peres: su reino ha sido dividido y entregado a los medos y persas[ad](AQ)».
29 Entonces Belsasar ordenó que vistieran a Daniel de púrpura y le pusieran un collar de oro al cuello, y que proclamaran acerca de él, que él tenía ahora autoridad como tercero[ae] en el reino(AR).
30 Aquella misma noche fue asesinado Belsasar(AS), rey de los caldeos(AT). 31 [af]Y Darío el Medo recibió el reino(AU) cuando tenía sesenta y dos años.
Footnotes
- Daniel 5:2 O antepasado, y así en el resto del cap.
- Daniel 5:5 Lit. la palma.
- Daniel 5:6 Lit. se le cambió su brillantez.
- Daniel 5:7 O astrólogos.
- Daniel 5:7 O un triumviro.
- Daniel 5:9 Lit. su brillantez cambió en él.
- Daniel 5:10 Lit. casa.
- Daniel 5:10 Lit. la reina.
- Daniel 5:10 Lit. se cambie tu brillantez.
- Daniel 5:11 O posiblemente, el Espíritu del Dios santo.
- Daniel 5:11 U oh rey.
- Daniel 5:11 O sacerdotes adivinos.
- Daniel 5:11 O astrólogos.
- Daniel 5:13 Lit. hijos del destierro.
- Daniel 5:14 O posiblemente, el Espíritu de Dios.
- Daniel 5:15 Lit. de la palabra.
- Daniel 5:16 O un triumviro.
- Daniel 5:18 Lit. Tú, oh rey.
- Daniel 5:18 O el reino.
- Daniel 5:21 Lit. hijos del hombre.
- Daniel 5:22 O descendiente.
- Daniel 5:22 Lit. por cuanto.
- Daniel 5:23 Lit. casa.
- Daniel 5:24 Lit. la palma de la mano.
- Daniel 5:25 O una mina (50 siclos), del verbo contar.
- Daniel 5:25 O una mina (50 siclos), del verbo contar.
- Daniel 5:25 O un siclo, del verbo pesar.
- Daniel 5:25 O y medios siclos, del verbo dividir (singular arameo, peres).
- Daniel 5:26 Lit. de la palabra.
- Daniel 5:28 Arameo: paras.
- Daniel 5:29 O un triumviro.
- Daniel 5:31 En arameo, cap. 6:1.
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